Rudolph

About

Rudolph is an original composition from the first disc of The Christmas Present, written by Robbie Williams with Calvin Harris, Richard Scott and Danny Spencer. Built around melodies from the 1965 French television theme The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Robert Mellin and Gian Piero Reverberi, and the Ukrainian carol Carol of the Bells by Mykola Leontovych, the track fuses familiar Christmas motifs into an inventive pop-swing hybrid. The result is a vibrant, cinematic number that feels both classic and contemporary.

Williams described the creative process: “I think the big trick about writing Christmas songs is writing songs that you think you’ve heard before—and quite literally in Rudolph, there are elements of songs that you have heard before.” Richard Scott conceived the idea of blending the two themes, a decision that gave the track its distinctive character. Its joyful orchestration, driven by bells, strings and a jubilant choir, makes it one of the album’s standout moments.

Lyrically, the song captures the chaos and excitement of Santa’s journey, with witty rhymes such as “Down to Cannes and Kazakhstan” and “I meet myself coming back.” Williams performs with exuberance and humour, while the layered production evokes the grandeur of a holiday film score. The song was widely praised by fans for its originality and festive energy, with many suggesting it should have been released as the album’s lead single.

“I quite like that I managed to rhyme down at Cannes and Kazakhstan, somewhere else and Isle of Man. I don’t think those places have ever been rhymed before.”Robbie Williams

Combining clever wordplay, lush instrumentation and nostalgic familiarity, Rudolph exemplifies Williams’s ability to reinvent the Christmas song tradition while maintaining his distinctive humour and charm.