Back for Good

About

Back for Good (Live) appeared as a B-side to Angels and was recorded during Robbie Williams’ 1997 Show Off Must Go On tour. Originally written by Gary Barlow for Take That, the song marked one of the final singles Williams performed with the group before his departure in 1995. His live solo version reimagines the classic ballad as a high-octane rock performance — transforming a polished pop hit into an anthem of rebellion and reinvention.

Performed with a full band, Williams’ rendition begins faithfully before erupting into heavy guitars and shouted choruses. The transformation symbolised his public break from the boyband image and his embrace of a rougher, more authentic sound. Fans at the shows recall the moment as electrifying, a cathartic reworking of a song once synonymous with conformity and heartbreak.

Williams introduced the performance with typical irony, warning the audience “Don’t worry, it gets better in the chorus,” before launching into the distorted guitar riff that shocked and delighted the crowd in equal measure. The song also features the cheeky lyric twist “I contemplated foreplay, but it was not to be,” replacing the original’s “I celebrated glory” — one of several knowing jabs at his pop past.

I just wanted to make it mine. It used to belong to someone else, but on that night, it was definitely my song.Robbie Williams

Critics later cited the performance as a pivotal moment in Williams’ reinvention — proof that he could both parody and elevate his history. The recording captures that turning point perfectly: a former boyband star turning nostalgia into liberation, and in doing so, closing one chapter while kicking open the next.