About
Rudebox was written by Robbie Williams with Kelvin Andrews and Danny Spencer of Soul Mekanik, the Stoke-based production duo behind “Rock DJ.” It was released as the lead single from Rudebox on 4 September 2006. The track samples “Boops (Here to Go)” by Sly and Robbie and merges electro-funk, dub and hip hop into one of Williams’s most experimental singles.
Williams described the collaboration as a creative turning point, saying the producers “made me think differently about music.” The song’s surreal wordplay references Adidas footwear, the Beastie Boys and Public Enemy, while lines such as “Take both pills, F the Matrix” typify its tongue-in-cheek defiance. The lyric “Dance like you won the Special Olympics” drew controversy at the time, though Williams later said he regretted the phrase’s insensitivity.
Commercially, Rudebox reached number four in the UK and topped charts in several European countries. Its futuristic sound sharply divided opinion, but critics have since reappraised it as an audacious statement of reinvention. The accompanying video, directed by Seb Janiak, features dancers in illuminated suits performing inside a lightbox—a visual echo of the song’s title and its urban, sci-fi aesthetic.
“It just became a floor shaker with lyrics straight out of Stoke-on-Trent... I thought I’d made a brilliant album, and I still do. I think it is my favourite me album.”Robbie Williams
Today, Rudebox is often recognised as the defining track of Williams’s electronic era, embodying the playfulness and risk-taking spirit of the album that shares its name.
Lyrics
Do the rudebox, shake your rudebox
Do the rudebox, shake your rudebox
Do the rudebox, shake your rudebox
Ok then back to basics grab your shell toes and your fat laces
A little hand clap for some funk faces and make your body move in the following places
Goes up your back and then down your spine and when it hits your head:
Ok then back to baseheads dance like you just won at the special Olympics
I got the rudebox of the back of a spaceship, so sick I just had to take it
The R.U.D.E.B.O.X. up yer jacksy, split yer kecks sing a song of semtex
Pocket full of durex body full of mandrex
Are we gonna have sex (yes) will you wear your knee socks (ohh) back to the rudebox
Got this double fantasy where we just never stop
I've got one design and that's to funk you to the top
Know whats on my mind there's only one thing you will find
I got one design and that's to bump you til you drop
Rudebox, do the rudebox, cos you so nasty
Rudebox, shake your rudebox, why you so nasty
Rudebox, do the rudebox, cos you so nasty
Rudebox, shake your rudebox, why you so nasty
Ok then back to spaceship, take both pills fuck the matrix
Jack those jills shake your Playtex rock 3 stripes not the asics
A.D.I.D.A.S old school cos it's the best - yes
Tk max cost less yes
Jackson looks a mess bless
Ok then what to do, if you try to jack me ill rudebox you
If you rudebox me, I'll rudebox your whole crew
Cos its what I do aint that right boo - true
I'll ride with you if you can get me to the border
Cos the sheriff's after me for what I did to his daughter
I did it like this - you did it like that - I love it when you double clap clap
Grab this double fantasy where we just never stop
I've got one design and that's to funk you to the top
Know whats on my mind there's only one thing you will find
I got one design and that's to bump you til you drop
Rudebox, do the rudebox, cos you so nasty
Rudebox, shake your rudebox, why you so nasty
Rudebox, do the rudebox, cos you so nasty
Rudebox, shake your rudebox, why you so nasty
Ok then check the tan line, make your body shape like you're stood on a landmine
Call me on my mobile not the landline and the jack the mainline at the same time
Ok this is what we do, got a jam so fresh its nice for you
Ok give it what you got and dial 808 for the bass to drop
Ok then whats the fracas grab your cardy your lead hat and your bus pass
You don't sweat much for a fat lass grab your rudebox cos your box is righteous
Ok bum rush the show
I got high speed dubbing on my stereo and all the tunes in the box are the cherrio,
I know I told you before, did you hear me though
Grab this double fantasy where we just never stop,
I've got one design and that's to funk you to the top.
Know whats on my mind there's only one thing you will find,
I got one design and that's to bump you til you drop
Rudebox, do the rudebox, cos you so nasty
Rudebox, shake your rudebox, why you so nasty
Rudebox, do the rudebox, cos you so nasty
Rudebox, shake your rudebox, why you so nasty
Do the rudebox, shake your rudebox
Do the rudebox, shake your rudebox
Do the rudebox, shake your rudebox
Do the rudebox, shake your rudebox
Do the rudebox, shake your rudebox
Do the rudebox, shake your rudebox
Do the rudebox, shake your rudebox
Do the rudebox, shake your rudebox
Credits
-
Vocalist
Robbie Williams -
Songwriter
Robbie Williams, Kelvin Andrews, Danny Spencer, Bill Lasswell, Carl Aiken, Bootsy Collins, Robbie Shakespear