Hey Wow Yeah Yeah

About

Hey Wow Yeah Yeah appears on Take the Crown as one of its most energetic and exuberant tracks. Written by Robbie Williams and Norwegian songwriter Per “Boots” Ottestad, and produced by Jacknife Lee, the song became the opening number on Williams’s 2013 stadium tour. Its fast-paced rhythm, distorted guitars and chant-like chorus made it a natural choice to launch his live shows with explosive momentum.

Williams described hearing Ottestad’s original demo and immediately recognising its potential as a live opener. “I pressed play and went, ‘Oh, well, that’ll start the show then,’” he recalled. The song’s relentless tempo, anthemic handclaps and raw vocal delivery capture the carefree confidence that runs throughout the album, contrasting the introspection of his earlier work with a tone of defiant celebration.

Lyrically, Hey Wow Yeah Yeah is intentionally minimal, serving as a call to arms rather than a narrative. Its simple refrain and driving beat evoke the classic stadium rock tradition of audience participation, designed to energise large crowds. Jacknife Lee’s production fuses modern electronic textures with muscular guitars, creating a sound that bridges dance-pop and rock spectacle.

“It’s very full of tension, very exciting, very dumb, very rock and roll — exactly what you want when the lights go down and the show begins.”Robbie Williams

Although never released as a single, Hey Wow Yeah Yeah became a defining feature of the Take the Crown era. Its unrestrained spirit and electric live presentation symbolised Williams’s renewed confidence as an entertainer returning to stadium-scale performance.