Tripping (song)

"Tripping"
Single by Robbie Williams
from the album Intensive Care
Released 3 October 2005
Format CD single, DVD single, digital download
Recorded 2005
Genre Pop, funk, reggae
Length 4:36 (album version)
4:03 (radio edit)
Label Chrysalis
Producer(s) Stephen Duffy
Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams singles chronology
"Misunderstood"
(2004)		 "Tripping"
(2005)		 "Make Me Pure"
(2005)

"Tripping" is a song by British pop singer Robbie Williams, it was the first single from his 2005 album Intensive Care. The single was backed with the track "Make Me Pure", also from the same album, it was sent to radio stations around the world. Williams himself calls the song "something like a mini gangster opera" and "kind of cabaret act reggae". The rolling rhythm of the song owes much to the early work of The Clash. During the chorus Williams reaches an extremely high disco-like head voice. Lyrically the song is a bit darker than previous songs. It tells the tale of gangsters and how they "don't kill their own and they all love their mothers", before an anguished chorus of "I've taken as much as I'm willing to take". The opening lyrics "First they ignore you, then laugh at you and hate you. Then they fight you, then you win" is a paraphrase from a quote commonly attributed to Mahatma Gandhi. The song was the 26th best selling of 2005 in the UK.

Music video

The video, which was directed by Johan Renck, features Williams running in place as if he can't seem to get anywhere. It appears that Williams is having a nightmare, in which he is living sometime in 1950s, and is stuck running endlessly without ever advancing, or driving in a stereotypical 1950s backdrop. It also includes a baby singing to him some of the chorus, and a pair of lesbian twins in his car's backseat. The car is a Saab 95. He also sees himself trapped in an elevator with a bigger guy in drag that proposed him to make out, he tries to defend himself but, at the end he allows him to be touched, and at that moment, Williams wakes up, smiles and close his eyes.

Chart success

The song became a massive worldwide success for Williams, debuting inside the top ten in most countries around Europe, including number-two in the United Kingdom, spending six weeks inside the top ten and fifteen inside the top seventy-five.[1] The single reached number-one in Argentina, Germany (where it was his first #1 single[2]), Portugal, Italy, and Taiwan. In Switzerland, the single was certified Gold.[3] In Mexico, the song reached number-nine and became the eleventh most played track of the year.[4] In Australia, the single peaked at number-seven and went on to sell over 35,000 copies, being certified Gold by the ARIA.[5]

Track listing

UK CD1
  1. "Tripping" (album version) – 4:36
  2. "Make Me Pure" (edit) – 3:49
UK CD2
  1. "Tripping" (album version) – 4:36
  2. "Make Me Pure" (edit) – 3:49
  3. "Meet the Stars" – 4:29
UK DVD single
  1. "Tripping" (video)
  2. "Make Me Pure" (video)
  3. "Bag Full of Silly" (audio)
  4. Gallery and video clip

Certifications and sales

Country Certification (if any) Sales/shipments
Australia Gold[5] 35,000+
France Silver[6] 150,000+
Switzerland Gold[3] 10,000+
United Kingdom - 190,000+[7]

Charts

Chart (2005) Peak
position[8]
Australia (ARIA)[9] 7
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[10] 2
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[11] 8
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[12] 11
Denmark (Tracklisten)[13] 3
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[14] 1
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[15] 4
France (SNEP)[16] 9
Germany (Media Control Charts)[17] 1
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[18] 1
Italy (FIMI)[19] 1
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[20] 2
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[21] 20
Norway (VG-lista)[22] 2
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[23] 2
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[24] 2
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[25] 2
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[26] 2

Year-end charts

End-of-year chart (2005) Position
UK Singles Chart 26

References

  1. ↑ "Tripping" Chart Run
  2. ↑ http://musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/Williams%2CRobbie/?type=single
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 IFPI Switzerland Certification for "Tripping"
  4. ↑ Mexico's Top 40 of 2006
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 ARIA Certification for "Tripping"
  6. ↑ Certifications Singles Argent - année 2005
  7. ↑ Sales: Tripping
  8. ↑ German Chart Position
  9. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Robbie Williams – Tripping". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  10. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Robbie Williams – Tripping" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  11. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Robbie Williams – Tripping" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  12. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Robbie Williams – Tripping" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  13. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Robbie Williams – Tripping". Tracklisten. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  14. ↑ "Robbie Williams Album & Song Chart History" European Hot 100 for Robbie Williams. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
  15. ↑ "Suomen virallinen lista - Robbie Williams: Tripping". Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  16. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Robbie Williams – Tripping" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  17. ↑ "Chartverfulgong > Robbie Williams > Tripping – musicline.de" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved 2012-11-10.
  18. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  19. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Robbie Williams – Tripping". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  20. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Robbie Williams – Tripping" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  21. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Robbie Williams – Tripping". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  22. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Robbie Williams – Tripping". VG-lista. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  23. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Robbie Williams – Tripping" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  24. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Robbie Williams – Tripping". Singles Top 60. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  25. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Robbie Williams – Tripping". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  26. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2005-10-15" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
Preceded by
"La Nostra Vita" by Eros Ramazzotti		 Italian Singles Chart number-one single
8 October 2005 – 15 October 2005 		Succeeded by
"Big City Life" by Mattafix