Bodies (Robbie Williams song)

"Bodies"
Single by Robbie Williams
from the album Reality Killed the Video Star
Released 12 October 2009
Format
Recorded 2008–09
London, United Kingdom
Genre
Length 4:03 (album version)
4:14 (music video)
Label EMI
Writer(s)
  • Robbie Williams
  • Brandon Christy
  • Craig Russo
Producer(s) Trevor Horn
Robbie Williams singles chronology
"Close My Eyes"
(2009)		 "Bodies"
(2009)		 "You Know Me"
(2009)

"Bodies" was the lead single from British recording artist Robbie Williams's eighth studio album Reality Killed the Video Star and was released on 12 October 2009 by EMI. It received its premiere on The Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1 after an interview with Williams on Friday 4 September 2009 at 8am.[1] It is Williams' first single release as a solo artist since "She's Madonna" in March 2007.[2] "Bodies" entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart, selling 89,000 copies in its first week and attaining his best first-week sales since "Rock DJ" in August 2000.[3] Williams was beaten to number 1 by Alexandra Burke, whose single "Bad Boys" (featuring rapper Flo Rida) was released on the same day and sold 187,000 in the same week.[4] The cover art was photographed by Julian Broad.

Track listing

International CD single
  1. "Bodies" — 4:04
  2. "Bodies" (Body Double Remix) — 6:14
Digital EP
  1. "Bodies" — 4:04
  2. "Bodies" (Body Double Remix) — 6:14
  3. "Bodies" (Fred Falke Remix) — 6:53
  4. "Bodies" (Cahill Refix Edit) — 3:50

Lyrics

The song's cryptic lyrics, with a wide variety of religious references included, have been subject to a lot of speculation. In an October 2010 interview with Q magazine, Williams referred to the lyrics as "fucking gibberish" that he considered pointless. He also stated that "Who knows what I was going on about? I was fucking stoned."[5]

Music video

The music video for "Bodies" was filmed in the Mojave Desert, directed by Williams' frequent collaborator Vaughan Arnell and features Williams' then girlfriend, and eventual wife (m. 2010), Ayda Field. It had its official premiere on 9 September 2009.

Critical reception

Popjustice called the song "[It's] a confident, dignified comeback single with a big chorus" commenting that the song is "better than: 'Let Me Entertain You' , as good as: 'Rock DJ', not as good as: 'Feel'." and adding that: "'Bodies' is not a comeback single that takes many chances – it is, career wise, Robbie's most important single since 'Angels' and there's obviously a certain amount of brand rebuilding needed. But nor is it a comeback single that attempts to pretend the last three years haven't happened. [...] 'Bodies' sounds like Robbie and Trevor Horn bringing out the best in each other – in this case 'the best' equalling a big comeback single from Britain's best male popstar."[6]

Digital Spy gave the single four stars (out of five) and said that: "With an Ian Brown-esque funky strut, some monkish chanting and plenty of electro squelches, he hasn't completely ditched the not-so-successful experimentation of his last LP, but this time around he counterbalances it with a whopping great chorus that will have even Gary Barlow green with envy. [...] Packed full of his usual raised eyebrow cheekiness and with a barmy-but-bloody-massive bridge, we're still not entirely sure what the Robster's actually singing about. However, by the time he's launched into the choir-backed crescendo, on which he hollers like a hyperactive preacher, we're too sold to care. Welcome back Robbie - and don't leave it so long next time."[7]

At a Southend gig in September 2012, Robbie commented that "Bodies" and "Rudebox" were both "lame songs" and that he had "let himself down". However, after fans spoke up against his claims via Youtube comments, he added the song to the setlist for his 2013 Stadium tour "Take the Crown."

Chart performance

Chart (2009) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart[8] 4
Austrian Singles Chart[9] 1
Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)[10] 5
Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia)[11] 2
Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)[12] 2
Danish Singles Chart[13] 2
Dutch Top 40[14] 1
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[15] 1
Finnish Singles Chart[16] 2
French Singles Chart[17] 8
German Singles Chart[18] 1
Hungarian Singles Chart[19] 1
Irish Singles Chart[20] 3
Italian Singles Chart[21] 1
Japan Hot 100[22] 53
Luxembourg Digital Songs (Billboard)[23] 1
New Zealand Singles Chart[24] 30
Norwegian Singles Chart[25] 19
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[26] 1
Spanish Singles Chart[27] 16
Swedish Singles Chart[28] 4
Singles Chart[29] 1
UK Singles Chart[30] 2
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs[31] 6

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[32] Gold 35,000^
Germany (BVMI)[33] Gold 150,000^
Italy (FIMI)[34] Platinum 30,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[35] Platinum 30,000x
United Kingdom (BPI)[36] Silver 240,000[37]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Year-end charts

Year-end chart (2009) Position
Austrian Singles Chart[38] 16
German Singles Chart[39] 15
Hungarian Airplay Chart[40] 40
Italian Singles Chart[41] 21
Swiss Singles Chart[42] 16
UK Singles Chart[43] 80
European Hot 100[44] 36
Year-end chart (2010) Position
European Hot 100 Singles[45] 47
Hungarian Airplay Chart[46] 15

Chart procession and succession

Preceded by
"I Gotta Feeling" by The Black Eyed Peas		 Italian Singles Chart number-one single
21 October 2009 – 28 October 2009 		Succeeded by
"Ti vorrei sollevare" by Elisa
Preceded by
"Paparazzi" by Lady Gaga
"Pflaster" by Ich + Ich		 German Singles Chart number-one single
23 October 2009 – 12 November 2009
20 November 2009 – 26 November 2009 		Succeeded by
"Pflaster" by Ich + Ich
Preceded by
"Sexy Bitch" by David Guetta featuring Akon		 Austrian Singles Chart number-one single
23 October 2009 – 26 November 2009 		Succeeded by
"Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga
Preceded by
"Evacuate the Dancefloor" by Cascada		 Dutch Top 40 number-one single
24 October 2009 – 21 November 2009 		Succeeded by
"Stereo Love" by Edward Maya featuring Vika Jigulina
Preceded by
"I Gotta Feeling" by The Black Eyed Peas		 Swiss Singles Chart number-one single
25 October 2009 – 28 November 2009 		Succeeded by
"Monday Morning" by Melanie Fiona
Preceded by
"Sexy Bitch" by David Guetta featuring Akon		 European Hot 100 Singles number-one single
31 October 2009 – 13 November 2009 		Succeeded by
"Sexy Bitch" by David Guetta featuring Akon

Release history

Country Release date Format Label
United Kingdom 4 September 2009 Airplay
Australia 9 October 2009 CD single
Germany[47]
Austria
Switzerland
United Kingdom 11 October 2009 Digital download
  • Virgin Records
  • EMI
France[48] 12 October 2009 CD single
United Kingdom
Mexico[49] 13 October 2009 Digital download EMI

References

  1. ↑ RW.com "Bodies" single cover, 4 September 2009
  2. ↑ "Bodies" Songfacts, 9 September 2009
  3. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (2009-10-21). "First night: Robbie Williams, Roundhouse, London | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
  4. ↑ "Alexandra Burke v. Robbie Williams". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
  5. ↑ Roberts, Laura (22 October 2010). "Robbie Williams: my comeback single was gibberish". The Daily Telegraph (London).
  6. ↑ Popjustice "Bodies" review, 4 September 2009
  7. ↑ "Music - Singles Reviews - Robbie Williams: 'Bodies'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
  8. ↑ "Top 50 Single". aria charts. Retrieved 2009-10-18.
  9. ↑ "Austria Top40". EMI. 9 October 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  10. ↑ "Ultratop Belgian Charts". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  11. ↑ "Ultratop Belgian Charts". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  12. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200946 into search.
  13. ↑ Hung Medien (23 October 2009). "Nielsen Music Control". danishcharts.com. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  14. ↑ "14 November 2009 Week 46 - Nederlandse top 40". Top40.nl. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  15. ↑ "Robbie Williams Album & Song Chart History" European Hot 100 for Robbie Williams. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
  16. ↑ "Suomen virallinen lista". Suomen Virallinen Lista. Retrieved 2012-12-07.
  17. ↑ "Disque en France". Disque en France. 18 October 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  18. ↑ musicline.de / PhonoNet GmbH. "Die ganze Musik im Internet". musicline.de. Retrieved 2009-10-26.
  19. ↑ "Hungarian Airplay Chart" (in Hungarian). Mahasz. Retrieved 25 March 2010.
  20. ↑ ">> IRMA << Irish Charts - Singles, Albums & Compilations >>". Irma.ie. 15 October 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
  21. ↑ "FIMI - Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana - Classifiche". Fimi.it. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
  22. ↑ "Japan Singles Chart". billboard. 9 November 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  23. ↑ "Luxembourg Digital Songs - November 14, 2009". Billboard.
  24. ↑ "New Zealand Singles Chart". rianz. 19 October 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  25. ↑ "IFPI Norsk platebransje". Ifpi.no. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  26. ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200943 into search.
  27. ↑ Steffen Hung (18 October 2009). "Spanish charts portal". spanishcharts.com. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  28. ↑ Swedish Singles Chart
  29. ↑ "Schweizer Hitparade". 9 October 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-25.
  30. ↑ www.devstars.com. "The Official UK Charts Company : TOP 100 SINGLES CHART". Theofficialcharts.com. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
  31. ↑ www.billboard.com. "Hot Dance Club/Play Songs". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
  32. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2009 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  33. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Robbie Williams; 'Bodies')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  34. ↑ "Italian single certifications – Robbie Williams – Bodies" (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Retrieved 1 April 2012. Select Online in the field Sezione. Enter Robbie Williams in the field Filtra. The certification will load automatically
  35. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Robbie Williams; 'Bodies')". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  36. ↑ "British single certifications – Robbie Williams – Bodies". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 January 2012. Enter Bodies in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
  37. ↑ Sales: Bodies
  38. ↑ "oe3.ORF.at / SingleCharts 2009". Charts.orf.at. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  39. ↑
  40. ↑ "Éves összesített listák - MAHASZ Rádiós TOP 100 (súlyozott)". Mahasz. Mahasz.
  41. ↑ "FIMI - Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana - Ricerche e dati di mercato". Fimi.it. 19 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  42. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2009". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  43. ↑ "Charts Plus Year end 2009" (PDF). Charts Plus. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
  44. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2009/european-hot-100-singles?begin=31&order=position
  45. ↑ "European Hot 100". Billboard.com. 2010-12-31. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  46. ↑ "MAHASZ Rádiós TOP 100 2010" (in Hungarian). Mahasz. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
  47. ↑ "Bodies: Robbie Williams: Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon.de. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
  48. ↑ "Bodies: Robbie Williams: Amazon.fr: Musique". Amazon.fr. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
  49. ↑ "Bodies: Robbie Williams in iTunes Mexico". iTunes Mexico. Retrieved 2009-11-01.

External links