Rome Munich Rome (Demo)

About

Rome Munich Rome was written by Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers and appeared as a B-side to Millennium in 1998. Like much of Williams’s output from the late 1990s, the song reflects life on the road, transience and the blurred reality of fame. Its title references the constant travel between cities on tour, a cycle mirrored in the restless tone of the lyrics and the pulsing rhythm of the track.

The song’s opening line, “All the women and money are flown,” sets the tone for a portrait of excess tempered by loneliness. The recurring lyric “There’s still a shitload of seeds to be sown” underlines both the bravado and melancholy of Williams’s touring life, as he shifts between bravado and introspection. The production, built around a steady rock groove and melodic guitar, complements the weary mood of the writing.

Although never released as a standalone single, Rome Munich Rome offers an insight into Williams’s mindset at the time — newly successful yet unsettled by fame’s intensity. The song’s mix of confidence and detachment aligns it closely with other introspective works from I’ve Been Expecting You, marking it as a small but revealing piece of his late-1990s catalogue.

So many people, so alone — that line says a lot about what it’s really like when you’re meant to be having the time of your life.Robbie Williams