Old Before I Die

"Old Before I Die"
Single by Robbie Williams
from the album Life thru a Lens
B-side
Released14 April 1997 (1997-04-14)
StudioMatrix Maison Rouge (London, England)
GenreRock
Length3:50
LabelChrysalis
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Robbie Williams singles chronology
"Freedom"
(1996)
"Old Before I Die"
(1997)
"Lazy Days"
(1997)
Music video
"Old Before I Die" on YouTube

"Old Before I Die" is a song by English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams, released as the first single from his debut album, Life thru a Lens (1997). The Oasis-influenced song became a number-two hit in the United Kingdom and a number-one hit in Spain following its release on 14 April 1997.

Critical reception

Pan-European magazine Music & Media commented, "Williams certainly can't be accused of playing it safe in the wake of his departure from U.K popsters Take That. Instead, post-Freedom, he's opted for a radical change of musical direction. Gone is the sweet, middle of the road style, in favour of a solid and confident rock sound, somewhat reminiscent of his new pals, Oasis." A reviewer from Music Week rated the song four out of five, describing it as "a confidently composed return from the former Take That man, boasting a strong vocal, tuneful Beatlesesque melody and a ILR-friendly hook. On this evidence, Owen, Barlow and co may be left in Williams shadow." The magazine's Martin Aston complimented it as "pure Britpop/Beatles swagger and crunch." Ian Hyland from Sunday Mirror noted that the singer "has come up with some magic tracks", adding that songs like this are "stadium thrillers".

Music video

A music video was made to accompany the song. It features Robbie Williams performing for the camera with ageing rock stars as his backing band, and some fade-ins by the cameraman. There are also shots of Williams flying through the air.

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from the Life thru a Lens album booklet.

Studios

  • Recorded at Matrix Maison Rouge (London, England)
  • Mixed at Battery Studios (London, England)

Personnel

  • Robbie Williams – writing, vocals, backing vocals
  • Desmond Child – writing
  • Eric Bazilian – writing
  • Steve McEwan – backing vocals, guitar
  • Guy Chambers – guitar, keyboards, production, arrangement
  • Fil Eisler – guitar, bass
  • Steve Power – keyboards, production, mixing
  • Geoff Dugmore – drums, percussion
  • Jim Brumby – Battery Studios assistant
  • Matt Hay – Matrix Maison Rouge assistant

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) Silver 200,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.


This page was last updated at 2023-10-30 20:47 UTC. Update now. View original page.

All our content comes from Wikipedia and under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.


Top

If mathematical, chemical, physical and other formulas are not displayed correctly on this page, please useFirefox or Safari