H.E.S.

About

H.E.S. (Heavy Entertainment Show) is the third track on Under the Radar Vol. 1, written solely by Robbie Williams and produced by Bradley Spence and Charlie Russell, collectively known as Witness. The pair had worked previously with artists including Jamiroquai, Mark Owen and Kasabian. The song emerged during a period when Williams was exploring the balance between celebrity spectacle and everyday life, themes that would later inform his 2016 studio album The Heavy Entertainment Show.

Musically, H.E.S. combines gospel-style choruses, driving percussion and distorted guitars in a sound influenced by Bruce Springsteen’s Wrecking Ball and Public Image Ltd’s Rise. Williams described it as his “ode to Bruce Springsteen”, capturing both the grit and grandeur of ordinary existence. The initials, he explained, stand for “the heavy entertainment show”, representing the rhythm and spectacle of daily life: “We are the universe expressing ourselves as a human being for 18-plus years, if you’re lucky, and that’s the H.E.S.”

Released without a major campaign, the song became a cult favourite among fans. Williams performed it live at select shows, including one night in Paris in 2015 and again at the Under the Radar concert in 2019. He also filmed an impromptu video with photographer Greg Williams, shot partly in a Los Angeles supermarket using a body-mounted camera, reinforcing the song’s theme of finding wonder in the mundane.

“Bruce Springsteen’s a bit good. I listened to his album Wrecking Ball and instantly wanted to make a song like his. The H.E.S. is life… the mundane activities, watching the news, interacting with friends.”Robbie Williams

H.E.S. stands as one of Williams’ most anthemic non-single tracks, a statement of creative independence that celebrates both the performance and the performer behind the show.