Escapology (album)

Escapology
Studio album by
Robbie Williams
Released18 November 2002
Recorded2001–2002
Studio
GenrePop rock[2]
Length73:55
LabelEMI
Producer
Robbie Williams chronology
Swing When You're Winning
(2001) 		Escapology
(2002) 		Live at Knebworth
(2003)
Singles from Escapology
  1. "Feel"
    Released: 2 December 2002[3]
  2. "Come Undone"
    Released: 31 March 2003[4]
  3. "Something Beautiful"
    Released: 21 May 2003[5]
  4. "Sexed Up"
    Released: 3 November 2003[6]

Escapology is the fifth studio album recorded by English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams. It was released on 18 November 2002 through EMI Records. The album features a guest appearance by singer Rose Stone and was produced by Guy Chambers and Steve Power. The album's lead single "Feel" was released on 2 December 2002, two weeks after the album. The track was an international hit, reaching the top of the charts in Austria, Poland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and top five positions in countries such as Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Three other singles from the album were released: "Come Undone", "Something Beautiful" and "Sexed Up".

The album debuted at number one in the United Kingdom with first-week sales of over 264,000, becoming Williams' fifth consecutive number one.

The album was supported by the 2003 Tour, which started on 28 June 2003 in Edinburgh, Scotland and ended on 14 December 2003 in Sydney, Australia. During the tour Williams performed three consecutive shows at Knebworth, England on 1–3 August 2003. The three shows attracted a total of 375,000 fans, becoming the "biggest music event in British history".[7]

Background

In 2002, Williams signed a record-breaking £80 million contract with EMI.[8] The contract included a number of provisos, including the label ceding greater creative control to the artist and a commitment to breaking Williams in the American market. In return, EMI affirmed they would benefit from a cut of Williams' non-recording activities, including touring, publishing, and merchandising, thus protecting the company from any commercial downturn in the singer's album sales.[9] So far it is the biggest music deal in British history.[10]

After a year out from recording, Williams began working on what would be his fifth studio album. The album heralded a new era for Williams, as he had taken a more active role in the making of the album, giving an indication of his growing confidence in the studio. "One Fine Day", "Nan's Song" and "Come Undone" were the first three songs that Robbie wrote without Guy Chambers' input. The majority of the album was recorded in Los Angeles. Escapology was arguably conceived as a concept album, due to its lyrical content being totally reflective of Williams' life as a popstar. The album focuses on his hopes, fears and depression over the search of love.

As the contract stated, EMI attempted to break Williams in the American market; to this end the label asked him to tweak Escapology to suit the market. The American release shuffled the song order, removed "Song 3", "Hot Fudge", "Cursed" and one hidden track, added "Get a Little High" and "One Fine Day", and made "How Peculiar (Reprise)" a main album track instead of a hidden track. Williams promoted the album on shows such as Good Morning America, Last Call with Carson Daly and The Tonight Show. This version of the album won the award for Best Album by a Solo Male in the International Category at the Premios Oye! in Mexico.[11]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic53/100[12]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
Blender[14]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[15]
The Guardian[16]
NME[17]
Rolling Stone[2]
StylusC+[18]
Slant Magazine[19]
Yahoo! Music UK[20]

Initial critical response to Escapology was generally mixed. In Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 53, based on 11 reviews.[12]

Chart performance

Escapology debuted at number one in the United Kingdom on sales of 264,104, becoming Williams' fifth consecutive number-one album.[21] It also reached number one in Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Denmark and Austria. It also reached the top ten in other European countries. However, it failed to make an impact in the United States, only reaching number forty-three on the Billboard albums chart. Escapology became the best selling album of 2002 in the United Kingdom, selling 1.2 million copies,[10] and being certified 6× Platinum by the BPI in December 2003,[22] becoming the sixtieth best selling album of all time in the UK. The album sold over 6.5 million copies worldwide, and over 2 million copies in the UK alone.[23]

Singles

  • "Feel", a track written by Williams and Chambers, was released as the album's first single. Originally only recorded as a demo in 1999, Williams attempted to re-record the vocals in 2002, but felt unsatisfied with the result, and thus decided to issue the original demo version instead.[24] When the single was released in late 2002, it became a massive worldwide hit for Williams and reached the top ten in most European countries. It also topped the charts in Argentina, Italy, Hungary, Latvia, Portugal, Mexico, and the Netherlands. The success of the song was so massive that it spent 54 weeks inside the Canadian charts. The video for the song received attention in the United States, due to Hollywood actress Daryl Hannah appearing as his love interest, leading radio stations to play the track.
  • "Come Undone", the album's second single, became a top ten hit around the world. However, the video for the song was heavily censored by MTV Networks for depicting Williams having three-way sex with two women.[25] The video also highlighted graphic images of people vomiting and fist fighting, a cockroach crawling out of a person's mouth, and close-up shots of maggots, snakes and insects in close contact with the party goers in the video.[26] The uncensored version of the video was released via a DVD single in Europe, and was also included on the Enhanced CD single.[27] BBC Radio 2 also banned the song for its explicit content.[28] During such furors, it was confirmed that Williams and Guy Chambers were to officially part ways.[27]
  • "Something Beautiful", a song which was first offered to Tom Jones, was released as the album's third single. After given to Williams, it was reworked and heavily remixed.[29] The single was released in the summer of 2003, and while it hit the top ten in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Ireland and Denmark, it failed to make an impact in the world charts. The video included a casting in which people from all over Europe contested to win the chance to perform as Robbie Williams at the end of the video. The three winners had the chance to meet Robbie, and three different versions of the video were released to different parts of the world including the different winners.
  • "Sexed Up" was released as the album's fourth and final single, becoming another top ten single for Williams in the United Kingdom. However, it failed to make an impact in the charts elsewhere, the exception being Brazil where it became very popular and gained massive radio airplay because it was part of a soap opera soundtrack.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."How Peculiar"
3:13
2."Feel"
  • Williams
  • Chambers
4:23
3."Something Beautiful"
  • Williams
  • Chambers
4:48
4."Monsoon"
  • Williams
  • Chambers
3:46
5."Sexed Up"
  • Williams
  • Chambers
4:21
6."Love Somebody"
  • Williams
  • Chambers
4:10
7."Revolution" (with Rose Stone)
  • Williams
  • Chambers
5:44
8."Handsome Man"
  • Williams
  • Chambers
  • Adrian Deevoy
3:56
9."Come Undone"
  • Williams
  • Boots Ottestad
  • Ashley Hamilton
  • Daniel Pierre
4:38
10."Me and My Monkey"
  • Williams
  • Chambers
7:12
11."Song 3"
  • Williams
  • Chambers
3:50
12."Hot Fudge"
  • Williams
  • Chambers
4:08
13."Cursed"
  • Williams
  • Chambers
  • Deevoy
4:01
14."Nan's Song"Williams3:52
15."How Peculiar (Reprise)" (hidden track)
  • Williams
  • Chambers
2:14
16."I Tried Love" (hidden track)
  • Williams
  • Chambers
3:31
American edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Feel"
  • Williams
  • Chambers
4:23
2."Monsoon"
  • Williams
  • Chambers
3:46
3."Sexed Up"
  • Williams
  • Chambers
4:21
4."Get a Little High"
  • Williams
  • Ottestad
3:56
5."Come Undone"
  • Williams
  • Ottestad
  • Hamilton
  • Pierre
4:38
6."Something Beautiful"
  • Williams
  • Chambers
4:48
7."Love Somebody"
  • Williams
  • Chambers
4:10
8."Revolution" (with Rose Stone)
  • Williams
  • Chambers
5:44
9."How Peculiar"
  • Williams
  • Chambers
3:13
10."One Fine Day"Williams3:35
11."Me and My Monkey"
  • Williams
  • Chambers
7:12
12."Handsome Man"
  • Williams
  • Chambers
  • Deevoy
3:56
13."Nan's Song"Williams3:52
14."How Peculiar (Reprise)"
  • Williams
  • Chambers
2:14
Special edition bonus DVD
No.TitleLength
1."My Culture" (Live on Later... with Jools Holland) 
2."Feel" (Live in Germany) 
3."Feel" (Live on TOTP) 
4."Sexed Up" (Live on TOTP) 
5."Come Undone" (Live on the National Lottery) 
6."One Fine Day" (Live on the National Lottery) 
7."Something Beautiful" (Live on CD:UK) 
8."Come Undone" (Live on TV4, Sweden) 

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[91] 2× Platinum 80,000^
Australia (ARIA)[92] 5× Platinum 350,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[93] 4× Platinum 120,000*
Belgium (BEA)[94] Platinum 50,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[95] Gold 50,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[96] 9× Platinum 180,000‡
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[97] Platinum 46,225[97]
France (SNEP)[98] Platinum 300,000*
Germany (BVMI)[99] 4× Platinum 1,200,000^
Greece (IFPI Greece)[100] Gold 15,000^
Hungary (MAHASZ)[101] Gold 10,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[102] 2× Platinum 160,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[103] 2× Platinum 30,000^
Norway — 86,000[104]
Poland (ZPAV)[105] Platinum 70,000*
Portugal (AFP)[106] Platinum 40,000^
South Korea — 10,761[107]
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[108] Gold 50,000^
Sweden (GLF)[109] Platinum 60,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[110] 5× Platinum 200,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[111] 7× Platinum 2,100,000‡
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[112] 5× Platinum 5,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Robbie Williams - Escapology". Discogs. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Rolling Stone review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 5 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-05.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Rolling Stone.
  3. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 2 December 2002: Singles". Music Week. 30 November 2002. p. 23.
  4. ^ "Robbie Williams: Come Undone". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  5. ^ "サムシング・ビューティフル | ロビー・ウィリアムス" [Something Beautiful | Robbie Williams] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  6. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 1 November 2003. p. 29.
  7. ^ "Intro - Robbie Williams Live at Knebworth!". www.knebworthhouse.com. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  8. ^ "£80 Million Contract with EMI Music". Britandgrit.wordpress.com. 15 February 2007. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
  9. ^ Robbie Williams and his record-breaking music contract with EMI. Rtl.musicbrigade.com.
  10. ^ a b "Escapology | RobbieWilliams.com". robbiewilliams.com. 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  11. ^ "Oye! 2003". Archived from the original on 22 January 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  12. ^ a b "Robbie Williams:Escapology (2003): Reviews". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. Archived from the original on 9 February 2010. Retrieved 2 April 2009.
  13. ^ John Bush. Escapology at AllMusic. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  14. ^ Blender review[dead link‍]
  15. ^ Escapology Archived 4 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine. (31 March 2003).
  16. ^ The Guardian review. Guardian (15 November 2002).
  17. ^ Williams, Robbie : Escapology. NME. (21 November 2002).
  18. ^ Stylus Magazine review Archived 17 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Stylusmagazine.com.
  19. ^ Slant Magazine review Archived 13 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Slantmagazine.com.
  20. ^ Yahoo! Music review Archived 13 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Uk.launch.yahoo.com (20 April 2011).
  21. ^ Jones, Alan (30 November 2002). "The official UK album charts top 75)". Music Week. Archived from the original on 28 February 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  22. ^ Sutherland, Mark (9 May 2016). "By the numbers: inside Robbie Williams' albums career". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  23. ^ Sexton, Paul (21 February 2004). "Playing". Billboard. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  24. ^ "Discography>Singles>Feel". RobbieWilliams.com. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
  25. ^ "Robert Peter Williams". famous.y2u.co.uk. Archived from the original on 28 December 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2007.
  26. ^ "YouTube 'Come Undone'". YouTube. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021.
  27. ^ a b "Escapology". Famous.y2u.co.uk. Archived from the original on 28 December 2008. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
  28. ^ "Discography>Singles>Come Undone". Robbiewilliams.com. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
  29. ^ "Discography>Singles>Something Beautiful". Robbiewilliams.com. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
  30. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Robbie Williams – Escapology". Hung Medien.
  31. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Robbie Williams – Escapology" (in German). Hung Medien.
  32. ^ "Ultratop.be – Robbie Williams – Escapology" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  33. ^ "Ultratop.be – Robbie Williams – Escapology" (in French). Hung Medien.
  34. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Robbie Williams – Escapology". Hung Medien.
  35. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Robbie Williams – Escapology" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  36. ^ "Eurocharts: Album Sales". Billboard. Vol. 114, no. 51. 14 December 2002. p. 47.
  37. ^ "Robbie Williams: Escapology" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  38. ^ "Lescharts.com – Robbie Williams – Escapology". Hung Medien.
  39. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Robbie Williams – Escapology" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  40. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2003. 7. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ.
  41. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Robbie Williams". Hung Medien.
  42. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Robbie Williams – Escapology". Hung Medien.
  43. ^ "ロビー・ウィリアムスのアルバム売上ランキング" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  44. ^ "Charts.nz – Robbie Williams – Escapology". Hung Medien.
  45. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Robbie Williams – Escapology". Hung Medien.
  46. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
  47. ^ "Billboard: Hits of the World". Billboard. 1 March 2003. p. 47. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  48. ^ "RIAS CHART FOR WEEK ENDING 24 January 2003". Archived from the original on 6 February 2003. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  49. ^ "자료제공:(사)한국음반산업협회/이 자료는당협회와 상의없이 가공,편집을금합니다.: 2002.12월 - POP 음반 판매량" (in Korean). Recording Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on 23 June 2004. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  50. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  51. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Robbie Williams – Escapology". Hung Medien.
  52. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Robbie Williams – Escapology". Hung Medien.
  53. ^ "Robbie Williams | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
  54. ^ "Robbie Williams Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  55. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2002". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  56. ^ "Jahreshitparade Alben 2002". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  57. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2002". Ultratop. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  58. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2002". Ultratop. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  59. ^ "Chart of the Year 2002" (in Danish). TOP20.dk. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  60. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2002". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  61. ^ "Musiikkituottajat - Tilastot - Myydyimmät levyt 2002" (in Finnish). IFPI Finland. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  62. ^ "Top de l'année Top Albums 2002" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  63. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  64. ^ "Best of 2002 - Albums". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  65. ^ "Classifica Annuale 2002 (dal 31.12.2001 al 29.12.2002) – Album & Compilation" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  66. ^ "Årslista Album – År 2002" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  67. ^ "Årslista Album (inkl samlingar), 2002" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  68. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2002". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  69. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 - 2002". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  70. ^ "Top 50 Global Best Selling Albums for 2002" (PDF). IFPI. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 November 2008. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  71. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2003". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  72. ^ "Jahreshitparade Alben 2003". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  73. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2003". Ultratop. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  74. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2003". Ultratop. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  75. ^ "Chart of the Year 2003" (in Danish). TOP20.dk. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  76. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2003". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  77. ^ "Europe's Top Albums of 2003". Billboard. Vol. 115, no. 52. 27 December 2003. p. 65. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 2 July 2021 – via Google Books.
  78. ^ "Musiikkituottajat - Tilastot - Myydyimmät levyt 2003" (in Finnish). IFPI Finland. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  79. ^ "Top de l'année Top Albums 2003" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  80. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  81. ^ "Összesített album- és válogatáslemez-lista – eladási darabszám alapján – 2003" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  82. ^ "Classifica Annuale 2003 (dal 30.12.2002 al 28.12.2003) – Album & Compilation" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  83. ^ "Årslista Album – År 2003" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  84. ^ "Årslista Album (inkl samlingar), 2003" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  85. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2003". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  86. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2003". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  87. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2004". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  88. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2004". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  89. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums of the 00's". ARIA. January 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  90. ^ "The Noughties' Official UK Albums Chart Top 100". Music Week. London, England: United Business Media: 19. 30 January 2010.
  91. ^ "Discos de oro y platino" (in Spanish). Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on 25 December 2007. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  92. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2006 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  93. ^ "Austrian album certifications – Robbie Williams – Escapology" (in German). IFPI Austria.
  94. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2003". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  95. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Robbie Williams – Escapology". Music Canada.
  96. ^ "Danish album certifications – Robbie Williams – Escapology". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  97. ^ a b "Robbie Williams" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  98. ^ "French album certifications – Robbie Williams – Escapology" (in French). InfoDisc. Select ROBBIE WILLIAMS and click OK. 
  99. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Robbie Williams; 'Escapology')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  100. ^ "Ελληνικό Chart – Top 50 Ξένων Aλμπουμ" (in Greek). IFPI Greece.
  101. ^ "Adatbázis – Arany- és platinalemezek – 2003" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ.
  102. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Robbie Williams – Escapology" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Escapology in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  103. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Robbie Williams – Escapology". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  104. ^ Karlsen, Veronica (13 December 2002). "Guttas år" (in Norwegian). Aftenposten. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  105. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2003 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. 15 January 2003.
  106. ^ "Portuguese album certifications – Robbie Williams – Escapology" (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012.
  107. ^ "자료제공:(사)한국음반산업협회/이 자료는당협회와 상의없이 가공,편집을금합니다. - 2002.12월 - POP 음반 판매량" (in Korean). Recording Industry Association Of Korea. Archived from the original on 23 June 2004.
  108. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. p. 963. ISBN 8480486392.
  109. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2002" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011.
  110. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Escapology')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  111. ^ "British album certifications – Robbie Williams – Escapology". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  112. ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2003". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.