About
I Just Want People to Like Me appears on Under the Radar Vol. 3 and was written by Robbie Williams, Tim Metcalfe and Flynn Francis, produced by Metcalfe during the Take the Crown sessions. Released to fans as a Christmas Day download in 2018, it served as the lead track promoting the third Under the Radar collection. Williams later admitted it “should have been on a main album,” calling it a quintessential Robbie Williams song: cocky, funny and self-aware.
The track is built around an upbeat rock groove with playful swagger, combining self-deprecating humour and bravado. Williams explained that its apparent vulnerability was ironic, saying, “People think it’s me pleading to be liked, but it’s really me being cheeky and arrogant in the verses. I’m sticking two fingers up and saying, ‘If you don’t like me, tough.’” The title lyric is juxtaposed with tongue-in-cheek boasts, satirising his own public persona.
Musically, I Just Want People to Like Me features punchy guitars, handclaps and a driving rhythm section, recalling the bold pop-rock of his late 1990s era. The bridge includes one of the album’s most memorable lines: “They gave my music to some people who say what they mean. Call me psychic, some people just ain’t gonna like it.” It closes with Williams laughing at himself, turning what could have been confession into performance.
“I think if you ask people what their version of Robbie Williams is, it’s this song. It’s cocky, fun, and probably pisses a few people off — which is kind of the point.”Robbie Williams
The video, directed by Leo Baron and filmed on the roof of Williams’ hotel in Mexico, shows him performing on a helipad above the city skyline. Dressed in a floral red shirt, he dances, jokes and ends by flipping the camera a playful middle finger — a perfect visual match for the song’s defiant humour. Energetic and self-referential, I Just Want People to Like Me captures Williams at his most charismatic, blending cheek, confidence and charm into one irresistible statement of identity.
Lyrics
They want a role model, but I just puked a rainbow
It gets so lonely, I tried to end it all
Jumped off my wallet but I landed in my swimming pool
And I think so hard, why don't you love me
Yeah yeah, yeah yeah, our hands in the air yeah
I'm in my private jet, I own a limousine
I got my test back baby and I'm super clean
Get excited, I just want people to like me
I'm in the land of the brave, In the home of the free
I got a pretty young thing right on top of me
Come inside girl, some people ain't gonna like it
I can't dance, I can't sing
But I made it this far you'd think they'd be happy for me
And I'm so loaded, I guess I could stop
Because absolutely nothing about me that's pissing you off
And I cry all night, why don't you love me
Yeah yeah, yeah yeah, our hands in the air yeah
I'm in my private jet, I own a limousine
I got my test back baby and I'm super clean
Get excited, I just want people to like me
I'm in the land of the brave in the home of the free
I got a pretty young thing right on top of me
Come inside girl, some people ain't gonna like it
They gave my music to a man who played my music to a scene
They gave my music to some people who said what they mean
Come inside girl, some people just they don't like it
They gave my music to a man, who played my music to a scene
They gave my music to some people, who said what they mean
Come inside girl, some people just they don't like it
I'm in my private jet, I own a limousine
I got my test back baby and I'm super clean
Get excited, I just want people to like me
I'm in the land of the brave in the home of the free
I got a pretty young thing right on top of me
Get enlighted I just want the people to like me
Credits
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Vocalist
Robbie Williams -
Songwriter
Robbie Williams, Tim Metcalfe, Flynn Francis -
Producer
Tim Metcalfe