Life thru a Lens
| Life thru a Lens | ||||
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| Studio album by Robbie Williams | ||||
| Released | 29 September 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1997 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 44:25 | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Producer | Guy Chambers, Steve Power | |||
| Robbie Williams chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Life thru a Lens | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |
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| Melody Maker | Negative |
| Q |  |
Life thru a Lens is the debut solo studio album by English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams. It was Williams' first solo album following his departure from Take That. Released on 29 September 1997 through EMI Records, it is influenced by Britpop, a departure from the poppier tone of music Take That employed.
The album's first three singles, "Old Before I Die", "Lazy Days" and "South of the Border" (the only single to miss the top 10), were all moderate successes, but it was the fourth single "Angels" which catapulted Williams to international fame as a solo artist. Despite only peaking at number 4, it has sold over 1 million copies in the UK and is his biggest selling single to date. Fifth and final single "Let Me Entertain You" reached number three, becoming the album's third top-5 hit. Freedom, Robbie's first solo success, a cover of George Michael's 1990 hit, isn't featured on the album.
Life thru a Lens debuted at number 11 on the UK Albums Chart and initially remained in the lower regions, but upon the chart success of "Angels", it began steadily climbing and finally reached number one in April 1998, five months after its release. Despite never selling more than 60,000 copies in a single week, the album has sold over 2,094,000 copies as of November 2013, making it Williams' fourth best-selling studio album and fifth best-seller overall.
After trying hard to find his own sound during a period of personal upheaval, Williams began recordings for the album at London's Maison Rouge studios in March 1997, shortly after his introduction to Guy Chambers. The title track, "Life thru a Lens" was written about Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, "Ego a Go Go" was written about Gary Barlow, "South of the Border" discusses Kate Moss, and "Baby Girl Window" was inspired by Samantha Beckinsale and her late father, actor Richard Beckinsale. "One of God's Better People" and "Angels" were inspired by Williams' mother, Jan. "Hello, Sir" is a poem that takes a dig at one of Williams' former teachers. Williams reprised part of the poem on the 1 Giant Leap song "My Culture".
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Wikipedia