Clean (Axis Studios Demo, October/November 1996)

About

Clean in its Axis Studios demo form appears on CD3 of the 25th anniversary edition of Life Thru a Lens. The recording dates from October and November 1996 and documents an early stage of a song that would later feature on Williams’ debut album. At this point, the track was still evolving in both structure and tone.

The demo was recorded at Axis Studios in Sheffield and written by Robbie Williams alongside Pablo Cook, Antony Genn, Richard Hawley and Martin Slattery, with production by Genn. Early documentation lists the working title as Mr Sheen, a reference that plays on ideas of surface polish and personal clarity. The recording predates Williams’ songwriting partnership with Guy Chambers, placing it firmly within his exploratory post Take That period.

Musically, the demo is looser and more raw than the finished album version. Williams’ vocal sits prominently against a lightly structured arrangement, with extended passages and alternate lyrical phrases that were later removed. The performance reflects an artist experimenting with phrasing and attitude, drawing on contemporary Britpop influences while searching for an individual voice.

Thematically, Clean centres on ideas of self awareness, reckoning and emotional reset. In demo form, these ideas feel less resolved, with the song moving through ideas rather than presenting a final statement. The rough edges and informal energy give the track a sense of immediacy that contrasts with the more controlled album take.

As an archival recording, Clean (Axis Studios Demo) offers valuable insight into Williams’ early solo development. It captures a moment before stylistic direction had fully settled, showing how collaboration, revision and time shaped one of the defining tracks of Life Thru a Lens.