Robbie Williams' Official Top 40 biggest singles in the UK revealed

13 September 2022 | By George Griffiths

 

In many ways, Robbie Williams is Britain's ultimate, consummate entertainer.

 

Graduating from his career in Take That as the band's designated cheeky chappie, Robbie left the band in a storm of controversy, but managed to carve out one of the most successful solo careers in the history of British music as a result.

 

And trust us, the results speak for themselves, with seven solo Number 1 singles and a mind-bending 13 solo UK Number 1 albums (currently tying him with Elvis for the most for a solo artist, ever).

 

Robbie might just add another to his list, however, as XXV - a brand-new greatest hits compilation celebrating 25 years of his solo career - is currently out-selling the rest of the UK Top 10 combined on its way to Number 1 this week.

 

And to celebrate, we're presenting you with the updated ranking of Robbie's biggest-ever singles in the UK.

 

But before we reveal the chart in full, let's count down the Top 10:

 

10. Love My Life

Released: 2016

Album: The Heavy Entertainment Show

Official Singles Chart peak: Number 22

Total UK chart units: 377,000

Robbie's most recent Top 40 single, Love My Life was the most successful offering from 2016's super-charged The Heavy Entertainment Show, his first with current record label Columbia.

 

9. Eternity/The Road To Mandalay

Released: 2001

Album: Sing When You're Winning/Greatest Hits

Official Singles Chart peak: Number 1

Total UK chart units: 418,000

Classed as the fifth single from Sing When You're Winning without actually being included on the original tracklist, Eternity (a double A-side single issued with The Road To Mandalay) became Robbie's fourth Number 1 single.

 

8. Somethin' Stupid (with Nicole Kidman)

Released: 2001

Album: Swing When You're Winning

Official Singles Chart peak: Number 1

Total UK chart units: 505,000

Yes, you read that right. The actual Nicole Kidman. How did the two come together to record this chart-topping duet? Robbie was a big fan of Nicole's Oscar-nominated turn in the musical Moulin Rouge, so asked her to jump on the track.

 

7. Millennium

Released: 1998

Album: I've Been Expecting You

Official Singles Chart peak: Number 1

Total UK chart units: 598,000

If there was one thing Robbie Williams wanted after leaving Take That, it was a solo Number 1 single. He didn't get it for quite a while - nearly two years since his debut - but it was Millennium that finally clinched it for him in 1998. Although it a bit annoying a song called Millennium wasn't actually released on the Millennium, right?

 

6. Feel

Released: 2002

Album: Escapology

Official Singles Chart peak: Number 4

Total UK chart units: 625,000

He just wants to Feel! Real love! The lead track from Escapology was originally released in December 2002 with the intention of being that year's Christmas Number 1. This wouldn't quite work (it peaked at Number 4, sadly) but the track still proves pretty popular - overall, with over 35 million streams to its name, it's actually Robbie's third-most streamed track in the UK.

 

5. Let Me Entertain You

Released: 1998

Album: Life Thru A Lens

Official Singles Chart peak: Number 3

Total UK chart units: 645,000

One of two tracks (along with Rock DJ) that showcases Robbie at his peacocking best, Let Me Entertain You has proved to be the modus operandi of the star's entire career.

 

4. She's The One/It's Only Us

Released: 1999

Album: I've Been Expecting You

Official Singles Chart peak: Number 1

Total UK chart units: 781,000

A weepy if we've ever heard one, She's The One is actually a cover. The song was originally released by British rock band World Party in 1997 before being taken on by Robbie, who issued it alongside It's Only Us.

 

3. Candy

Released: 2012

Album: Take The Crown

Official Singles Chart peak: Number 1

Total UK chart units: 952,000

In case you can't tell by listening to Candy, by 2012 Robbie really wanted another Number 1 single. And that's where this giddy, over-the-top tune (written by Take That bandmate Gary Barlow and produced by Jacknife Lee) comes in. Almost custom-engineered to be a hit, Candy's convictions won out, granting Robbie his seventh UK Number 1 single, and first in the UK since Radio in 2004.

 

2. Rock DJ

Released: 2000

Album: Sing When You're Winning

Official Singles Chart peak: Number 1

Total UK chart units: 1.1 million

Perhaps the one track that best exemplifies Robbie's unique flair as a pop star; showmanship, the cheeky, snarky ego befitting one of the biggest pop stars of their generation, all packed with the charisma of talking with your mate in the pub. He's got the gift, gonna stick in the goal!

 

1. Angels

Released: 1997

Album: Life Thru A Lens

Official Singles Chart peak: Number 4

Total UK chart units: 2 million

Probably one of the songs that, if you go up to any citizen of the United Kingdom, could sing for you at the drop of a hat, Angels is perhaps the greatest accomplishment of Robbie's solo career and the very height of his collaboration with frequent co-writer and producer Guy Chambers.

 

Perhaps you'll be surprised to know that Angels never hit Number 1 in the UK. But then again, none other than Taylor Swift invited Robbie up onstage to perform the song with her at her Reputation tour date in London (where she and the entire crowd knew every word off by heart, naturally), so who needs a Number 1 single after that?

 

Robbie Williams Official Top 40 biggest songs in the UK

POS TITLE ARTIST YEAR PEAK

1 ANGELS ROBBIE WILLIAMS 1997 4 2m

2 ROCK DJ ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2000 1 1.1m

3 CANDY ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2012 1 952k

4 SHE'S THE ONE/IT'S ONLY US ROBBIE WILLIAMS 1999 1 781k

5 LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU ROBBIE WILLIAMS 1998 3 645k

6 FEEL ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2002 4 625k

7 MILLENNIUM ROBBIE WILLIAMS 1998 1 598k

8 SOMETHIN' STUPID ROBBIE WILLIAMS/NICOLE KIDMAN 2001 1 505k

9 ETERNITY/THE ROAD TO MANDALAY ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2001 1 418k

10 LOVE MY LIFE ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2016 22 377k

11 NO REGRETS/ANTMUSIC ROBBIE WILLIAMS 1998 4

12 KIDS ROBBIE WILLIAMS/KYLIE MINOGUE 2000 2

13 YOU KNOW ME ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2009 6

14 BODIES ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2009 2

15 STRONG ROBBIE WILLIAMS 1999 4

16 SHAME ROBBIE WILLIAMS & GARY BARLOW 2010 2

17 SUPREME ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2000 4

18 FREEDOM ROBBIE WILLIAMS 1996 2

19 TRIPPING ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2005 2

20 COME UNDONE ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2003 4

21 OLD BEFORE I DIE ROBBIE WILLIAMS 1997 2

22 GO GENTLE ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2013 10

23 GOIN' CRAZY DIZZEE RASCAL/ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2013 5

24 MR BOJANGLES ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2004 N/A

25 SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2003 3

26 RADIO ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2004 1

27 ADVERTISING SPACE ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2005 8

28 LET LOVE BE YOUR ENERGY ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2001 10

29 LAZY DAYS ROBBIE WILLIAMS 1997 8

30 PARTY LIKE A RUSSIAN ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2016 68

31 RUDEBOX ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2006 4

32 LOVELIGHT ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2006 8

33 MACK THE KNIFE ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2004 N/A

34 I WAN'NA BE LIKE YOU ROBBIE WILLIAMS FT OLLY MURS 2013 78

35 MISUNDERSTOOD ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2004 8

36 BEYOND THE SEA ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2004 N/A

37 SEXED UP ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2004 N/A

38 THE ROAD TO MANDALAY ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2004 N/A

39 ME AND MY MONKEY ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2004 N/A

40 MORNING SUN ROBBIE WILLIAMS 2009 45

 

©2022 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.

https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/r...evealed__16972/

This was the Top 40 back in 2016 (sales-only):

 

1 ANGELS 4 1997 1,200,000

2 CANDY 1 2012 707,707

3 ROCK DJ 1 2000 680,000

4 SHE'S THE ONE 1 1999 503,000

5 MILLENNIUM 1 1998 497,000

6 ETERNITY 1 2001

7 SOMETHIN' STUPID (WITH NICOLE KIDMAN) 1 2001 385,000

8 LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU 3 1998

9 FEEL 4 2002

10 NO REGRETS 4 1998

11 YOU KNOW ME 6 2009

12 BODIES 2 2009

13 FREEDOM 2 1996 255,000

14 KIDS (WITH KYLIE MINOGUE) 2 2000 240,000

15 SHAME (WITH GARY BARLOW) 2 2010 229,000

16 SUPREME 4 2000

17 STRONG 4 1999

18 TRIPPING 2 2005

19 OLD BEFORE I DIE 2 1997

20 GOIN' CRAZY (WITH DIZZEE RASCAL) 5 2013 155,000

21 GO GENTLE 10 2013

22 COME UNDONE 4 2003

23 RADIO 1 2004 100,000

24 SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL 3 2003

25 LET LOVE BE YOUR ENERGY 10 2001

26 RUDEBOX 4 2006

27 LAZY DAYS 8 1997

28 ADVERTISING SPACE 8 2005

29 LOVELIGHT 8 2006

30 MR BOJANGLES n/a 2002

31 MY CULTURE (WITH 1 GIANT LEAP & MAXI JAZZ) 9 2002

32 MISUNDERSTOOD 8 2004

33 SOUTH OF THE BORDER 14 1997

34 MORNING SUN 45 2010

35 SHE'S MADONNA (WITH PET SHOP BOYS) 16 2007

36 SEXED UP 10 2003

37 MACK THE KNIFE n/a 2001

38 DIFFERENT 64 2012

39 I WAN'NA BE LIKE YOU (FT OLLY MURS) 78 2013

40 SIN SIN SIN 22 2006

The OCC forgetting that Sexed Up did chart at #10 oops :kink:

 

Still, fascinating to see this info! Unsurprising that Angels is his biggest hit to date but very impressive that it has nearly doubled the sales of his second biggest considering it wasn't one of his seven #1s!

 

Also very interesting that all of his 31 top 10 hits are still in his 40 biggest songs.

'Love My Life' being in the top 10 feels really weird. Also 'Feel' feels (ha) like one is his most well-known/remembered these days so expected that one higher, and 'Shame' really flopped considering how huge we all thought it'd be at the time (thankfully).

 

HATE 'Rock DJ' so much, ughhh :puke2:

 

My favourite all the way down at #32. :(

Shocked and delighted that 'Love My Life' is #10 above all those other classics :o I wish my faves such as 'Come Undone', 'Old Before I Die' and 'Lazy Days' were a bit higher, but that list really goes to show what a stellar career he's had!

 

Shout out to 'Mixed Signals' too, I know it didn't chart so I'm not surprised it's not in his top 40 but that's one of my favourite Robbie singles :wub:

 

 

'Radio' really was the pinnacle of when he could just get to #1 with any old shit.

I had no idea that Rock DJ would be over 1 million! It sold 578,000 in 2000. Clearly it does very well on streaming. As does Feel, that was only on 169,000 by the end of 2003.

Shame and The Flood (at which point he'd rejoined Take That) both felt like nailed-on No.1 singles in 2010. That they both peaked at No.2 remains a major shock to me. The latter really deserved it as well.

 

No surprise in the top two, the biggest surprise for me here is that Love My Life is top 10. My favourites though are No Regrets (incredible song) and Candy (it was nice to see him get what was almost certainly a final No.1 that wasn't the crap Radio).

'Love My Life' is one of Robbie's weakest singles for me, definitely not deserving of being Top 10 here. It was a surprise to see Robbie achieve a #22 peak in 2016 but it didn't feel like a particularly big hit for him, not enough to be on the cusp of a Gold certification.

 

I do welcome 'Feel' turning into one of his biggest hits, as Jay says it only achieved 169k by the end of 2003. Also impressed with 'Come Undone' becoming a Silver certified song despite sales of 58k in 2003, doesn't feel like it's that remembered to warrant such a boost and definitely doesn't feel like it's now as big as 'Tripping'.

 

I always forget just how much of Robbie's music I love. My mum is a massive fan so I've grown up listening to his albums in the car and in the house etc. so a lot of his music has stuck with me. 'Rock DJ' is one of my top faves, always surprised to see how polarising it can be but it's definitely one that is a big hit with the general public - I almost always hear it out. Other favourites are 'Millennium', 'No Regrets', 'Surpreme', 'Tripping' (probably my favourite), 'She's Madonna' and, yes, 'Radio'!

 

My favourite all the way down at #32. :(

Love this one too! :wub: I wonder if it's set to overtake its polarising predecessor 'Rudebox' given streaming has allowed 'Lazy Days' and 'Advertising Space' to move ahead. I actually don't mind 'Rudebox' but 'Lovelight' is easily better.

 

Shout out to 'Mixed Signals' too, I know it didn't chart so I'm not surprised it's not in his top 40 but that's one of my favourite Robbie singles :wub:

Easily the best single from 'The Heavy Entertainment Show'! You can definitely tell it was written by Brandon Flowers.

I feel like ‘Love My Life’ has been a bit of a slow burner. It seems to be a fairly popular choice on TV shows, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets featured on ‘uplifting’ Spotify playlists or something like that.

He’s had some choice singles in his time but Party Like A Russian was a choice.

I'm shocked that You Know Me is higher than Bodies.

 

And Shame is such a boring song in my opinion. I guess obviously there will be a few people out there who like it but I can't believe they didn't think they could do something better.

 

And Tripping and Lovelight should be higher really. Songs that were hits in the mid-00s are always so low on these lists.

 

 

Tripping is way too low, one of his best.

'She's Madonna' booted out of his top 40 now, boo! :( on the other hand - I'm glad to see that 'Come Undone' has snuck into the top 20 as it's my favourite Robbie single :wub:

Poor brave She's Madonna :( one of his best

Also surprised about love my life !!

 

Radio must have been released on a lucky week to hit the top spot!!

 

What a catalogue tho !!!

 

Also how is sexed up that low !

Edited September 14, 20222 yr by vibe

Radio was released at a time of low sales before downloads were included in the chart. In terms of new entries, there were 8 others inside the top 12 so you could argue it was a pretty competitive week.

 

The pull was that it was a new Robbie single to lead his Greatest Hits. You can see from the chart run that it’s popularity didn’t last. It’s a hideous ‘song’.

'Love My Life' being in the top 10 feels really weird. Also 'Feel' feels (ha) like one is his most well-known/remembered these days so expected that one higher, and 'Shame' really flopped considering how huge we all thought it'd be at the time (thankfully).

 

HATE 'Rock DJ' so much, ughhh :puke2:

 

My favourite all the way down at #32. :(

 

With 'Rock DJ' I am very neutral overall, but in the club it had always come blasting to me!

 

'Love My Life' at #10 overall is indeed weird, but I remember it was actually a big hit and hanging around for a while with a lot of yo-yo-s!

 

Also re: Angels doubling its sales - in 2016 only the paid-for-sales were given, without streaming, so the growth isn't that big. Still very impressive!

 

And love that 'Feel' is very high up in the list!

I actually didn't expect 'Feel' to be as high as it is but great to see (and especially that it's as high as 3rd on his most streamed songs), that is my favourite song by him! 'Angels' is definitely up there too naturally and of course an obvious #1 here. On the other hand my other 2 biggest faves from him are 'Tripping' and 'Lovelight' which are both disappointingly low on this list - not surprising in the latter case but 'Tripping' actually had quite a good chart run, I guess it suffers from being released in a low sales environment and must have not attracted much trickle sales from streaming.

 

'Love My Life' really benefits from being his only hit single during the streaming era but I think it's earned its right to be considered a fairly big hit anyway, albeit probably not deserving to be quite as high as #10.

 

I didn't realise there was so much disdain for 'Radio' oops - that's my 2nd favourite of his #1s after 'Rock DJ' :ph34r:

I actually don't mind 'Rudebox' but 'Lovelight' is easily better.

I actually love 'Rudebox' and I don't even care. I mean I can see why it's so polarising but it's so much fun and in fact I quite enjoyed that whole album.

 

Easily the best single from 'The Heavy Entertainment Show'! You can definitely tell it was written by Brandon Flowers.

Yeah, it sounds like it was lifted straight off a Killers album :D