Life thru a Lens

Infobox Album |
Name = Life thru a Lens
Type = Album
Artist = Robbie Williams


Released = September 29, 1997
Recorded = 1997
Genre = Pop rock, britpop
Length = 44:25
Label = EMI
Producer = Guy Chambers, Steve Power
Mixed By = Steve Power
Reviews = *Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gs8gtq2zmu46 link]
*Q Rating|3|5
This album = "Life Thru A Lens"
(1997)
Next album = "I've Been Expecting You"
(1998)

"Life thru a Lens" was the first solo album by English pop singer Robbie Williams after his former band Take That split. After trying to find his own sound during a harrowing period for him, recordings for the album began at London's Maison Rouge studios in March of that year, shortly after his introduction to Guy Chambers.

Track listing

#"Lazy Days" – 3:52
#"Life thru a Lens" – 3:06
#"Ego a Go Go" – 3:31
#"Angels" – 4:23
#"South of the Border" – 3:52
#"Old Before I Die" – 3:52
#"One of God's Better People" – 3:33
#"Let Me Entertain You" – 4:20
#"Killing Me" – 3:55
#"Clean" – 3:51
#"Baby Girl Window" – 6:10

This album also contains a hidden poem on track 11 called "Hello Sir", a dig at a former career advisor. Robbie reprised part of the poem on the 1 Giant Leap collaboration "My Culture".

uccess

The album reached the number-one position on its 28th week inside the charts, the album remained forty weeks inside the British top ten albums and 218 weeks altogether, making the album the 58th Best Selling Album in UK History with sales over the 2.4 Million. [ [http://www.bpi.co.uk/platinum/platinumright.asp?rq=search_plat&r_id=30745 BPI Certification for "Life thru a Lens"] ] Despite the album's success in Williams' homeland, it failed to make a bigger impact in the international market, perhaps, the other territory where the album enjoyed similar success was Argentina, where the album reached the top ten in early 1998. It has sold over 4 million worldwide.

ingles

Williams released what would be the first single taken from his debut album, "Old Before I Die", co-written by Williams, Eric Bazilian, and Desmond Child. The single was released in April 1997, hitting number-two of the UK Charts, but the song didn't make a real impact in other international charts. The second single, "Lazy Days", was released in the summer of 1997, amidst William's battle with addiction. He was allowed to check out from rehab to shoot the video for the song. The single charted at number-eight in the United Kingdom but, because promotion was nonexistent, struggled to reach the top forty of any other European chart.

"Life thru a Lens" was released in September 1997, not long after Williams's stint in rehab. The album launched with his first live solo gig at the Elysee Monmatre theatre in Paris, France.

At first, the album was slow to take off, debuting at number-eleven of the UK Album Charts, and the album passed to the bargain bin not long after its release, selling a little over 33,000 copies.

The third single of the album, "South of the Border", failed to make a significant impact on the UK Charts. When it was released in September 1997 it reached number-fourteen, and many considered this the end of Robbie Williams. [ [http://rtl.musicbrigade.com/templates/ArtistPage____7326.aspx?View=4&ArtistID=5156 Robbie Williams, "South Of The Border"] ]

After Williams met the record company's concerns about his future, he released what would be the fourth single taken from his album, not knowing it would become his biggest single in the United Kingdom and so far, one of his best well known songs, "Angels", written by Williams and Chambers in just thirty minutes, was released in December 1997, the song became Williams' best seller in the United Kingdom being certified 2x Platinum by the BPI. [ [http://www.bpi.co.uk/platinum/platinumright.asp?rq=search_plat&r_id=27952 BPI Certification for "Angels"] ] The song, apart from becoming a hit around Europe and Latin America and selling almost 2 million copies worldwide, it led to rocketing the sales of his album.

The fifth and last single taken from the album, "Let Me Entertain You", when it was released in March 1998 reached number-three in the UK Charts, becoming one of Williams' signature songs and being the opener of most Williams' tours throughout his career.

Trivia

* It is reported that the track "Life thru a Lens" was written about Tara Palmer-Tomkinson and "Ego A Go Go" is said to be about Gary Barlow.

Certifications, Peaks & Sales

References

succession box
before = "This Is Hardcore" by Pulp
title = UK number one album
years = April 18 1998 – May 1 1998
after = "Mezzanine" by Massive Attack