"Old Before I Die" is a song by English singer-songwriter

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, launching a solo career in 1996. His debut studio album, ''Life thru a Lens'', was re ...

, released as the first single from his debut album, ''

Life thru a Lens ''Life Thru A Lens'' is the debut solo album by English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams following his departure from Take That. Released on 29 September 1997 through Chrysalis Records, the album is influenced by Britpop, a departure from the p ...

'' (1997). The

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment Desmond Child John Charles Barrett (born October 28, 1953), known professionally as Desmond Child, is an American songwriter and record producer. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008. He has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, a Primet ...

and Eric Bazilian, with production by

Guy Chambers Guy Antony Chambers (born 12 January 1963) is an English songwriter, musician and record producer, best known for his work with Robbie Williams. Education Chambers attended Quarry Bank Comprehensive School sixth form in Liverpool. From 18, ...

and

Steve Power Steve Power (born in Liverpool) is an English record producer best known for his work with Robbie Williams. He has produced and mixed for a wide variety of artists over the years, including Blur, Busted, Andrea Bocelli, Feeder, Joe Cocker,Pe ...

Critical reception

Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...

'' commented, "Williams certainly can't be accused of playing it safe in the wake of his departure from U.K popsters

Take That Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer ...

. Instead, post-

Freedom Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws". In one definition, something is "free" i ...

, he's opted for a radical change of musical direction. Gone is the sweet, middle of the road style, in favour of a solid and confident

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

sound, somewhat reminiscent of his new pals,

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...

'' rated the song four out of five, describing it as "a confidently composed return from the former Take That man, boasting a strong vocal, tuneful

Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

esque melody and a ILR-friendly hook. On this evidence,

Owen Owen may refer to: People and fictional characters * Owen (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname Places United States * Owen, Missouri, a ghost town * Owen, Wisconsin * Owen County, Indiana ...

, Barlow and co may be left in Williams shadow." The magazine's Martin Aston complimented it as "pure

Britpop Britpop was a mid-1990s United Kingdom, British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. Musically, Britpop produced bright, catchy alternative rock, with significant influences from British guitar pop of the 1960s and 1970s. B ...

/Beatles swagger and crunch." Ian Hyland from ''

Sunday Mirror The ''Sunday Mirror'' is the Sunday sister paper of the ''Daily Mirror''. It began life in 1915 as the ''Sunday Pictorial'' and was renamed the ''Sunday Mirror'' in 1963. In 2016 it had an average weekly circulation of 620,861, dropping marked ...

'' noted that the singer "has come up with some magic tracks", adding that songs like this are "stadium thrillers".

Music video

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

was made to accompany the song. It features

performing for the camera with ageing rock stars as his backing band, and some fade-ins by the cameraman. There are also shots of Williams flying through the air.

Track listings

* UK CD1 # "Old Before I Die" # "Better Days" # "Average B Side" * UK CD2 # "Old Before I Die" # " Making Plans for Nigel" # " Kooks" * UK cassette single # "Old Before I Die" # "Making Plans for Nigel" # "Better Days" * European CD single # "Old Before I Die" # "Average B Side" * Australian CD single # "Old Before I Die" # "Kooks" # "Average B Side" # "Making Plans for Nigel" # "Better Days" * Japanese mini-album # "Old Before I Die" # "Kooks" # "Average B Side" # "Making Plans for Nigel" # "Better Days" # "

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from the ''

'' album booklet. Studios * Recorded at Matrix Maison Rouge (London, England) * Mixed at Battery Studios (London, England) Personnel * Robbie Williams – writing, vocals, backing vocals *

Desmond Child John Charles Barrett (born October 28, 1953), known professionally as Desmond Child, is an American songwriter and record producer. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008. He has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, a Primet ...

– writing * Eric Bazilian – writing * Steve McEwan – backing vocals, guitar *

– guitar, keyboards, production, arrangement * Fil Eisler – guitar, bass * Steve Power – keyboards, production, mixing * Geoff Dugmore – drums, percussion * Jim Brumby – Battery Studios assistant * Matt Hay – Matrix Maison Rouge assistant

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1997 songs 1997 singles Chrysalis Records singles English rock songs Number-one singles in Scotland Number-one singles in Spain Robbie Williams songs Song recordings produced by Guy Chambers Song recordings produced by Steve Power Songs written by Desmond Child Songs written by Eric Bazilian Songs written by Robbie Williams he:Life thru a Lens#Old Before I Die