Let's Face the Music and Dance

About

Written by Irving Berlin in 1936 for the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers film Follow the Fleet, Let’s Face the Music and Dance is one of the Great American Songbook’s most enduring standards. Robbie Williams recorded his version for the Swing When You’re Winning sessions, though it ultimately appeared as a B-side to Something Stupid rather than on the album. Conducted by Steve Sidwell and mixed by Al Schmitt, the track channels the elegance of Nat King Cole’s 1964 recording while adding Williams’ trademark energy and wit.

The song’s theme of defiant celebration in the face of uncertainty — “There may be trouble ahead, but while there’s moonlight and music and love and romance…” — made it a perfect fit for Williams’ showman persona. He introduced it at the Royal Albert Hall by joking, “Let’s get butt naked and all f***ed up on drugs,” a typically irreverent preamble to a performance that balanced humour with technical precision. Surrounded by dancers in full swing-era glamour, Williams delivered the number with infectious enthusiasm.

I’ve loved that song for years. It’s about enjoying yourself even when the world’s falling apart — which sounds about right to me.Robbie Williams

Backed by a full orchestra and jazz rhythm section, Let’s Face the Music and Dance sparkles with brass and strings that capture the spirit of 1930s Hollywood musicals. Williams’ vocal performance combines ease and conviction, reminding listeners why swing suits him so naturally. Both a tribute and a reinvention, his version stands as a joyful affirmation of performance itself — a salute to Berlin’s timeless optimism filtered through Williams’ self-aware charm.