Cocky

About

Cocky is a song by Robbie Williams from his album Britpop. It forms part of the record’s guitar driven core and reflects Williams’ renewed focus on sharp, personality led songwriting rather than polished pop convention.

The song was co written with Gaz Coombes, frontman of Supergrass, whose influence Williams acknowledged during the writing process. He described Coombes’ musical DNA as being embedded throughout the track, positioning Cocky as a collaboration rooted in shared Britpop era sensibilities and an appetite for concise, characterful songs.

Lyrically, Cocky plays with contrasts between ego and humility, faith and doubt. Its most striking lines juxtapose spiritual authority and personal insignificance, using irony to explore arrogance, insecurity and the stories people tell themselves to feel important. The tone is knowingly provocative, delivered with humour rather than reverence.

“Gaz Coombes’ DNA is all over this.”Robbie Williams

Within the wider framework of Britpop, Cocky stands out for its conversational sharpness and understated confidence. Rather than chasing anthemic scale, it leans into wit and attitude, reinforcing the album’s broader intent to foreground songwriting personality and cultural reference points drawn from Williams’ formative musical influences.