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Robbie Williams has achieved a significant landmark on the UK album chart by surpassing The Beatles to become the artist with the highest number of number one albums in chart history. His latest release, *Britpop*, which hit the shelves last Friday, marks the 16th chart-topping album of his solo career—an impressive run that began with *Life Thru A Lens* in 1997. Reflecting on the accomplishment, Williams told BBC News, “This is unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable.”
Williams expressed a sense of amazement at his ongoing success, using a vivid metaphor: “I’ve always said my success has been the equivalent of stretching an elastic band from Stoke-on-Trent to the Moon. Well, I reckon the elastic band just got longer, and now it’s orbiting Venus.” He further described his feelings as “just sensational” and compared himself to the “Forrest Gump of pop,” underlining how extraordinary his journey has been. Currently, he is enjoying a weekend break in Paris with his wife Ayda Field, planning to mark the occasion modestly “with a Coke Zero and a salad.”
This milestone contrasts sharply with the turbulent early days of his solo career, when his rising fame was clouded by struggles with alcohol, drugs, and mental health issues. Williams acknowledged this difficult period, noting, “I’m going to take this week, at least, to remind myself of how lucky I am, because for a while, I didn’t get to do that because of mental illness or whatever.” He added, “Now I am firmly in a place where the garden is blossoming, and I’m just surveying the pastures. And, I think that’s the biggest achievement, that I can sit in that [moment] and take a deep breath and smile.”
*Britpop* also serves as a nod to the beginning of Williams’ solo years and the challenges he faced then. The album’s cover art references the iconic Mick Hudson photograph of Robbie with bleached blonde hair and a missing tooth, taken at the 1995 Glastonbury festival—an image linked to his departure from the boy band Take That. Describing the record as “the album that I wanted to write after I left Take That,” Williams said it celebrates “a golden age for British music” channeling the spirit of 1990s bands such as Oasis and Elastica. Collaborations include Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes on the glam-stomp track “Cocky” and Gary Barlow, a former member of Take That, who appears on “Morrissey,” a song written from the viewpoint of a delusional stalker. Critical response has been generally favorable, with *The Guardian* calling the album “a wayward yet winning time-machine trip to the 90s,” awarding it four stars. *Rolling Stone* also gave it four stars, praising Williams’ “liberated” and “unrepentantly mad” delivery. Meanwhile, *NME* offered a more measured take, suggesting the album might not be “one to be remembered for,” but commending its boldness and the personal touch that defines Williams’ work.
Over his career, Robbie Williams now boasts a total of 21 number one albums, including his work with Take That, who also enjoyed chart-toppers with albums like *Everything Changes* and *Progress*. In the grand scheme, only Paul McCartney, with 23 number one albums under his belt, eclipses his total tally. Despite this achievement, Williams remains grounded, joking with his family about the milestone. “A couple of weeks ago, I was with my American in-laws,” he revealed to BBC News. “And I said, to my mother-in-law, ‘You know, Gwen, if I get the next number one album, I’ve had more number one albums than anyone ever.'” His daughter promptly corrected him under her breath: “‘In the UK’.” This lighthearted exchange underscores that despite setting new records, Williams keeps perspective and remains modest about his success
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