Supreme

About

Written by Robbie Williams, Guy Chambers, Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris, Supreme was released on 11 December 2000 as the third single from Sing When You’re Winning. It reached number four in the UK and charted across Europe, including number one positions in Poland and Hungary. A French-language version, L’Amour Supreme, also charted in France, where it achieved gold status.

The track combines disco strings and cinematic orchestration with witty, self-aware lyrics. It interpolates melodies from Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive, originally written by Perren and Fekaris, and samples a François de Roubaix composition from the 1970 film Dernier Domicile Connu. The fusion of retro orchestration and contemporary pop made it one of Williams’ most distinctive singles.

I was in Switzerland on New Year’s Eve, sober, and at midnight everyone started singing that string line from I Will Survive. I thought, I’m having that.Robbie Williams

Lyrically, Supreme explores loneliness and disillusionment beneath the glamour of success. Its sardonic couplets — “All the best women are married, all the handsome men are gay” — captured the humour and melancholy that ran through Williams’ work with Chambers. The orchestral arrangement was later reimagined in swing style for Williams’ 2013 album Swings Both Ways.

The accompanying video, directed by Vaughan Arnell, places Williams as a fictional 1970s Formula One driver named Bobby Williams, competing with a rival racer. Using authentic footage and digital compositing, it parodied the era’s sporting excess and romanticised image of heroism. The high-budget production received nominations for Best Video at both the BRIT and MTV Europe Music Awards.

Supreme became one of Williams’ most enduring singles, balancing sophistication with satire. Its orchestral sweep and wry lyricism positioned him as a modern pop entertainer with an ear for both melody and irony.