Let Me Entertain You (XXV)

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Let Me Entertain You opens Robbie Williams’s orchestral retrospective XXV, released on 9 September 2022. Reimagined for the project’s first disc, the track returns as a brass led curtain raiser, signalling the album’s aim to revisit key singles with grown up orchestral colour.

Arranged by Steve Sidwell, this version was recorded with session players rather than the Metropole Orkest and produced under the stewardship of Guy Chambers alongside Richard Flack. The new cut trims the original’s guitar led prelude and moves straight to the signature piano motif, with Williams delivering a fresh vocal in a slightly lower key.

Where the 1998 single was swaggering Britrock, the XXV take emphasises brass punches, woodwind runs and a tighter rhythm bed. The guitars sit further back, letting horns carry the hooks while strings add scale to the chorus. The result retains the crowd rousing call and response, but swaps raw rock attack for a slick, showband feel suited to arenas and broadcast.

“The orchestra gives these frequencies that are angelic and godlike, and it gives import to what could otherwise be throwaway pop records.”Robbie Williams

As an opener, Let Me Entertain You frames XXV’s concept with clarity, exchanging the original’s grit for brass and polish without losing its invitation to the audience. It stands as a statement of intent, introducing an anthology that celebrates the hits while acknowledging the performer’s changed voice and perspective.