Lazy Days (Tower Studios Demo, January 1997)

About

Lazy Days in its Tower Studios demo form appears on CD3 of the 25th anniversary edition of Life Thru a Lens. Recorded in January 1997, the demo captures the song at an early stage of development, shortly after Robbie Williams began working closely with Guy Chambers. It predates the finished version that later emerged as a B side during Williams’ early solo career.

The demo was recorded at Tower Studios in London and written by Williams and Chambers. Musically, it is already close to the final arrangement, with the core melody and structure firmly in place. However, the recording features notably different lyrics, particularly in the opening verse, where imagery of warmth, stillness and idleness replaces the more familiar lines of the later release.

Lyrically, this early version leans more heavily into pastoral and escapist imagery, emphasising comfort, leisure and emotional retreat. Phrases such as velvet and warm and lying on the lawn give the song a softer, more introspective tone. The relaxed delivery reinforces the theme of withdrawal from pressure and expectation, an idea that would remain central as the song evolved.

The demo’s performance is loose and unpolished, with Williams’ vocal delivered in a conversational style that reflects the song’s mood. Small lyrical revisions and refinements would later sharpen its focus, but the central idea of deliberate stillness and resistance to busyness is already clearly defined.