About
Good Doctor was written by Robbie Williams and Jerry Meehan and produced by Mark Ronson. It appeared on Rudebox in 2006, combining humour and confession in a wry look at addiction, recovery and temptation. The track’s jazzy piano line and relaxed rhythm mask a darker undercurrent, as Williams portrays the “doctor” as the voice of indulgence within himself.
The lyrics are sardonic and self-aware, filled with double meanings and sharp observational detail: “If you go to the doctor’s regularly, then you’ve got to be a fuck-up.” The final verse lists prescription drugs with manic precision, ending on the typically British punchline “Not St John’s Wort, ’cause I can get that at Boots.” Williams later described the song as an exaggerated reflection of his divided personality, torn between health and hedonism.
“Half of me is healthy, plays football, drinks coffee. The other half loves drugs and staying in bed all day. The Good Doctor is that half — whichever way you see it.”Robbie Williams
Written while he was 32, the same age at which The Who’s Keith Moon died from an overdose referenced in the lyric, Good Doctor captures Williams’s awareness of both danger and absurdity. Its mix of jazz, hip hop and irony typifies the introspective honesty and dark wit that define Rudebox.
Lyrics
Credits
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Vocalist
Robbie Williams -
Songwriter
Robbie Williams, Jerry Meehan