About
The album's title track, Life Thru a Lens, plays like a mission statement for Robbie Williams' reinvention. Written with Guy Chambers, it examines fame, identity, and the weight of public scrutiny. Musically it combines electric guitars, strings, and a cinematic swell that echoes the Britpop era while pointing toward Williams' future as a pop storyteller.
The lyrics read as both defiance and confession, addressing the pressures of celebrity and the performative nature of life under constant observation. It's a theme that would recur throughout his career, turning his personal struggles into part of his art.
It was me taking a look at myself from the outside. The camera's always on you, and you start to wonder which version of you is real.Robbie WilliamsRecorded at Matrix Studios in 1997, the track wasn't released as a single but became central to the album's concept. It framed the record as both self-portrait and social commentary, its sound straddling the line between introspection and showmanship.
While not as radio-friendly as the album's singles, critics later cited it as one of Williams' most revealing early works. Its title became shorthand for his shift from teen idol to songwriter capable of self-reflection.
I was living my life like a movie,except I didn't always like the part I was playing.Robbie WilliamsLife Thru a Lens set the thematic lens for the rest of the album: fame, freedom, and the uneasy search for authenticity in a world built on performance.
Lyrics
Everything feels so boring
Is that where it ends
Live your life thru a lens
Hair is the new hat, brown is the new black
She shouldn't wear this he shouldn't wear that
Pleasure at leisure make mine a double
measure with friends
Fashion tardis down at Quo Vadis
Who laughs the longest who drives the hardest
Pleasure at leisure make mine a double
measure with friends
Just because I ain't double barrelled
Don't mean I haven't travelled well
Can't you tell!
Oh no it's quite appalling
Your conversation is boring as hell, oh well!
Wake up on Sunday morning
And everything feels so boring
Is that where it ends
With your life thru a lens
And now your boyfriend's suspicious
So go home and wash the dishes
And wash them well so he can't tell
She's looking real drab just out of rehab
I'm talking football she's talking ab fab
Your clothes are very kitch
Just because your daddy is rich
You sound so funny with your voice all plummy
Now your cheque's just bounced better run
to your mummy
And you know it's a class act she'll never
ask for it back
Just because I ain't double barelled
Don't mean I haven't travelled well
Can't you tell!
Mix with the local gentry and don't crash
Tarquin's Bentley
I'll take the bends with our life thru a lens
You're scared of the poor and needy
Is that why you're all inbreedy?
They're just like you, they need love too
Wake up on Sunday morning
And everything feels so boring
Is that where it ends
With your life thru a lens
And now your boyfriend's suspicious
So go home and wash the dishes
And wash them well so he can't tell
Credits
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Vocalist
Robbie Williams -
Songwriter
Robbie Williams, Guy Chambers -
Recording Studio
Matrix Studios