About
Bag Full of Silly was written by Robbie Williams, Stephen Duffy and biographer Chris Heath. It appeared as a B-side to “Tripping” in 2005. The track was recorded during the sessions for Intensive Care and reflects the creative freedom Williams discovered working with Duffy after ending his long partnership with Guy Chambers.
The song is a humorous and nostalgic look back at Williams’s teenage years in and around Manchester. Opening with a brief spoken exchange in a Mancunian accent, it namechecks the Hacienda nightclub, Worsley and the A500 route linking Stoke-on-Trent and Manchester. The title phrase, “bag full of silly,” alludes to youthful excess and the carefree energy of the city’s nightlife in the early 1990s.
Musically, it blends a steady groove with sharp lyrical detail. Lines such as “All I had was potential and a head full of dreadful” capture both the optimism and insecurity of adolescence. Rain sound effects at the start set a typically northern scene, while the mix of humour and melancholy mirrors the tone of much of Williams’s work with Duffy.
Although released only as a B-side, Bag Full of Silly has become a fan favourite for its vivid storytelling and self-mocking honesty, offering an early glimpse of the reflective, character-driven writing that defined the Intensive Care era.
Lyrics
Yeah, fine, fine
Fine, fine!
Gloomy Manchester, always rainin'
Full of chippy, max entertainment
Groovy Manchester, June split the atom
O-1-6-1, England's Seattle
And I know I should have written it down
The Southern Comfort, I've forgotten you somehow
Last night this girl in my bed
I was telling her what I said
When all I had was potential
And a head-full of dreadful
With a bag full of silly
Walking through Picadilly
And I... Well anyway, anyway
Who knew worstly would do so much to hurt me
Parts of Manchester make me feel dirty
Hacienda, on a gay night
Dropping little fellas, to make me feel right
And I think about you now and then
When I'm talking towns to my friend
Last night this girl in my bed
I was telling her what I said
When all I had was potential
And a head-full of dreadful
With a bag full of silly
Walking through Picadilly
And I... Well anyway, anyway
We all made out in places
And I've been to a few
What I need now is an aerial view
'Cause I can see for myself
That I can't see for myself
But oh... Anyway anyway
Now I'd like to go to Manchester
To my surprise
Ain't 500 M6
Then just close my eyes
Close my eyes
Close my eyes
Close my eyes
Last night this girl in my bed
I was telling her what I said
When all I had was potential
And a head-full of dreadful
With a bag full of silly
Walking through Picadilly
And I... Well anyway, anyway
Oh, oh, oh
Uh-oh, Uh-oh
Credits
-
Vocalist
Robbie Williams -
Songwriter
Robbie Williams, Stephen Duffy, Chris Heath