Angels (XXV)

About

Angels closes the first disc of XXV, reimagined by Jules Buckley as a sweeping orchestral finale. Originally released in 1997 on Life Thru a Lens, it remains Robbie Williams’s signature song and one of the best-selling singles in British pop history. The XXV version preserves its familiar piano opening and structure while surrounding it with expansive symphonic textures.

The re-recording keeps the heart of the original intact. Williams insisted the iconic piano introduction remain unchanged, but Buckley’s arrangement builds gradually into full orchestral splendour, replacing the soft rock instrumentation with strings, horns and a gospel choir. The singer’s vocal, now richer and more gravelly, gives the song a reflective maturity that mirrors his growth since its first release.

Williams described the process as both daunting and rewarding, knowing that any alteration to such a beloved song required care. The new orchestral bridge doubles in length, offering space for the arrangement to bloom before the final chorus, where the interplay between voice and orchestra reaches emotional peak. It is both a celebration and a re-evaluation of the moment that launched his solo legacy.

“How do you reinvent that particular wheel? You leave that to people more talented than you. Fortunately, we had Guy and Jules Buckley who did the arrangement.”Robbie Williams

The XXV version of Angels transforms familiarity into grandeur, closing the album’s first half as both tribute and renewal. It reinforces the song’s enduring role as Williams’s most unifying and emotionally resonant work.