"Strong" is a song by English recording artist

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, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...

. It was released on 15 March 1999 as the third single from his second studio album, ''

I've Been Expecting You ''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 Wi ...

'' (1998). The song managed to break into the top five in the United Kingdom. The B-side is the live version of " Let Me Entertain You" recorded at the 1999 Brit Awards, the performance was included on the single in the enhanced section. In June 2017, Williams performed at the

One Love Manchester One Love Manchester was a benefit concert and British television special on 4 June 2017, organised by American singer Ariana Grande, Simon Moran, Melvin Benn and Scooter Braun in response to the Manchester Arena bombing after Grande's concer ...

benefit concert, in aid of the

Manchester Arena bombing On 22 May 2017, an Islamist extremist suicide bomber detonated a shrapnel-laden homemade bomb as people were leaving the Manchester Arena following a concert by American pop singer Ariana Grande. Twenty-three people were killed, including ...

victims and as a display of the city's unity against terrorism. Williams opened and closed his set by leading a 55,000-strong

terrace chant A football chant or terrace chant is form of vocalisation performed by supporters of association football, typically during football matches. Football chanting is an expression of collective identity, most often used by fans to express their p ...

of the song's chorus, changing the lyrics to "Manchester we're strong, we're strong, we're strong. And we're still singing our songs, our songs, our songs!". On the final night of Williams's 2003

Knebworth House Knebworth House is an English country house in the parish of Knebworth in Hertfordshire, England. It is a Grade II* listed building. Its gardens are also listed Grade II* on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. In its surrounding park is t ...

concerts, 125,000 ticketholders sang Strong to set the world record for ''Most Karaoke Participants''. Williams and his audience held the record until 2009, when 160,000 people sang Friends in Low Places by

Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the co ...

whilst in attendance at the 2009 NASCAR Sharpie 500 race.

Background and release

"Strong" was written by

while he was in a hotel in

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

, Germany. It was inspired by some of his most hardcore fans, who, Williams confessed, "scared the living daylights out of im. He said, "I just wanted them to understand I'm not being rude, but I'm feeling a bit scared of everything." Following its release on 15 March 1999, "Strong" became Williams' seventh top-five single in the United Kingdom, peaking at number four on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. The track also reached the top 10 in New Zealand, debuting and peaking at number nine on 30 May 1999.

Music video

The video is a compilation of on-tour footage, including many live performances, Williams with his nephew, Williams on stage with his dad, and Williams messing about.

Track listings

UK CD single # "Strong" # " Let Me Entertain You" (live at the

Brit Awards The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...

'99) # "Happy Song" # "Let Me Entertain You" (live at the Brit Awards '99 video) UK cassette single # "Strong" # "Let Me Entertain You" (live at the Brit Awards '99) # "Happy Song" European CD single # "Strong" # "Let Me Entertain You" (live at the Brit Awards '99) # "Let Me Entertain You" (live at the Brit Awards '99 video)

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the ''

'' album booklet. Studio * Mastered at Metropolis Mastering (London, England) Personnel * Robbie Williams – writing, vocals *

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, h ...

– writing, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, piano, production, arrangement *

Gary Nuttall Gary Nuttall is an English musician and vocalist, best known for his long-time affiliation with Robbie Williams, spanning from 1997 to the present day. Solo In 2007, Nuttall released his first solo album, ''Dated Bedroom Ditties.'' Discograp ...

– background vocals *

David Catlin-Birch David Catlin-Birch is a British musician. He was a bass guitarist for pop/alternative rock band World Party, and was the original "Paul" for the March 1980 launch of The Beatles tribute band, The Bootleg Beatles. With Rowland Rivron and Rich ...

– background vocals, acoustic guitar, bass guitar *

Steve McEwan Steve McEwan is a multi Grammy award winning British songwriter, artist, and musician. His songs have been recorded by country music artists including Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill, and Keith Urban. Outside of country, he has also ...

– background vocals, electric guitar *

Andre Barreau Andre Barreau is a British former member of The Bootleg Beatles, in which he played George Harrison from March 1980, when the group was formed, until 2014. The Bootleg Beatles Following the final show of the West End musical ''Beatlemania'', B ...

– background vocals * Fil Eisler – guitar, guitar solos *

Jeremy Stacey Jeremy Stacey (born 27 September 1963) is a British drummer and keyboard player. His early works included the 1990s band The Lemon Trees (with twin brother Paul Stacey on guitars, Guy Chambers and others) and Denzil. He has also played with ...

– drums * Andy Duncan – percussion * Steve Power – production, recording, mixing, programming * Steve McNichol – programming * Tony Cousins – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Cover versions

* In 2015, Lower Than Atlantis released a cover of the song on the 2015 reissue of their self-titled album.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strong (Song) Robbie Williams songs 1998 songs 1999 singles Chrysalis Records singles Song recordings produced by Guy Chambers Song recordings produced by Steve Power Songs written by Guy Chambers Songs written by Robbie Williams