Lazy Days

For other uses, see Lazy Days (disambiguation).
For the 1929 film, see Lazy Days (film).

"Lazy Days"
Single by Robbie Williams
from the album Life thru a Lens
Released14 July 1997 (1997-07-14)[1]
StudioMatrix Maison Rouge (London, England)
GenrePop[2]
Length3:53
LabelChrysalis
Songwriter(s)Robbie Williams, Guy Chambers
Producer(s)Guy Chambers, Steve Power
Robbie Williams singles chronology
"Old Before I Die"
(1997) 		"Lazy Days"
(1997) 		"South of the Border"
(1997)
Music video
"Lazy Days" on YouTube

"Lazy Days" is a song by English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams. It was released in the United Kingdom on 14 July 1997 as the second single from his debut studio album, Life thru a Lens (1997). According to Williams, the song is about being young, optimistic about the future and not afraid of committing mistakes. The song became a top-10 hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number eight on the UK Singles Chart. A demo version of "Lazy Days" is included as a B-side on the "Millennium" CD2 single.[3]

Critical reception

A reviewer from Music Week rated the song three out of five, adding, "Gary's former colleague continues to occupy indie-pop territory with a solid enough song. However, it lacks the killer chorus needed to better his previous chart performances."[4] The magazine's Martin Aston described "Lazy Days" as "a hazy-lazy, summery feel, and an instant indication of Williams and [Guy] Chambers' Beatlesy tastes."[5] David Sinclair from The Times viewed it as a "big, catchy, anthemic follow-up to Old Before I Die with fade-out borrowed from Hey Jude."[6]

Music video

Williams took a day out of rehab to shoot the accompanying music video for the song, and he explained it was "a bonkers video, 'cause that's how my head was at the time, I think".[7] Williams explained that "Lazy Days" was a song previously written by Guy Chambers, during his spell in the Britpop band the Lemon Trees. Williams thought it was an amazing song, but made some changes on the lyrics, including hooks in arrangement and music.

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from the Life thru a Lens album booklet.[12]

Studios

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

Personnel

  • Robbie Williams – writing, vocals, backing vocals
  • Guy Chambers – writing, guitar, keyboards, production, arrangement
  • Andre Barreau – backing vocals, guitar
  • Steve McEwan – backing vocals, guitar
  • Andy Caine – backing vocals
  • Fil Eisler – bass
  • Steve Power – keyboards, production, mixing
  • Geoff Dugmore – drums
  • Andy Duncan – percussion
  • Jim Brumby – Battery Studios assistant
  • Matt Hay – Matrix Maison Rouge assistant

Charts

Chart (1997) Peak
position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[13] 47
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] 18
Germany (GfK)[15] 90
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[16] 72
Scotland (OCC)[17] 7
UK Singles (OCC)[18] 8

References

  1. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 12 July 1997. p. 31. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  2. ^ Pearlman, Nina; Eliscu, Jenny (2004). "Robbie Williams". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 876. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  3. ^ Millennium (UK CD2 liner notes). Robbie Williams. Chrysalis Records. 1998. CDCHS 5099, 7243 8 86091 2 8.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 5 July 1997. p. 30. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  5. ^ Aston, Martin (13 September 1997). "Robbie Williams – Painful Journey to a New Sound And Image" (PDF). Music Week. p. 27. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  6. ^ Sinclair, David (19 July 1997). "Albums; The week's top pop releases". The Times.
  7. ^ Robbie Williams.com > Discography > Lazy Days
  8. ^ Lazy Days (UK CD1 liner notes). Robbie Williams. Chrysalis Records. 1997. CDCHS 5063.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ Lazy Days (UK cassette single sleeve). Robbie Williams. Chrysalis Records. 1997. TCCHS 5063.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ Lazy Days (UK CD2 liner notes). Robbie Williams. Chrysalis Records. 1997. CDCHSS 5063.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ Lazy Days (European maxi-CD single liner notes). Robbie Williams. Chrysalis Records. 1997. 7243 8 84335 2 5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ Life thru a Lens (UK CD album booklet). Robbie Williams. Chrysalis Records. 1997. CDCHR 6127, 7243 8 21313 2 8.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 31. 2 August 1997. p. 12. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  14. ^ "Robbie Williams: Lazy Days" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
  15. ^ "Robbie Williams – Lazy Days" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  16. ^ "Robbie Williams – Lazy Days" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  17. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  18. ^ "Robbie Williams: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.