FEATURE:
The Art of Nostalgia
Robbie Williams’s BRITPOP and Redressing Professional Loss
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MAYBE it should be its own type of art…
IN THIS PHOTO: Robbie Williams at Murrayfield, Edinburgh, earlier this year/PHOTO CREDIT: Alan Rennie/Shutterstock
but, when it comes to a genre that seemed to help define music in the 1990s, could there be an exhibition of Britpop figures? The reason I mention this is because Robbie Williams releases his thirteenth solo studio album, BRITPOP, on 10th October. The title refers to the genre/style of music that was around in the 1990s. A term applies to British artists who produced this music that was largely celebratory and anthemic. Not necessarily talking about the pride of being British. It was more a sound of Pop that was positive and uplifting. Think of bands like Oasis, Blur, Elastica and Cast. Some band resent being labelled as ‘Britpop’. I am not sure whether Pulp would every be comfortable being defined as a Britpop band. Regardless, there is this rose-tinted glasses view of that time. Sure, a lot of the music was great, though culture and society was not necessarily that great in many ways. Perhaps we overrate and overhype Britpop. That said, it has not really dated because, at times like this, we do need that blast of nostalgia and happiness. We can never go back to the 1990s and the Britpop era. Maybe we shouldn’t. However, I can understand why an artist like Robbie Williams would want to focus on that time and style of music. One he sort of missed out on. Apart from him showing up at Glastonbury in 1995 in a red tracksuit and being on stage, there was not a lot of professional growth. He would release his debut solo album, Life Thru a Lens, in 1997. It strayed away from Britpop and was different to the music of Take That. Williams left the band in 1995. It was quite a traumatic year. The recent biopic, Better Man, documents Williams’ time in Take That, the fallout and the move to his solo career. It is very honest when it comes to Williams’ struggles in the band and the strained relationships. The fame and excess. Williams turning to drink and drugs and ultimately having to leave Take That because he could not continue. At a time in British music that was all about pomp and celebration, things were a lot darker for Robbie Williams.
There will be interviews nearer October. Robbie Williams discussing BRITPOP and his memories of 1995. This is not Williams necessarily trying to live in the past. Instead, he wants to embrace a genre/scene that happened around him. In a period where he was wrestling with addiction and personal issues, there was this explosion happening. I am looking forward to the album. There is one track, Morrissey, that raised eyebrows. I know Morrissey is important to Williams, though it feels uncomfortable celebrating or spotlighting someone who is so controversial and has been accused of racism so many times. A musician who perhaps should not be lauded. Though I am not sure what Robbie Williams’ song will contain in terms of its angle and approach. Regardless, it is admirable that Williams wants to redress some professional loss. Go back a time when he should have been riding a musical high. Instead, he was witnessing British music bloom and conquer but he was not part of it. If he remained with Take That throughout 1995 and beyond then I wonder what his life would have been like. If he had gone solo that year, would he have released a Britpop-sounding album? Williams recently shared his British Pop playlist. He clearly loves that time. It is going to be fascinating seeing what we will get from BRITPOP in October. However, whilst his new album might lioness and spotlight this time of British music, will he be able to capture some its sound? Is Britpop something we can and should recapture in 2025? Is that term problematic or meaningless?
In sonic and musical terms, there was a lot of good created. I wonder whether that term comes with baggage and issues. Britpop has been criticised due to its nostalgia, insularity, and a lack of diversity. While it was a commercially successful and culturally impactful movement, its narrow focus on certain aspects of Britishness and its exclusion of other voices and styles have led to criticism. I am all in favour of joyfulness and this sense of uplift. So long as we do not ignore and paste over the horrors of today and addressing that, we do need music that is take the best elements of Britpop – its sound and some of the attitudes from artists of that time – but moves forward. More inclusivity and range. A new-style Britpop that is more gender and racially balanced. The sound broader and more modern. I do feel that living too much in the past is a bad thing. Aside from the face BRITPOP’s album cover is brilliant and is very cleaver and raises conversation, is Williams able to produce something that is personal and memorable without relying on copying other artists or replicating the Britpop sounds? I can understand why he wants to address that time. He missed out on so much of that period and was not in a band or solo through its glory years. His debut album was almost a deliberate attempt to be less Britpop and more ‘serious’. Williams wanting to leave his mark as a more original artist that was not chasing trends and tying to be like a lot of the artists who were ruling Britpop. I do reckon he will deliver a great album but one that maybe does not quite capture Britpop’s benefits and sprinkles in something distinct and unique – perhaps too much of the throwback? However, from reviews of his recent live shows, this incredible entertainer is at the top of his game.
It is especially tempting today to escape into Britpop and a revisit and revise the sound. A lot of modern artists incorporate elements and shades of a glorious time. One that had its problems and drawbacks, though there was also this sense of hope and pride. However, there was a lot of exclusion and issues. Articles like this and this that discuss the downsides of the movement. Maybe attitudes have softened and shifted since these articles were published. Albums from that time celebrating big anniversaries. Bands like Oasis and Pulp reforming. Supergrass taking their 1995 debut album, I Should Coco, on tour. However, I think that we can’t get too bogged down in nostalgia. Britpop had its place and saw some world-class and decade-defining albums come out. However, now, it seems like a sign of the past. Something we cannot return to or revive. A moment that we tend to over-romanticise and forget the problems. Is it possible even to produce Britpop-influenced music without it sounding inferior or outdated? Do the youngest generations – who were either not born or very young in the 1990s – going to appreciate it? Will BRITPOP appeal to Robbie Williams loyal fanbase and also bring in new listeners? The singles released so far sound like a blend of Britpop’s swell and grandeur but something that distinctly sounds like Robbie Williams. One of the reasons for writing this feature was to look at the issues and positives of nostalgia. Britpop has been so in focus this year. There does need to be a new book or documentary perhaps that looks at the highs and lows. For Robbie Williams BRITPOP is a chance to go back to the 1990s and release music that he wished he had done. Music he is a fan of. Not overlook his personal and professional struggles. He wants to make something celebratory and fun. I do wonder whether there will be more pastiche than the personal. Whether he can strike a balance and release an album that is nostalgic but also has enough original thought so that it is his work and not a pale nod to the past. Getting that balance right is…
AN artform in itself.