You Know Me

About

You Know Me was released on 7 December 2009 as the second single from Reality Killed The Video Star. It reached number 6 on the UK Singles Chart and entered the top 20 in several European countries. The single followed the success of Bodies and was supported by a surreal music video directed by Phil Griffin, in which Williams appears dressed as a rabbit inside a dreamlike mansion.

The track was co-written by Williams with Kelvin Andrews and Danny Spencer, who developed it from a sample of the 1966 song Voilà by French artist Françoise Hardy. Produced by Trevor Horn, the recording combines piano, strings and lush harmonies with a midtempo pop arrangement that recalls 1960s orchestral pop. Williams recorded his vocals at Sarm Studios in London.

Lyrically, You Know Me deals with self-recognition and emotional renewal. Its refrain, “Since you went away, my heart breaks every day,” contrasts nostalgia with optimism, a tone that mirrors the album’s broader themes of self-recovery after public retreat. Critics highlighted the song’s melodic charm and understated delivery as evidence of Williams’s renewed confidence.

“It’s one of those songs that just feels like it’s always existed. I heard the demo and thought, that’s me, that’s where I am right now.”Robbie Williams

You Know Me was praised by reviewers for its classic pop sensibility and emotional warmth, with The Independent describing it as “sweetly melancholic and irresistibly tuneful.” It became a staple of Williams’s 2009 comeback performances and remains one of the standout tracks from his collaboration with Horn.