More Than This

About

More Than This is one of the new songs introduced on XXV, written by Robbie Williams with Karl Brazil and Owen Parker, and arranged by Steve Sidwell. Conceived during the sessions for the orchestral retrospective, it stands as a declaration of gratitude and love, described by Williams as a reflection of his wife Ida’s devotion and her ability to anchor him through turbulent times.

The track opens with a bright, rhythmic pulse that recalls the optimism of Intensive Care, while the orchestral production provides a lush and cinematic setting. Layers of strings, piano and light percussion support Williams’s smooth vocal performance, his tone calm and assured. Its melodic phrasing and heartfelt lyrics mark it as one of the most immediate of his later songs, built around the refrain “You won’t disappoint me, but you should know by now.”

Williams explained that the song explores the experience of finding joy difficult, even in moments of success, and the salvation of love in those periods. The balance between introspection and melody evokes both vulnerability and warmth, capturing the tenderness of middle age without sentimentality.

“It’s about the people who are a life raft when you can’t find joy, the confusion of others thinking, ‘How can you not be happy?’ It’s that love that keeps you afloat.”Robbie Williams

More Than This bridges Williams’s pop sensibility with the emotional depth of his later songwriting. Its optimism and sincerity make it one of the defining new works on XXV, proving that his creative partnership between pop and orchestration continues to evolve with grace.