Freedom (Full Length Version)

About

Freedom appears in its full length form on CD2, track 1 of the 25th anniversary edition of Life Thru a Lens. Originally released in August 1996 as Robbie Williams’ debut solo single, the song marked his first public step after leaving Take That. The expanded edition restores the longer arrangement, placing it in historical context alongside demos, rehearsals and early recordings from the same period.

The track is a cover of George Michael’s 1990 hit, recorded during Williams’ earliest solo sessions in 1996. Produced by Steve Power, the full version runs longer than the original single edit, allowing the instrumental groove to develop more gradually. This reflects an exploratory approach in the studio, with Williams testing how his voice and personality would sit outside the structure of a pop group.

While the lyrics remain unchanged from the original, the meaning shifted sharply in context. For Williams, Freedom functioned as a statement of independence rather than reinvention. The extended structure emphasises rhythm and space, giving the vocal a looser, more conversational feel and underlining the sense of release suggested by the song’s theme.

I needed something that said exactly where I was at, and Freedom did that better than anything elseRobbie Williams

Although Freedom was later overshadowed by Williams’ own songwriting breakthroughs, the full version stands as an important document of transition. Its inclusion as the opening track on CD2 highlights its role as the true starting point of his solo career, capturing an artist at the moment of departure, before direction and confidence fully crystallised.