Soul Transmission (Demo)

About

Soul Transmission was released in December 2012 on the Different EP, later re-recorded for The Christmas Present in 2019. Written by Robbie Williams with Kelvin Andrews and Danny Spencer of Soul Mekanik, the song was produced by Soul Mekanik and Daft Dog. The original version accompanied a video directed by Williams’s brother-in-law Dylan Trussell, featuring intimate footage from Williams’s wedding to Ayda Field, intercut with scenes filmed in his garden.

Williams described Soul Transmission as a “spiritual, bigger-picture, otherworldly kind of song.” Its layered production combines electronic elements, ambient choral vocals and a slow-building rhythm to create a contemplative, uplifting mood. The lyrics explore faith, vulnerability and perseverance, written during a period of self-reflection that followed his recovery from addiction and his search for meaning beyond fame.

When revisiting the track for The Christmas Present, Williams explained that it came from one of his loneliest memories, recalling “one particular Christmas Day when I was alone, where I’d just finished drinking and I was very vulnerable.” He said the song became “a message of hope and perseverance, telling that person to keep going when I didn’t feel like I wanted to.”

“It’s a song of hope and perseverance, telling that person to keep going when I didn’t feel like I wanted to.”Robbie Williams

The 2012 version of Soul Transmission is often regarded by fans as one of Williams’s most heartfelt recordings of the decade. Its understated beauty and personal resonance, combined with the home-made video, captured a rare glimpse of sincerity and peace in his songwriting. The song remains one of the most enduring and emotionally charged of his post-Take the Crown era B-sides.