Everybody Wants to Rule the World

About

Everybody Wants to Rule the World was recorded by Robbie Williams for Trevor Horn’s album Trevor Horn Reimagines the 80s, released in January 2019. The song, originally written by Roland Orzabal, Ian Stanley and Chris Hughes of Tears for Fears and first released in 1985, was issued as the album’s lead single on 23 October 2018. It was produced by Horn with The Sarm Orchestra and released through Universal Music.

The project brought together several artists, including Seal, All Saints, Jim Kerr and Matt Cardle, each recording new versions of songs from the 1980s. Williams’ rendition of Everybody Wants to Rule the World follows the structure of the original but features a full orchestral arrangement, led by Horn, replacing the synth-based instrumentation with live strings, brass and percussion. The arrangement emphasises the rhythmic pulse of the original while expanding it for a large ensemble.

The single received regular airplay on BBC Radio 2 and contributed to the album reaching number 11 on the UK Albums Chart. Horn described the project as an opportunity to reinterpret familiar material with orchestral musicians, combining contemporary recording methods with arrangements developed at SARM Studios in London.

“How often do you get the chance to work with a huge orchestra on a bunch of really good songs, with whoever you can coerce into singing them?”Trevor Horn

Everybody Wants to Rule the World represents Williams’ contribution to a collaborative reinterpretation of well-known 1980s music, highlighting his adaptability within an orchestral production setting.