"Tripping" is a song by British singer

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 ...

from his sixth studio album ''

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'' (2005). The single was released as the album's lead single on 3 October 2005 through

Chrysalis Records Chrysalis Records () is a British record label that was founded in 1968. The name is both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders' names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis. It started as the Ellis-Wright Ag ...

. Backed with the track "

Make Me Pure "Make Me Pure" is a song by British pop singer Robbie Williams, released as the second single from his album ''Intensive Care'' in late 2005. It was written by Robbie Williams, Stephen Duffy, and Chris Heath. It was first released in New Zealand ...

", 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 Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

". The rolling rhythm of the song owes much to the early work of

the Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...

. During the chorus Williams reaches an extremely high

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-like

head voice Head voice is a term used within vocal music. The use of this term varies widely within vocal pedagogical circles and there is currently no one consistent opinion among vocal music professionals in regard to this term. Head voice can be used in re ...

. 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 commonly misattributed to

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. Upon its release, the song became a global hit, reaching number one in Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. It peaked within the top five in more than 10 European countries, including the United Kingdom, where it reached number two and was the 19th best-selling single of 2005. It was also a success in Australia, reaching number seven on the

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

, and peaked at number 20 in New Zealand.

Chart success

The song became a worldwide success for Williams, debuting inside the top 10 in most countries around Europe, including number two in the United Kingdom, spending six weeks inside the top 10 and 15 weeks inside the top 75. The single reached number one in Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. The song also reached number one on the

Eurochart Hot 100 The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...

, becoming Europe's eighth-most-successful song of 2005. In Switzerland, the single was certified

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for shipments exceeding 20,000 units. In Mexico, the song reached number nine and became the 11th most played track of the year.Mexico's Top 40 of 2006
In Australia, "Tripping" peaked at number seven and went on to sell over 35,000 copies, being certified Gold by the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...

Music video

The video, which was directed by

Johan Renck Bo Johan Renck (born 5 December 1966) is a Swedish director of music videos, TV and film. He was originally a singer-songwriter from 1991 to 2001, using the moniker Stakka Bo, and had an international hit with his single " Here We Go" in 1993. Re ...

, features

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 the 1950s, and is stuck running endlessly in a

maze A maze is a path or collection of paths, typically from an entrance to a goal. The word is used to refer both to branching tour puzzles through which the solver must find a route, and to simpler non-branching ("unicursal") patterns that lea ...

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

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twins in the backseat of his

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. 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.

Track listings

UK CD1 and European CD single # "Tripping" (album version) # "Make Me Pure" (edit) UK CD2 # "Tripping" (album version) # "Make Me Pure" (edit) # "Meet the Stars" # "Tripping" (video) # Picture gallery UK DVD single # "Tripping" (video) # "Make Me Pure" (video) # "Bag Full of Silly" (audio) # Video clip and photo gallery Australian CD single # "Tripping" (album version) # "Make Me Pure" (edit) # "Meet the Stars"

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from the ''

'' album booklet. Studios * Recorded between June 2003 and May 2005 at

Air Studios Associated Independent Recording (AIR) is an independent recording company founded in London in 1965 by record producer Sir George Martin and his business partner John Burgess, after their departure from Parlophone. The studio complex was founded ...

, The Townhouse (London, England), Rockband East and West, and Henson Studios (Los Angeles) * Mixed at Mix This! (

Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles Pacific Palisades is a neighborhood in the Westside region of Los Angeles, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. Pacific Palisades was formally founded in 1921 by a Methodist organization, and in the years that followed bec ...

) * Strings engineered at NRG (

North Hollywood North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North ...

, California) * Mastered at Metropolis Mastering (London, England) Personnel * Robbie Williams – writing, lead vocals, backing vocals,

Fender Jazz Bass The Fender Jazz Bass (often shortened to ''J-Bass'') is the second model of Bass guitar, electric bass created by Leo Fender. It is distinct from the Fender Precision Bass, Precision Bass in that its tone is brighter and richer in the midrange a ...

guitar, production *

Stephen Duffy Stephen Anthony James Duffy (born 30 May 1960 in Alum Rock, Birmingham, England) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He was a founding member, vocalist, bassist and then drummer of Duran Duran. He went on to record as a solo perform ...

– writing,

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guitar,

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keyboard, Hobner

melodica The melodica is a handheld free-reed instrument similar to a pump organ or harmonica. It features a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. The keyboard usual ...

glockenspiel The glockenspiel ( or , : bells and : set) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the vibraphone. The glo ...

, production * Claire Worrall – backing vocals,

Wurlitzer The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...

* Jerry Meehan –

Fender Precision Bass The Fender Precision Bass (often shortened to "P-Bass") is a model of electric bass guitar manufactured by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. In its standard, post-1957 configuration, the Precision Bass is a solid body, four-stringed instrum ...

guitar *

Matt Chamberlain Matthew Chamberlain (born April 17, 1967) is an American session musician, drummer, producer and songwriter. Biography Life and career Chamberlain was born in San Pedro, California on April 17, 1967. He began learning how to play the drums ...

– drums * Max Beesley – percussion, vibes, Waldorf synthesiser * Steve Sidwell – trumpet * Neil Sidwell – trombone * Dave Bishop – saxophone * David Campbell – string arrangement, conducting * Allen Sides – string engineering *

Bob Clearmountain Bob Clearmountain (born January 15, 1953) is an American recording engineer, mixer and record producer. He has worked with many major acts, including Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Toto, Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams, with whom he has a very ...

– mixing * Tony Cousins – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

References

External links

Virgin Single Review
- last accessed on 6 November 2005.

- last accessed on 7 November 2005. {{DEFAULTSORT:Tripping (Song) 2005 singles 2005 songs Dutch Top 40 number-one singles European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Music videos directed by Johan Renck Number-one singles in Italy Number-one singles in Germany Robbie Williams songs Songs written by Robbie Williams Songs written by Stephen Duffy