Bite Your Tongue

About

Bite Your Tongue is a song by Robbie Williams from his album Britpop. The track forms part of a body of work positioned as a return to direct, guitar led songwriting, drawing on the attitudes and influences that shaped Williams’ earliest years as a solo artist.

The song was written during the Britpop sessions and reflects Williams’ interest in revisiting ideas he first grappled with after leaving Take That. He has described the track as rooted in emotions and creative instincts that had remained unresolved, giving it a reflective quality despite its confrontational tone.

Musically, Bite Your Tongue is taut and abrasive, driven by distorted guitars and a deliberately restrained vocal performance. Rather than relying on melodic uplift, the song builds tension through repetition and control, mirroring its themes of repression, frustration and things left unsaid. Its sound aligns more closely with Williams’ mid 1990s output than with the polished pop of his later catalogue.

“This is the song I wanted to write when I left Take That.”Robbie Williams

Within the context of Britpop, Bite Your Tongue acts as a tonal marker. It underscores the album’s emphasis on attitude and character over commercial sheen, reinforcing Williams’ intention to reassess his beginnings while applying the perspective of a more established artist.