About
I Wouldn’t Normally Do This Kind of Thing was released as a B-side to Let Me Entertain You and also featured on the Japanese edition of Angels. It is a cover of the 1993 Pet Shop Boys single, written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, from their album Very. The original was a wry take on love and spontaneity, the joy of letting go when falling for someone. and Williams’ version captures that same spirit through a lens of pure pop exuberance.
Produced by Guy Chambers and Steve Power, the cover reimagines the Pet Shop Boys’ sleek synth-pop into a brighter, guitar-led arrangement that suits Williams’ vocal energy. His delivery combines charm and irony, walking the fine line between parody and genuine affection for the source material. The song also found a second life internationally when it was featured on the Friends soundtrack and in the episode “The One with the Routine,” giving it a brief but memorable appearance in American pop culture.
Williams has long cited the Pet Shop Boys as one of his formative influences, admiring their mix of sophistication, wit, and emotional precision. Covering one of their tracks allowed him to align himself with their British pop lineage while proving his ability to reinterpret classic material in his own style.
The Pet Shop Boys wrote pop that was clever and cool at the same time — that’s what I’ve always aimed for.Robbie Williams
Although not a charting single in its own right, I Wouldn’t Normally Do This Kind of Thing has endured as one of Williams’ most polished covers. It bridges his early Britpop confidence with the sophistication of his later work, showcasing both his musical range and his instinct for choosing songs that reflect who he is: funny, self-aware, and unmistakably British.
Lyrics
I say it's most unusual
How can I even try to explain
Why today I feel like dancing
Singing like lovers sing
When I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing
I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing.
Ask me when ahhhhh
I say it started when I met you ahhhhh
And ever since then I knew that the past couldn't last
For right now I think I'm running
A race I know I'm gonna win
And I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing
I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing.
If people say I'm crazy, I tell them that it's true
Let them watch with amazement
Say it won't last beyond breakfast
It's a phase he's going through
Denigrate or speculate on what I'm going through
Because it ain't the sort of thing I'd normally do
Ask me what ahhhhh
I say I think it's good for you ahhhhh
Believe it or not, I know where it's all leading to
I feel like taking all my clothes off
And dancing to the Rite of Spring
And I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing
I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing
I wouldn't normally do this kind of
Wouldn't normally do this kind of
Wouldn't normally do this kind of thing
Credits
-
Vocalist
Robbie Williams -
Songwriter
Neil Tennant, Chris Lowe -
Original Artist
Pet Shop Boys