Let's Get Ugly

About

The original version of Lazy Days appeared as a B-side to Millennium in 1998. Recorded during the early Life Thru a Lens sessions, it presents an alternate structure to the album version, with a different chorus and a looser, more free-flowing arrangement. The chorus lines “Guess being young is such a crime, you’ll have a million every time” highlight the more carefree spirit of the song before its later reworking into a sharper pop single.

This early take retains the rawer production and longer verse structure typical of Williams’s initial solo recordings with Guy Chambers. The vocals are slightly rougher, reflecting the urgency of his post-Take That transition, while the instrumentation leans more toward an indie sound than the polished mix that later appeared on the album. Its lyrical focus on escapism and youth remains central, even as the phrasing and pacing differ from the final release.

Although largely overlooked beyond collectors and long-term fans, the original version of Lazy Days offers a glimpse of Williams’s creative evolution in real time. It captures a moment of experimentation before he and Chambers refined their songwriting partnership into the distinctive pop craftsmanship that would define his next albums.

We kept rewriting songs in those days, chasing what felt right. Lazy Days was part of that learning curve.Guy Chambers