Album · Robbie Williams
Life Thru a Lens by Robbie Williams
Life Thru a Lens is an album by Robbie Williams, released in 1997. 3 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 12 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “Let Me Entertain You”, on 6 lists with a best position of #4.
Life thru a Lens was Robbie Williams' first solo album after leaving Take That, released through Chrysalis on 29 September 1997 and produced by Guy Chambers. Its working title was The Show-Off Must Go On, which tells you plenty. Instead of the shiny pop he'd left behind, Williams went for the swagger of Britpop: loud guitars, big brassy choruses and a cheeky, preening vocal that dares you not to like him.
It was a slow starter, entering the UK chart at number 11 and loitering in the lower reaches while "Old Before I Die", "Lazy Days" and "South of the Border" did modest business. Then came "Angels", a heart-on-sleeve ballad that made him an international star and remains his biggest-selling single, and the album finally climbed to number one in April 1998. "Let Me Entertain You", a strutting stomper, closed out the singles run. Andy Earl shot the cover: Williams in the middle of a scrum of photographers.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Life Thru a Lens on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Let Me Entertain You | 6 | #4 | – | 1998–2006 | |
| 2 | Angels | 4 | #4 | – | 2001–2005 | |
| 3 | Old Before I Die | 2 | #10 | – | 1997–2001 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.