I've Been Expecting You

Last updated

I've Been Expecting You
I've Been Expecting You cover.png
Studio album by
Robbie Williams
Released26 October 1998 [1]
Recorded1998
Studio Trident, Abbey Road, Bath Street, Wheeler End, Angel, Battery and Jacob, London [2]
Length76:02
75:14 (2002 reissue replacement track)
Label Chrysalis
Producer
Robbie Williams chronology
Life thru a Lens
(1997)		I've Been Expecting You
(1998)		 The Ego Has Landed
(1999)
Singles from I've Been Expecting You
  1. "Millennium"
    Released: 7 September 1998
  2. "No Regrets"
    Released: 30 November 1998
  3. "Strong"
    Released: 15 March 1999
  4. "She's the One / It's Only Us"
    Released: 8 November 1999
  5. "Win Some Lose Some"
    Released: 22 May 2000

I've Been Expecting You is the second studio album by English recording artist Robbie Williams. It was released on 26 October 1998 through Chrysalis Records. The album spawned five singles, including lead single "Millennium", which became Williams' first UK number-one hit.

Contents

A critical and major commercial success, it debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, marking Williams' second consecutive chart-topper, and has been certified 10× Platinum.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
The Great Rock Discography 7/10 [4]
NME 8/10 [5]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]

John Bush of AllMusic rated the album four stars out of five, and stated that the album is both a "studied" and "more mature, calculated album" than its predecessor Life Thru a Lens (1997) "from a pop star who's often gloried in being immature and spontaneous." [7] He noted the album "may suffer from comparisons to its excellent predecessor, but it also finds Robbie Williams weathering the sophomore storm quite well." [7] NME rated the album 8/10, saying "boy, what a record" and that Williams' "writing skills have improved enormously". [5] The reviewer also noted the album's "impressive diversity" and concluded that "sure, Robbie's still more Michael Barrymore than Michael Stipe, and he'll never be 'cool' by that constipated, soul-crushingly snobbish James Lavelle definition. But he's a natural-born star and he wants you to love him. I've Been Expecting You provides 12 good reasons why you should." [5]

Retrospectively, Colin Larkin of The Encyclopedia of Popular Music considered I've Been Expecting You to continue Williams' "renaissance" and highlighted "No Regrets" as "one of Williams' finest songs to date", as well as praising "Strong" for being "wonderfully self-deprecating." [6] The Rough Guide to Rock contributor Jane Holly writes that the album received "great critical acclaim" and was "another eclectic mix of songs and styles", with the singer's "no-nonsense lyrics" evident on "Strong" and "No Regrets". She also praised how Williams "emanates a new-found confidence" throughout the album. [8]

In 2011, I've Been Expecting You was ranked at number 223 in Q 's readers poll of the "250 Best Albums of the Last 25 Years"; the magazine wrote that the record "dials down the cabaret to gratifying effect", and drew attention to its ubiquitous singles. [9]

Success

Williams and Chambers started the writing process of the album in Jamaica in the spring of 1998. I've Been Expecting You was released in October 1998. It debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, and went on to become the UK's best selling album for that year. According to the Music Week , the album has sold 2,582,016 copies in the UK as of November 2016, [10] and has been certified 10× Platinum for shipments of 3 million copies, making it Williams' best-selling album in the country.

The album also received attention outside the United Kingdom, particularly in continental Europe and Latin America, and has sold a total of five million copies worldwide. [11] Williams finished album promotion with an extensive European tour in the autumn of 1999. I've Been Expecting You was ranked 91st in a 2005 survey held by British television's Channel 4 to determine the 100 greatest albums of all time. [12]

Singles

Lawsuit

In 1998, Williams was sued by Ludlow Publishing over the song "Jesus in a Camper Van" because it lifted lyrics from the Loudon Wainwright III song "I Am the Way", from his album Attempted Mustache . The lyric to "I Am the Way" is as follows: "Every son of God has a little hard luck sometime, especially when he goes around saying he's the way." The lyric to "Jesus in a Camper Van" in question is: "Even the son of God gets it hard sometimes, especially when he goes around, saying I am the way."

Williams claimed that he had heard a young man say the line whilst in rehab, and only found that it was a line from Wainwright's song after he had already recorded it. Williams' agents called Wainwright to notify him about this, but Wainwright had little say in the matter; "I Am the Way" was a parody of the Woody Guthrie song "New York Town"; Ludlow Publishing owned the line's copyright. In 2002, Ludlow Publishing won the lawsuit, receiving 25% of the income that "Jesus in a Camper Van" garnered, and subsequently, the album was re-issued replacing "Jesus in a Camper Van" with "It's Only Us".

During a show at the Roundhouse London in October 2019, Williams performed the song and also revealed, "That lyric cost me £2.5 million! Truth to God!" [17]

Track listing

All tracks written by Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers, except where noted.

I've Been Expecting You – Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Strong" 4:39
2."No Regrets" 5:10
3."Millennium"
4:07
4."Phoenix from the Flames" 4:02
5."Win Some Lose Some" 4:18
6."Grace" 3:13
7."Jesus in a Camper Van"
3:39
8."Heaven from Here" 3:05
9."Karma Killer" 4:28
10."She's the One" Karl Wallinger 4:18
11."Man Machine" 3:35
12."These Dreams" 5:08
13."Stand Your Ground" (hidden track) 3:28
14."Stalker's Day Off (I've Been Hanging Around)" (hidden track)
  • Williams
  • Chambers
  • Fil Eisler
3:43
I've Been Expecting You – 2002 edition replacement track
No.TitleLength
7."It's Only Us"2:50
I've Been Expecting You – Back for B-sides (MVC special compilation CD)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Karaoke Overkill" 3:30
2."Average B-Side" 2:59
3."Cheap Love Song"Williams • O. Morris • C. Abbott4:10
4."Better Days" 3:31
5."Antmusic" Adam Ant • Marco Pirroni3:30
6."Deceiving Is Believing" 4:30
7."Rome Munich Rome" 3:07
8."Falling in Bed Again"Williams • Matt Hay3:28
9."Get the Joke"Williams • Chambers • Gary Nuttall3:02
10."Love Cheat" 3:45
11."I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing" Neil Tennant • Chris Lowe 3:07
12."Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" Cole Porter 3:03
13."Happy Song" 2:53
14."I Am the Res-erection" 3:48
15."Kooks" David Bowie 2:37
16."She Makes Me High"Williams • Chambers • Nuttall3:10
17."Teenage Millionaire" 3:16
18."Sexed Up" (demo) 3:58
19."Making Plans for Nigel" Colin Moulding 4:06
20."Walk This Sleigh" 3:01
21."Lazy Days" (demo) 4:32
I've Been Expecting You – RW 20th Anniversary edition bonus DVD
No.TitleLength
1."Millennium" (Live on TOTP) 
2."Man Machine" (Live on TOTP) 
3."No Regrets" (Live on TOTP) 
4."Strong" (Live on Later... with Jools Holland) 
5."Karma Killer" (Live on Later... with Jools Holland) 
6."Jools Holland Interview" 
7."It's Only Us" (Live on TOTP) 
8."She's the One" (Live in Germany) 

Personnel

Robbie Williams Band

with:

Charts

Certifications and sales

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [43] Platinum50,000^
France (SNEP) [44] 2× Gold200,000*
Germany (BVMI) [45] Gold250,000^
Netherlands (NVPI) [46] Gold50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ) [47] Platinum15,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway) [48] Gold25,000*
Sweden (GLF) [49] Gold40,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [50] Platinum50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [51] 10× Platinum3,000,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI) [52] 4× Platinum4,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

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