Where There's Muck

About

Where There’s Muck appears on the deluxe edition of Swings Both Ways and was written by Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers. The song continues the album’s playful mixture of satire and swing, pairing witty British idioms with a breezy jazz arrangement. Its title comes from the old Yorkshire saying “where there’s muck, there’s brass,” meaning that hard work or in this case, a bit of mischief, can lead to reward.

The track finds Williams at his most tongue in cheek, adopting the persona of a roguish showman recounting tales of success and scandal. It mirrors the lyrical humour of earlier songs such as Handsome Man and No One Likes a Fat Pop Star, blending self deprecation with sly cultural observation. The arrangement features bright brass, upright bass and shuffling percussion, maintaining the album’s classic swing atmosphere while giving it a modern twist.

Williams described the track as “a little reminder not to take anything too seriously.” Beneath the jokes, the song touches on familiar themes in his work, including ambition, hypocrisy and the absurdity of fame, all delivered with his trademark mix of charm and confidence. Its conversational lyrics and upbeat tone made it one of the standout additions to the deluxe tracklist.

“It’s me being cheeky again, but that’s the fun of swing. You can say quite a lot with a smile and a wink if you do it in the right key.”Robbie Williams

Though not part of the standard edition, Where There’s Muck was well received by fans for its wit and swagger. It reinforced Williams’s gift for turning everyday English phrases into sharp, theatrical storytelling, providing an entertaining encore to the main body of Swings Both Ways.