Rudebox
Encyclopedia
Rudebox is the seventh studio album by English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams
, released on 23 October 2006 in the United Kingdom.
, Mark Ronson
, Soul Mekanik and two collaborations with the Pet Shop Boys
: "She's Madonna
" and "We're the Pet Shop Boys". Lily Allen
provides backing vocals on the songs "Bongo Bong and Je Ne T'aime Plus" and "Keep On". Williams covers five songs on the album: "Louise", a 1984 hit for The Human League
, "Kiss Me", the biggest hit for Stephen Duffy
, "Lovelight
" by Lewis Taylor, "We're the Pet Shop Boys" by My Robot Friend, and "Bongo Bong and Je Ne T'aime Plus", by Manu Chao
. Getting a mixed reception from critics, the album reached the top position in fourteen countries including United Kingdom
, Australia
, Switzerland
, Germany
, Mexico
, Argentina
, Spain
, Italy
and Finland
.
's manager Nigel Martin-Smith
after the band failed to make a profit from a European tour. The song raised the ire of Martin-Smith, who demanded that the song be removed from the album. The omitted lyrics were rapped during the break before the second verse: "Now I'm managed by a prick and I'm 16 and chubby. Told me to lose 20 pounds and you're not Rob, you're Robbie, and if I see you with a girl, then you're gonna be sorry and if you don't sign this contract, get your bags from the lobby. He's such an evil man, I used to fantasize of taking a Stanley knife and go and play with his eyes. I pray to the Lord he won't have any children. He didn't spot Elvis leaving the building
."
, Rudebox received an average of 53 out of 100 indicating mixed to average reviews from music critics, based on twelve critiques. In the United Kingdom
, the album sold 54,667 copies on the day of release, taking the number-one slot on the albums chart midweek. By Wednesday, the album had sold over 75,000 copies. The album debuted at #1 on the Official UK Albums Chart
selling over 147,000 copies on the week of release. Despite reaching the number one spot, sales were far below what was expected by his label EMI, and overall sales were overtaken by his former band Take That
's Beautiful World. However, the album performed better than Beautiful World outside the UK. The fallout of the album's relative failure led to the firing of two music executives responsible for the album's development. The album was released in the Netherlands on 20 October 2006, on the same day the album was certified platinum as a result of pre-order sales of over 70,000 copies. In Belgium, the album sold 50,000 copies and went platinum. It was released on 23 October 2006 in Australia
and debuted at number-one achieving platinum status in it's first week. It has since been certified 2x Platinum. 220,000 copies of the album were sold in France on the week of release, as well as 600,000 in Germany, and 700,000 in the UK. On 8 November 2006, IFPI
certified the album 2x Platinum in Europe
with sales of over 2 million copies, making it the fastest platinum selling album of 2006. On 20 November 2006, the album reached number-one in Mexico
, becoming Williams' first number-one album there. The album was certified platinum there, with sales of over 100,000 copies. Rudebox became the eighteenth best selling album of 2006 worldwide according to the IFPI.
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
, released on 23 October 2006 in the United Kingdom.
Background
The album features collaborations with William OrbitWilliam Orbit
William Orbit is an English musician, composer and record producer, perhaps best known to most for his work on Madonna's album Ray of Light. He has also co-produced several unreleased Madonna songs originally recorded for other albums...
, Mark Ronson
Mark Ronson
Mark Daniel Ronson is an English DJ, guitarist, music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records. He currently works with his band under the music alias of Mark Ronson & The Business Intl....
, Soul Mekanik and two collaborations with the Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
: "She's Madonna
She's Madonna
"She's Madonna" is the third and final international single released from Robbie Williams's seventh studio album Rudebox. A collaboration with the Pet Shop Boys, it is a love song to pop star Madonna and was released on 5 March 2007. A promotional copy was released to European radio in late January...
" and "We're the Pet Shop Boys". Lily Allen
Lily Allen
Lily Rose Beatrice Cooper , better known as Lily Allen, is an English recording artist and fashion designer. She is the daughter of actor and musician Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. In her teenage years, her musical tastes evolved from glam rock to alternative...
provides backing vocals on the songs "Bongo Bong and Je Ne T'aime Plus" and "Keep On". Williams covers five songs on the album: "Louise", a 1984 hit for The Human League
The Human League
The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...
, "Kiss Me", the biggest hit for Stephen Duffy
Stephen Duffy
Stephen Anthony James Duffy is an English singer/songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He was a founding member and vocalist/bassist of Duran Duran. He went on to record as a solo performer under several different names, and is the singer and songwriter for The Lilac Time with his older brother...
, "Lovelight
Lovelight
"Lovelight" is a pop song written and originally performed by Lewis Taylor for his 2003 album Stoned, Part I. In 2006, the song was covered by British singer Robbie Williams...
" by Lewis Taylor, "We're the Pet Shop Boys" by My Robot Friend, and "Bongo Bong and Je Ne T'aime Plus", by Manu Chao
Manu Chao
Manu Chao , is a French singer of Spanish roots . He sings in French, Spanish, English, Italian, Galician, Arabic and Portuguese and occasionally in other languages...
. Getting a mixed reception from critics, the album reached the top position in fourteen countries including United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
.
Controversies
"She's Madonna" was the centre of a tabloid storm after Ashley Hamilton claimed that he came up with part of the song with Williams. Hamilton has claimed he wishes to take the matter to court as he is not credited as a co-writer on the album. Further controversy arose over the track "The 90s", part of which implies that Williams was ripped off by Take ThatTake That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
's manager Nigel Martin-Smith
Nigel Martin-Smith
Nigel Martin-Smith is a Manchester-based musical band manager who formed 1990s British boy band Take That.-Biography:Martin-Smith entered the entertainment industry in the early 1980s working as a casting agent from offices in Manchester's Royal Exchange...
after the band failed to make a profit from a European tour. The song raised the ire of Martin-Smith, who demanded that the song be removed from the album. The omitted lyrics were rapped during the break before the second verse: "Now I'm managed by a prick and I'm 16 and chubby. Told me to lose 20 pounds and you're not Rob, you're Robbie, and if I see you with a girl, then you're gonna be sorry and if you don't sign this contract, get your bags from the lobby. He's such an evil man, I used to fantasize of taking a Stanley knife and go and play with his eyes. I pray to the Lord he won't have any children. He didn't spot Elvis leaving the building
Elvis has left the building
"Elvis has left the building!" is a phrase that was often used by public address announcers following Elvis Presley concerts to disperse audiences who lingered in hopes of an encore...
."
Reception
According to review aggregator MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, Rudebox received an average of 53 out of 100 indicating mixed to average reviews from music critics, based on twelve critiques. In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the album sold 54,667 copies on the day of release, taking the number-one slot on the albums chart midweek. By Wednesday, the album had sold over 75,000 copies. The album debuted at #1 on the Official UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
selling over 147,000 copies on the week of release. Despite reaching the number one spot, sales were far below what was expected by his label EMI, and overall sales were overtaken by his former band Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
's Beautiful World. However, the album performed better than Beautiful World outside the UK. The fallout of the album's relative failure led to the firing of two music executives responsible for the album's development. The album was released in the Netherlands on 20 October 2006, on the same day the album was certified platinum as a result of pre-order sales of over 70,000 copies. In Belgium, the album sold 50,000 copies and went platinum. It was released on 23 October 2006 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and debuted at number-one achieving platinum status in it's first week. It has since been certified 2x Platinum. 220,000 copies of the album were sold in France on the week of release, as well as 600,000 in Germany, and 700,000 in the UK. On 8 November 2006, IFPI
IFPI
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland...
certified the album 2x Platinum in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
with sales of over 2 million copies, making it the fastest platinum selling album of 2006. On 20 November 2006, the album reached number-one in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, becoming Williams' first number-one album there. The album was certified platinum there, with sales of over 100,000 copies. Rudebox became the eighteenth best selling album of 2006 worldwide according to the IFPI.
Track listing
Certifications, Peaks and Sales
| Country | Peak Position | Certification | Sales/shipments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 1 | Platinum | 40,000+ |
| Australia | 1 | 2x Platinum | 140,000+ |
| Italy | 1 | Platinum | 100,000+ |
| Austria | 1 | 2x Platinum | 60,000+ |
| Belgium | 3 | Platinum | 40,000+ |
| Denmark | 1 | Platinum | 30,000+ |
| European Top 100 Albums European Top 100 Albums The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100... |
1 | 2x Platinum | 2,000,000 |
| Finland | 1 | Platinum | 33,465+ |
| France | 3 | Platinum | 200,000+ |
| Germany | 1 | 3x Platinum | 600,000+ |
| Hungary | 3 | 2x Platinum | 20,000+ |
| Ireland | 2x Platinum | 30,000+ | |
| Mexico | 1 | Platinum | 100,000+ |
| Portugal | 5 | Gold | 10,000+ |
| Russia | Gold | 10,000+ | |
| Spain | 1 | Gold | 40,000+ |
| Sweden | 2 | Gold | 30,000+ |
| Switzerland | 1 | 2x Platinum | 60,000+ |
| United Kingdom | 1 | 2x Platinum | 600,000+ |
End-of-year charts
| Year | Country | Chart | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Germany | IFPI | #70 |