Honestly, I think he’s pretty happy. He never broke America. As a young teenager, I went to England in like 2003 2004 and discovered the album escapology. I became a huge fan. This little 13-year-old from LA was obsessed with this British guy and would go on forums and websites, anywhere I could listen or talk about him. I felt like he understood me but years later when I was about 17 or 18, I was in Brentwood. Which is a high-end suburb of LA and I was standing in Starbucks and Robbie walk in not a single person stopped what they were doing. Nobody bothered him. He had complete anonymity. A couple years after that, I ran into him again off rodeo Drive. We were both stuck waiting for our valet and I got to talk to him. I told him I’ve been a fan of his forever and my favorite album was escapology, he was literally so shocked. I told him we played nans song at my grandmas funeral and i think he honestly never got that in America.
@@JL0ndon His video for “Go Gentle” shows him parading down the streets of LA. A handful of people on the sidewalks seemed interested, but it’s hard to tell if they knew who he was or were just interested in the spectacle. Most people shown look just plain bewildered!
I feel like the guy in this video has watched Robbie Williams interviews because I have heard Robbie say many times that he moved to California because he could walk anywhere he wanted and no one would know who he is and he loved it. He then would say if he got on a plane and flew to London and got off it was like the Beatles arriving in America. Can you even imagine living a double life of sorts like that.
I honestly don’t understand the befuddlement of Americans when it comes to Robbie Williams not being famous in the U.S. There are countless American acts that were hugely popular in America that remained unheard of in the UK. K-pop is huge all over the world, and yet the British have never taken to it. Some artists strike a chord with one market, and not the other. Who cares?
My comment is in response to the many Americans who seem bewildered by the concept that someone like Robbie Williams can be an international superstar, selling tens of millions of records and have a big budget biopic made about his life without the need to be famous in the U.S.. Americans seem to be perplexed, and dare I say it, somewhat agitated by that fact.
Interesting. I've had the exact opposite reactions. TONS of brits completely shocked that Americans don't know him, and Americans just shrugging and being like yeah, the world is huge, do you know G.EM. Lata Mangeshkar? No? Ok.
@@ekaski1 Struggling to believe that quite frankly, have you not noticed the TONS of obnoxious videos by Americans regarding this subject in the last couple of weeks?
@@MarkSmith-sn5xjnaw man it goes both ways for sure. I asked who he was in a British Reddit page and they tried to crucify me saying "All Americans are stupid, ofc they don’t know who Robbie Williams is “ 😂😂😂 and I was generally just tryna understand more about the guy, cause I saw the movie trailer lol
I went to England like 10 years ago and dude… take that is so fucking famous there it’s insane. And like no one in America has ever heard of them. I had actually met one of the members and no one cares about that either so I like never even told anyone about it until I saw trailers for this movie 😂
In México he was God..😊he sold 100k stadiums 2 night foro sol ,Aztec stadium..the zocalo ones of the biggest public plaza of the world back then...we love him so much
A friend of mine from Mexico told me her favorite singer was Robin Williams . I said to her Robin Williams was a comedian actor she said no he is a singer finally she said Robbie Williams . I said I have no clue who he is .never heard of him in the USA 🇺🇸
You are on point almost entirely. I would make two corrections: Robbie did emulate and identify a pretty important American performer, Frank Sinatra and well all of the rat pack. But I’ll relent on that, in that most younger audiences couldn’t care less about them. So I will go with my gut here (as an American)… the context in which his career was built on. The boyband superstardom, the guy in the band least likely to succeed with the most insecurities. The rawness in which he exposed himself in his music, which only those “in the know” would have gotten. I think British fans (if not the press) were quite literally rooting for the dude, and his success and connection with the audience reflects that. There’s no way American fans would have that context unless they take the time to dive in. I’m thankful that I did, because I can’t think of another artist that has exposed themselves so rawly and regularly. Not even Taylor Swift
@@GREGORYABUTLER yes - but you see Robbie won the grudging respect of your granny and the music nerds by bringing Sinatra to his younger audience over here
Robbie was the underdog in Take That and British people love that. The band was built around Gary Barlow but their first top 5 single was one with Robbie vocals which changed things a bit. There was a whole rivalry between Gary and Robbie and it was expected that Gary would be the next George Michael. A lot of Robbie's songs are about Take That ("No Regrets" etc) which wouldn't be understood in America either
I'm not sure who specifically you are referring to when you say "America". as a citizen of said country, I myself and many others I meet have interest in other cultures and music from other cultures (not that the Brits over there are much different from us anyway, apart from an accent) so im not sure where your getting this idea from. Just because one certain artist never got big over here but did over there doesn't mean we are somehow cultural insular as you say. I listened to his music and i honestly dont like it that much (not saying its bad fyi) so it doesnt have much to do with culture if i just dont enjoy what im listening too.
Canada has a closer relationship with Britain but few ppl here know Robbie or Take That either. I’m sure there’s certain artists that are more popular in their home country than others.
How can you miss that his label compiled his first two alums into a compilation record called “the ego has landed” specifically to break into the US market. I was there and bought it. He also had a genuine hit here with the song Angels.
Also Rock DJ and Millenium were hits as well. His videos got a lot of airplay even on TRL back in the day. Don't know why there was such a drop off. Kyle Minogue also had 2 or 3 hits in the early 2000s but disappeared from American radio not long after that.
@@politefan8141 in Kylie’s case, turning down “Toxic” was her big mistake. Also Take That had a hit with “Back for good” in the states, so there was a slight awareness of who he was before the solo career
Yeah. They were playing catch-up to see if something would stick. Some of his ballads were moderate hits here, but not to the level elsewhere. Your average american may have known Rock DJ for the video, Millenium because of the Bond-esque aesthetics, or a genuine adult contemporary hit Angels.
I’m a 24 year old female in Phoenix Arizona and I’m obsessed with him and a lot of aspects of British culture. I totally understand why he’s not famous here. Everything you said is true
Escapology is nearly a masterpiece with perhaps just a couple of songs that are not necessarily bad, but the other songs in the album are so incredible that both end up not reaching the same level. Do yourself a favor and listen to this album, pay attention to the lyrics! Robbie (and his partnership with Guy Chambers) is a very talented artist. Plus: The song “Hot Fudge” does make fun of moving to the US.
Resume of the resume: Americans just consume products of other countries if those products fit the stereotype they have about those countries in question
What are you talking about? Your example of Robbie being in a boy band and then going on to making generic pop music "doesn't really make sense in the American music charts..." What about Justin timberlake or any other micky Mouse Club people. I'm Australian. We are kind of halfway between American and British influence. Robbie was and is still MASSIVE.
i'm american too, but i also lived in Europe when i was a youth, so i was there during Take That days and most of his solo days, so i couldnt escape it if i wanted to.
@@drrightwing4435 I didn't notice your name before. I just wanted you to know that you are a perfect example of how right wing people go on the internet and just purposely try to be negative and hateful. Clearly someone has hurt you at some point and I hope you get some help that you need and someone gives you a hug and you hopefully can stop hating the world like you do. Just because you're in a big group full of people that also hate so many things doesn't make it the right place to be. I once was part of a group full of nonsense fiction and I had to wake up one day and move on. I hope you do too.
I was thinking for a while that Robbie Williams is the British Justin Timberlake. Another similarity is that they both joined boy bands at a similar age (Williams was 15 and Timberlake was 14) and were the youngest members in their perspective groups. Such parallels.
He may be the biggest act in the Western World to fail at cracking the US (no top 40 singles/LPs). And as a Brit I get why. Like other UK acts like Blur, they wear their Britishness on their sleeves.
There are not many popstars who end up Clean after being that wasted Liam Payne from One Direction ended up Dead Rest his Soul when a band ended like the Spice Girls when Geri left they never made it after they went Solo has now got 15 number one LPs the same Record as the Beetles now time will tell how long he goes on for being famous is not forever. I was 16 when he was lived near where he grew up then times again going out and having fun in the 90s etc good times now we are getting older.
I remember "Millenium" being a hit here in the US. Most Americans are probably more familiar with Jessica Simpson's cover of "Angels" than with the original. Other than that, we've heard his songs in a few Pixar movies.
I remember going to karaoke with some British friends I met abroad, and someone played Angels and they all went crazy for it! And I was the single American person sitting there like... what is this?? lmao But ever since I've loved that song
No it's not. North America is one continent and South America is the other. Generally people refer to the US as America and have always done since radio was invented.
@@flightofthefatman 😂😂😂 tf u talking. US cit needs more geography. ES un continente. Y todos alrededor del mismo, excepto US no lo conocen. Caso complicado es de Canadá que solo revise algunas ciudades que lo buscan de manera histórica.
America is the colloquial name for The United States of America. Her citizens are called Americans. Geologically speaking North America and South America are one land mass but politically and culturally they’re different.
@@midskater69420 American fans have often embraced British music. Beatles, Stones, The Who, Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Queen, etc. Then the 2nd British invasion in the 80s with new wave and alternative, too many to even name them all, then think of One Direction, Adele, it’s a long list. So timing is huge, American fans from the early 90s through the early 2000s were not into much British music, and that time coincides with Take That and Robbie’s greatest stardom. A few years earlier or later he probably would have fared better here.
I once read that "Let Me Entertain You" was meant to be the big song in the Glee Pilot, but that was changed to "Don't Stop Believing". Not sure how true that is, but if this had happened, Robbie may have been able to get a foothold in the States. Also, here's a suggestion for a similar video: "Why Pink Is So Popular In Australia"
I was in a Borders bookstore in the USA in January 2003 and I heard Robbie William's then-new song "Feel" playing in the store. So yes, his stuff has been heard in the US.
he had minor successess here with mostly his ballads being a hit here and there, but he and his label never really put much time and effort into making him a thing here.
I vaguely remember him being portrayed as a “bad boy”. He never caught on here but I am aware of him and I still can’t recall a single Take That or Robbie Williams song.
I remember how hard his record label and the music media tried so hard to make this guy happen in the US and it just never clicked. They were comparing him to Elton John!
I think most millennials here in the states who grew up watching TRL probably are somewhat familiar with Robbie. He was played on there quite a bit. I was around 9 years old then and always remembered him and as an adult I’m a fan. Not breaking America probably saved his life though. The British press and paparazzi were absolutely horrible to him back then. Having anonymity here in the states was a weight off his shoulders.
Yes as a millennial who grew up watching TRL every single day after school we're only familiar with Rock DJ where he's stripping off his clothes and then his skin and then muscles. Unforgettable music video for sure. But that was just one song that they played by robbie Williams and the only one that most of us Americans know but that was over 20 years ago i doubt most millennials would associate that with robbie. The song may be Unforgettable but I don't think people are still having that song or Robbie's name on their lips decades later. If the music video is shown then I think people would remember but that's it.
Do you think he's talking about Robin Williams? Robbie Williams was not on the radio/mtv or on tour in the States. 99% of Americans never heard of him.
No lie, I had no idea who he was, but I have the AMC a list and every time I would go to the movies and I would see the better man trailer, still didn't get it but after seeing the damn thing play every single time it hooked me and went down the Robbie William's rabbit hole and love his music now lol . The movie was great as well, Feel, Better Man, Angels ...etc
I remember hearing his version of "Beyond the Sea" during the end credits of Finding Nemo. A few years later I found out in the Guinness Book of World Records that he was very popular in Latin America.
Ah, thank you. Thank you Thank you Thank you! For all of the American 'Who is Robbie Williams' and 'Why does this guy have a feature film released here' you are the first who actually seems to have done ANY amount of research into who is was, is, and the reasons you state on why he's not famous here are right on. THANK YOU for showing others in the world that there are still intelligent Americans out there and not just obnoxious a-holes who say crap for clicks. I lived in Australia in the early '00's and was fortunate to have known him when he was huge before moving back to the States. Because of that I missed out on the last 15 years of his still impressive career. Finally he's back into my world and I'm so happy for it and got right back in to loving him. I've been seriously embarrassed by what I've seen online from U.S. RUclipsrs- so for what it's worth, thank you this analysis- restored my faith in this country a bit. :)
Crazy how, here in the States literally NOBODY knows who he is. We’re out here (been a fan since ‘99 because my brother’s band toured Europe and he came back with “I’ve Been Expecting You” - which wasn’t even released in the US). I bet all the American fans could pack out a football stadium. But just one - lets do it here in Nashville ;) For those outside the US - you gotta remember just how MASSIVE this country is. We had some friends visiting from Wales and I figured out, our state of Tennessee could for FIVE counties of Wales. And we’re just an average sized state!
His name was too similar to Robyn Williams which made me, an American, uncomfortable. It just felt like Robbie was treading on sacred ground. Having said that, it is interesting that UK/European and American cultures are so different that someone like Robbie Williams can exist and I think a lot of American’s are finding that fascinating with the release of the movie.
I am Gen X (Robbie's generation). I am a Robbie fan since the 90's, a Justin Timberlake fan since the mid-2000's and a Harry Styles fan since 2017. I have a thing for former boy bands members going solo and doing the kind of music I like, the soft rock mixed with pop that you talked about. But hey, I am from Argentina, not the States, I can tell you Robbie is ultra famous here in South America since forever. He's even more famous than Justin T. who is coming to play here next year for the first time in his long career. I agree with your reasons why Robbie never broke America. He did not want to. He escaped UK press and hid in the only part of the world where no one would know him. He married an American. Now he feels he's a stranger in his adoptive country and that's why he's doing so much press for this movie. Now at 50, he really wants Americans to find out how talented he is. But timing was never on his side as you said.
Angels was the only song of his I heard being a teen in the nineties. His name recently caught my eye for his 15th #1 album, tying the fab four, so I had to dive into who the heck this guy is and where has he been. Got to admit that it must be nice to be rich, white & famous the world over and wildly unknown in the USA. I imagine he calls the US home just for that reason.
I feel if he wanted to have broken into america, they could have done it. They had to frame him a little differently perhaps, but i still think he could have dominated the adult contemporary market (rather than youth that he had a hold of). Specifically the "I've Been Expecting You" and "Sing When Your Winning" album eras.
@@thelifeprofessorchannelyour analysis is overall great! I’m a longtime Canadian Robbie fan since the Escapology album. Even though I was born in Europe and maintain a connection there I for all intents and purposes still initially discovered Robbie through American sources-one of those brief early 2000s promo pushes. I feel like in the late 90s neither his label’s marketing department nor Robbie were fully committed to breaking him Stateside…which likely would have entailed major compromises to his image, look, sound, behaviour that might have ended up stifling his unique playfully rogue-ish charm and even possibly stymied the dizzying heights he went on to achieve in the UK, Europe, Australia…etc. I think in the end all parties got the ‘right’ outcome. That said-in these discourses…Robbie could stand to either really embrace and lean into his ‘infamous for not being famous in America’ rep and make a documentary (or reality show) about that or just put all that talk behind him and embrace touring the US (or periodically playing Vegas) as a niche artist. Not everyone in pop plays stadiums and theatre level is perfectly fine. Plus everyone is always leaving out the relatively sizeable population of European/Latin American immigrants (as well as British/Aussie expats) living in America that have Spanish Language Euro Latin artists like Eros Ramazzotti and Laura Pausini successfully, repeatedly touring arenas in the States with next to no fanfare, marketing or attention beyond that Spanish target market…right under the noses of the mainstream anglosphere. Robbie could do alright touring the US as a low key performer for the ‘immigrants’-leave the media and true blue English-speaking Americans out of it and completely drop the ego😉😉
Probably the main reason is that he was popular in the places that Take That did well in, like their home country, UK and Australia, etc...Take That didn't break into the US, so he was already on the back foot, after that...100 % about not aligning with the trends in the US, too...
English artists do make it in America, it's not impossible. I mean didn't Elton John, Sade, Phil Collins, Lisa Stansfield, Oasis, and The Spice Girls all become popular here? Even some British Hip-hop make it through. Robbie was just not likeable for American audiences for some reason. I also think his label probably deserves some of the blame too. Cause i faintly remember them trying to push him stateside in the early 00s.
How did you all forget THE BEATLES?? They're the first band that ushered in the whole "British invasion" phrase that's been going decades strong. The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, Fleetwood Mac, Ozzy Osborne, Muse, Amy Winehouse, The Who, Seal, Eric Clapton, Coldplay, Dua Lipa, One Direction etc etc etc "it's not impossible"? Lol they became literally half of the American soundtrack! 😂
Slick rick, mf doom, 21 savage... Us really loves a British rock group. Zeppelin, sabbath, definitely leopard, the who, the clash,.. Its a really long list
I feel like he’s getting a lot of harsh comments only because he’s not well known in US. :( I grew up listening his music and I’m from Mexico, even Yuridia, a national singer, has a very popular cover of his song “Angels” in spanish.
I like Robbie Williams from that Millennium song. I just found out from this video that he was in a boy band. It’s kinda cool, he could’ve lived here in America and been left alone.
Two words: Self deprecation. It's a concept that never made it to the States, whereas it's a big virtue in the UK. The things that confused American audiences were basically R. William's self deprecating creativity and sense of humour. "I made it big but I'm still a cheeky chap from a working class family in a small town" attitude. His attempts to Americanise himself by singing Sinatra songs just didn't go down well. Europe and Asia loved him for who he really was.
What does that have to do with self deprication…? Per your example I quotations you could same the same thing about the strokes. You could always hate on them as equally. Because they’re both just being corny acting like they are phased by fame and just fellas having a good time! With no worries.
Who cares if Americans from United States don't know about this guy. The rest of the continent and all around the world are die hard fans of his music. Greetings from Colombia South America!
The comparison between Robbie & Timberlake doesn't necessarily stands. In Europe Robbie was huge but Timberlake was also very successful. We could say that in Europe we didn't need Timberlake as we already had Robbie. The thing is that European audience is more open and the market more multi sound oriented. Not so in America, at least from one point on (used to be up to the early 90s).
Soft poppy rock is the most insanely boring genre, America has room there for Bowie but that's about it. Massive Attack were/are decently big in the US because they're at least musically interesting.
The global perception of America is that it’s always been a very insular society. By and large Americans only know about America. You can explain things til the cows come home, but that’s the basis to all this, and this is further proof in no uncertain terms. In the UK, Robbie has even outsold Elvis, one of the all time global greats.
I was in theaters seeing Wicked when a trailer for his biopic came on. Most people’s reaction was confusion/baffling to “who the f is this dude??” So yeah, Americans still don’t know or care who Robbie Williams is even with a biopic pushed in our faces. I honestly don’t think it’ll do too well here even if the film is well received critically. Most Americans aren’t gonna spend their hard earned cash to go to the theaters to watch a biopic about a dude they’ve never heard of from a different country who’s had next to no effect on *their* pop culture landscape. Also, how’s it nominated for an Oscar already when the film hasn’t even come out yet 😂
The American subsidiary of Robbie’s UK label did try to break Robbie in the States. For the US Market Capitol Records released a compilation album of songs from Robbie’s first two UK albums and titled it The Ego Has Landed. The album and its lead single Millennium was promoted heavily with Robbie making appearances on US television to promote it. Robbie also played a series of industry “showcases” in some of the smallest venues in LA and NYC. I was fortunate enough to go to the LA showcase. I couldn’t believe that an artist that was selling out stadiums in the UK and Europe was playing in a 2000 capacity club and charged $15 for tickets. The show was beyond amazing. Robbie’s next two releases Sing When You’re Winning and Escapology received US releases and promotion but didn’t achieve the sales levels he was getting overseas. At this point he was beyond MASSIVE everywhere in the world but the USA. The fame and lack of privacy was suffocating him. It’s rumored that for his health and well being, Robbie made the decision to stop all future releases and promotions in the USA so that he could live a normal life. His only US performances happen when he’s playing a residency in Las Vegas.
The Arctic Monkeys were MASSIVE in the UK before they started to try and make it in the US, I mean they could easily sell out stadiums every album went to number one but when they started trying to make it in the US they were some other bands opening act. It paid off for them in the end but it has to be humbling to go from the top to just another act.
Many big names in America (JayZ, Kanye, Drake...) are very niche artists in Europe. I'm always shocked to see how many millions of listeners have on Spotify where they would sell no gig in my home country😂
*on the note of Americans, not understanding references to Vaudeville or lounge singing as you would put it: I would say part of the issue is due to the deteriorating American educational system because those art forms of entertainment came from African-Americans throughout slavery, civil war, post slavery and through the world war the 40s 50s 60s you name it, but because America is not properly taught its history in a linear fashion between cause-and-effect. These things are left like gaps whereas I might assume the Brits understand the connectivity of things a bit better or more thoroughly and someone like Robbie Williams floats within that.
Not sure if it’s a commonwealth thing but we did get a lot of Robbie Williams during his heyday in Canada. Some absolute classic tunes, I would recommend Americans check it out
I get all this, Robbie just did what he felt was right so I think the stars aligned for him that was so he can have somewhere where he wouldn’t get hounded, and yeah it’s a good mix. What I don’t agree with is when you say he does middle of the road pop music that Americans just don’t like. You have a lot of middle of the road pop musicians over there that have been big. But, music is subjective, you like what you like, there’s no right or wrong way in music.
I grew in socal so KROQ and 91x were big. U2 toured like crazy to make it. I had a friend that talked about Robbie and I was like. WHO? This is from somebody I love Pulp, Blur, Verve, The Smiths.
Robbie is not predictable. He will say whatever he is thinking at the moment and question everything. He will curse and talk about sex and drugs. While his music is very mainstream, it is often subversive in content. He doesn't play by the rules. People with his personality traits are normally comedians, not singers. I can think of plenty of British singers like him, but, as far as American, I can't think of any.
multiple different rappers i could name for sure, why do you think having a charismatic person is exclusive to you guys? he didnt get big over here, so what? you all seem pretty hung up on the fact that only a small amount of people from the US know him, why? music is subjective bro not everyone is gonna like something just because yall over there enjoy it
Im from South America and Robbie as Jamiroquia and other European celebrities are huge down here. We obviously don’t have same culture and is far away from how close America and Uk culture are. Still they where huge down here.
I got into a comments row here a few years ago about Robie. The video was american and taking about boybands mainy bsb and Nsync. Someone said in the comments that Robbie "faded away" and was never big. And i was like wtf you on about he like has x amount of no 1s and sold 75 million records. And the person was "oh he didnt make it in america so doesnt count" 🙄 🤨
Well, most Americans of different backgrounds, just didn’t care about English people. Remember David Beckham? He was supposed to make the MLS big in the states, he even won the cup his first year. No one gave a fuck 😂
Your line of reasoning makes plenty of sense. Just as a side note, I do think there was label support as regards US promo - otherwise they wouldn't have bothered releasing 'The Ego Has Landed'! They did give up fairly quickly, though... and I'm glad they did as Robbie needed a place where he could seek solace and disconnect from his pop star lifestyle. I'd love for you to look into Anastacia's case as it's pretty much the absolute opposite: she fell into oblivion in the US after album #1, yet remains widely known in Europe, with some of her biggest songs coming out years later. If there's a surefire formula, we're still far from cracking it...
I was feeling down today and looked randomly to see what was playing. Whatever it was I was gonna see just to take my mind off of life. OMG I LOVED IT THOUGH IT WAS GREAT LOL I LOVED THE MONKEY CHOICE... I don't know why
People in America have crap taste. They make people like Bieber, Britney, and Swift huge. I knew of Robbie back in 1995 with Take That. When I heard he was releasing a solo album I had that ordered in minutes (because of dial up internet) nothing took seconds back then. See for most people they tend to only listen to what's played over and over and over again on their local radio stations. So if an artist doesn't have a record deal in America back before internet took off, you most likely would never hear them. When they did finally release his album in the states, there was too much competition and most of the male soloists were doing more R&B /hip hop music. He didn't really fit in. There also wasn't huge promotion because for one he was already huge all over the rest of the world and after the first couple singles pushed didn't make any dent they didn't see the purpose on spending so much money and having it fail harder. It was all about the right place and time and America was having and has since had crap taste in music for most of the last 20+ years.
I tried listening to Robbie on spotify recently and he just sounds... boring. I listen to a decent bit of music from Britain like Massive Attack, the KLF, Alien Sex Fiend, Fields of the Nephilim, Super Furry Animals, Coil, but if they played Robbie on a top 40 station and I heard it - it'd just be super forgettable.
I was one of those American idiots (I guess?) in the late 90s who bought his solo album and got this shtick and liked it. I also loved Pet Shop Boys and 007 so I guess it made sense. But yeah, most people I knew didn’t know who I was talking about if I was talking about Robbie Williams or St Etienne or a whole host of other bands.
THE major reason he never broke America , Robbie is sarcastic doesn't take himself seriously and likes to take the piss out of himself and others , Americans do not get that type of humour or that type of personality .
In 2002, my Lithuanian cousin came to New York for school. He brought his Ego has Landed cd. It was fine but mostly interesting in how it could be a worldwide hit but no reason to care about it in New York. Curious.
Hes one of many artist who didn't become famous in your country Madness,slade and status Quo were also massive here and unknown but then again Sweedish titans Abba only got famous stateside after Mama Mia came out in the cinemas
I wonder if Robbie would consider doing a gig in Las Vegas. Kylie Minogue is another pop star who never really got exposure in the USA but she did do Las Vegas successfully.
I'm English, I love mostly Rock music. I hate anything machine -manufactured and pop music like most of the time... but I've always had undeniable big respect for Robbie Williams. Shamelessly I must admit, what a talent, what a VOICE. A rock star trapped in a 'pop star's body' 🤣
there's LOTS of major UK acts that never broke America like Manic Street Preachers. I think a lot of acts get big by catching a cultural moment like a surfer catches just that right rip curl wave at just the right time. Being esoterically UK didn't stop Oasis from blowing up in America. Maybe if the Spice Girls come out 2-3 years earlier, they're still big in the UK, but maybe barely crack the US like All Saints. For all the reason mentioned above that Robbie didn't make, he could have made it big given the right timing.
Funny enough, I heard of Manic Street Preachers and Super Furry Animals years ago - even saw SFA in concert in Portland. Hadn't heard of Robbie until this video came out 😂
He was just too cheeky, funny and real for Americans. Just take a look at the kind of people that actually is successful in America. Products type of artists, people like Britney Spears or Justin Timberlake…. It’s a shame because he is one of the biggest pop stars ever.
@@1stIParkMyCar agreed, as the "american" she's referring to, i listened to some of his music and didnt really enjoy any of it that much. some of these people in the comment need to stop acting like its our fault he never got big here. Its just how it goes, it didnt work out over here, who cares? If you like it fine if you dont fine its music
Also X-Japan would make a good video about why they're the biggest rock band in the world, except in America. But J-Metal has actually been making a lot of inroads recently.
Every time something out there comes out, a lot of the audience is going to reject it. Openness is not that common. That's why the pre-digested infinite sequels sell.
Dude, you calling it butt rock just made me feel so understood! I have been calling that kind of music butt rock for so long, and no one ever understood what I meant. And you can't explain it, it just is butt rock.
Honestly, I think he’s pretty happy. He never broke America. As a young teenager, I went to England in like 2003 2004 and discovered the album escapology. I became a huge fan. This little 13-year-old from LA was obsessed with this British guy and would go on forums and websites, anywhere I could listen or talk about him. I felt like he understood me but years later when I was about 17 or 18, I was in Brentwood. Which is a high-end suburb of LA and I was standing in Starbucks and Robbie walk in not a single person stopped what they were doing. Nobody bothered him. He had complete anonymity. A couple years after that, I ran into him again off rodeo Drive. We were both stuck waiting for our valet and I got to talk to him. I told him I’ve been a fan of his forever and my favorite album was escapology, he was literally so shocked. I told him we played nans song at my grandmas funeral and i think he honestly never got that in America.
@@JL0ndon His video for “Go Gentle” shows him parading down the streets of LA. A handful of people on the sidewalks seemed interested, but it’s hard to tell if they knew who he was or were just interested in the spectacle. Most people shown look just plain bewildered!
Why he sucks?
@ what are you even asking?
I feel like the guy in this video has watched Robbie Williams interviews because I have heard Robbie say many times that he moved to California because he could walk anywhere he wanted and no one would know who he is and he loved it. He then would say if he got on a plane and flew to London and got off it was like the Beatles arriving in America. Can you even imagine living a double life of sorts like that.
Yeah Johnny Depp said he loved that about France, that he could just live an ordinary life and nobody knows who he is
Very normal comment, but I hope he's relaxing in California.
I honestly don’t understand the befuddlement of Americans when it comes to Robbie Williams not being famous in the U.S. There are countless American acts that were hugely popular in America that remained unheard of in the UK. K-pop is huge all over the world, and yet the British have never taken to it. Some artists strike a chord with one market, and not the other. Who cares?
who are you talking to? most people understand this its not a hard concept
My comment is in response to the many Americans who seem bewildered by the concept that someone like Robbie Williams can be an international superstar, selling tens of millions of records and have a big budget biopic made about his life without the need to be famous in the U.S.. Americans seem to be perplexed, and dare I say it, somewhat agitated by that fact.
Interesting. I've had the exact opposite reactions. TONS of brits completely shocked that Americans don't know him, and Americans just shrugging and being like yeah, the world is huge, do you know G.EM. Lata Mangeshkar? No? Ok.
@@ekaski1 Struggling to believe that quite frankly, have you not noticed the TONS of obnoxious videos by Americans regarding this subject in the last couple of weeks?
@@MarkSmith-sn5xjnaw man it goes both ways for sure. I asked who he was in a British Reddit page and they tried to crucify me saying "All Americans are stupid, ofc they don’t know who Robbie Williams is “ 😂😂😂 and I was generally just tryna understand more about the guy, cause I saw the movie trailer lol
I went to England like 10 years ago and dude… take that is so fucking famous there it’s insane. And like no one in America has ever heard of them. I had actually met one of the members and no one cares about that either so I like never even told anyone about it until I saw trailers for this movie 😂
😂😂😂
Wow, I'm actually shocked he wasn't big in america. He was fucking huge in europe.
He was also big in Asia. His music was everywhere when I was growing up
It is quite surprising when you look into it.
He was massive in Australia too. When he came here he was doing stadium tours.
In México he was God..😊he sold 100k stadiums 2 night foro sol ,Aztec stadium..the zocalo ones of the biggest public plaza of the world back then...we love him so much
Same with scooter
This electronic band fucking massive outside of usa. But in states.....
A friend of mine from Mexico told me her favorite singer was Robin Williams . I said to her Robin Williams was a comedian actor she said no he is a singer finally she said Robbie Williams . I said I have no clue who he is .never heard of him in the USA 🇺🇸
It was very confusing of pronounce the name right. Williams is noticeable
You are on point almost entirely. I would make two corrections: Robbie did emulate and identify a pretty important American performer, Frank Sinatra and well all of the rat pack. But I’ll relent on that, in that most younger audiences couldn’t care less about them. So I will go with my gut here (as an American)… the context in which his career was built on. The boyband superstardom, the guy in the band least likely to succeed with the most insecurities. The rawness in which he exposed himself in his music, which only those “in the know” would have gotten. I think British fans (if not the press) were quite literally rooting for the dude, and his success and connection with the audience reflects that. There’s no way American fans would have that context unless they take the time to dive in. I’m thankful that I did, because I can’t think of another artist that has exposed themselves so rawly and regularly. Not even Taylor Swift
Excellent points!
Sinatra is irrelevant to anybody under 80 who isn't a music nerd
@@GREGORYABUTLER yes - but you see Robbie won the grudging respect of your granny and the music nerds by bringing Sinatra to his younger audience over here
I don't know about the Sinatra point because I remember a trend of seasoned American pop and rock artists covering Old American Standard songs.
@@GREGORYABUTLERain’t no way that’s true. I’ve loved Sinatra all my life and I’m 26
You look like Andrew Tate if he was loved by his parents
😂😂😂
Or, if he had far less testosterone (no offence).
Ha that’s excellent 😂
lol 😂
Robbie was the underdog in Take That and British people love that. The band was built around Gary Barlow but their first top 5 single was one with Robbie vocals which changed things a bit. There was a whole rivalry between Gary and Robbie and it was expected that Gary would be the next George Michael. A lot of Robbie's songs are about Take That ("No Regrets" etc) which wouldn't be understood in America either
I’m American and I remember the song “Back For Good” and the music video.
@@AmandaFromWisconsinAmerican too and I think that's the only Take That song I know from them.
But the music is just not good. Vocally or Lyrically.
@@oscarbravo5529 Take That or Robbie?
Who tf is Take that? 😂
I’ll never forget being a kid and watching the Rock DJ music video and being freaked tf out. Loved that song ever since.
It’s a music video to remember for sure!
The uncut version the video is unreal .. not the polarised cut version that’s crap .
Point #4 - America exports so much of its culture but is extremely insular when it comes to a cultural exchange.
This is very true!
Ownyourcrazy.
I know! So few British bands have ever made it big in America!
Give your head a shake!
That's a whole other can of worms that can be dissected. Iykyk
I'm not sure who specifically you are referring to when you say "America". as a citizen of said country, I myself and many others I meet have interest in other cultures and music from other cultures (not that the Brits over there are much different from us anyway, apart from an accent) so im not sure where your getting this idea from. Just because one certain artist never got big over here but did over there doesn't mean we are somehow cultural insular as you say. I listened to his music and i honestly dont like it that much (not saying its bad fyi) so it doesnt have much to do with culture if i just dont enjoy what im listening too.
How do you explain how big anime is then? seriously ?
Canada has a closer relationship with Britain but few ppl here know Robbie or Take That either.
I’m sure there’s certain artists that are more popular in their home country than others.
How can you miss that his label compiled his first two alums into a compilation record called “the ego has landed” specifically to break into the US market. I was there and bought it. He also had a genuine hit here with the song Angels.
Also Rock DJ and Millenium were hits as well. His videos got a lot of airplay even on TRL back in the day. Don't know why there was such a drop off. Kyle Minogue also had 2 or 3 hits in the early 2000s but disappeared from American radio not long after that.
@@politefan8141 in Kylie’s case, turning down “Toxic” was her big mistake. Also Take That had a hit with “Back for good” in the states, so there was a slight awareness of who he was before the solo career
That was a great title too! 😅
They did - but that was kind of a mistake, because he evolved his sound between albums and compiling them like that produced an odd record.
Yeah. They were playing catch-up to see if something would stick. Some of his ballads were moderate hits here, but not to the level elsewhere. Your average american may have known Rock DJ for the video, Millenium because of the Bond-esque aesthetics, or a genuine adult contemporary hit Angels.
I’m a 24 year old female in Phoenix Arizona and I’m obsessed with him and a lot of aspects of British culture. I totally understand why he’s not famous here. Everything you said is true
Omg I'm 24, and I like Robbie williams too! I also like Take That!
Escapology is nearly a masterpiece with perhaps just a couple of songs that are not necessarily bad, but the other songs in the album are so incredible that both end up not reaching the same level. Do yourself a favor and listen to this album, pay attention to the lyrics! Robbie (and his partnership with Guy Chambers) is a very talented artist.
Plus: The song “Hot Fudge” does make fun of moving to the US.
I’ll have to listen to Hot Fudge!
Resume of the resume: Americans just consume products of other countries if those products fit the stereotype they have about those countries in question
You don't know shit about America and Americans. Let's keep it that way.
@AnakinSkywalkersRUclipschannel hahaha, i know enough. More that you know about the world. Let's keep it that way
What are you talking about? Your example of Robbie being in a boy band and then going on to making generic pop music "doesn't really make sense in the American music charts..." What about Justin timberlake or any other micky Mouse Club people. I'm Australian. We are kind of halfway between American and British influence. Robbie was and is still MASSIVE.
I've been a fan of Robbie for decades and I'm an American. We do exist. 😃
i'm american too, but i also lived in Europe when i was a youth, so i was there during Take That days and most of his solo days, so i couldnt escape it if i wanted to.
You’re actually admitting that? lol
@@drrightwing4435 hmm?
@@drrightwing4435 Yes
@@drrightwing4435 I didn't notice your name before. I just wanted you to know that you are a perfect example of how right wing people go on the internet and just purposely try to be negative and hateful. Clearly someone has hurt you at some point and I hope you get some help that you need and someone gives you a hug and you hopefully can stop hating the world like you do. Just because you're in a big group full of people that also hate so many things doesn't make it the right place to be. I once was part of a group full of nonsense fiction and I had to wake up one day and move on. I hope you do too.
I was thinking for a while that Robbie Williams is the British Justin Timberlake. Another similarity is that they both joined boy bands at a similar age (Williams was 15 and Timberlake was 14) and were the youngest members in their perspective groups.
Such parallels.
He may be the biggest act in the Western World to fail at cracking the US (no top 40 singles/LPs). And as a Brit I get why. Like other UK acts like Blur, they wear their Britishness on their sleeves.
I’m English and had no idea he was this successful. I know he had a couple big tune but, woah.
I learned about Robbie Williams because of MTV2 in the early 2000's, and went out to buy _The Ego Has Landed._ That's still one of my favorite albums.
He has been well known in Brazil for the last 20 years.
The man made his mark he got famous enough he fought his demons leave him alone.
There are not many popstars who end up Clean after being that wasted Liam Payne from One Direction ended up Dead Rest his Soul when a band ended like the Spice Girls when Geri left they never made it after they went Solo has now got 15 number one LPs the same Record as the Beetles now time will tell how long he goes on for being famous is not forever. I was 16 when he was lived near where he grew up then times again going out and having fun in the 90s etc good times now we are getting older.
I remember "Millenium" being a hit here in the US.
Most Americans are probably more familiar with Jessica Simpson's cover of "Angels" than with the original.
Other than that, we've heard his songs in a few Pixar movies.
He never got above 53 in the American charts, that was with Angels.
I remember going to karaoke with some British friends I met abroad, and someone played Angels and they all went crazy for it! And I was the single American person sitting there like... what is this?? lmao But ever since I've loved that song
I do like the song!
America is a continent. Robbie was HUGE in Argentina, for example
No it's not. North America is one continent and South America is the other. Generally people refer to the US as America and have always done since radio was invented.
@@flightofthefatman 😂😂😂 tf u talking. US cit needs more geography. ES un continente. Y todos alrededor del mismo, excepto US no lo conocen. Caso complicado es de Canadá que solo revise algunas ciudades que lo buscan de manera histórica.
@@flightofthefatmanEven if you were right, then say NORTH America. America is 30+ countries whether you like it or not.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
America is the colloquial name for The United States of America. Her citizens are called Americans. Geologically speaking North America and South America are one land mass but politically and culturally they’re different.
americans just forget the rest of the world exists at all
i bet most americans think the beatles were american
and now im dumber for watching this video
@@midskater69420 American fans have often embraced British music. Beatles, Stones, The Who, Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Queen, etc. Then the 2nd British invasion in the 80s with new wave and alternative, too many to even name them all, then think of One Direction, Adele, it’s a long list. So timing is huge, American fans from the early 90s through the early 2000s were not into much British music, and that time coincides with Take That and Robbie’s greatest stardom. A few years earlier or later he probably would have fared better here.
Except not really
We are a product of the best of the best of the rest of the world
We love British music that's actually good
This guy... is NOT
@@midskater69420 WRONG
We all know they're British guys from Liverpool
Try again
I once read that "Let Me Entertain You" was meant to be the big song in the Glee Pilot, but that was changed to "Don't Stop Believing". Not sure how true that is, but if this had happened, Robbie may have been able to get a foothold in the States.
Also, here's a suggestion for a similar video: "Why Pink Is So Popular In Australia"
Thanks for the suggestion!
@@thelifeprofessorchannellet me entertain you is a queen song.
I was in a Borders bookstore in the USA in January 2003 and I heard Robbie William's then-new song "Feel" playing in the store. So yes, his stuff has been heard in the US.
he had minor successess here with mostly his ballads being a hit here and there, but he and his label never really put much time and effort into making him a thing here.
I vaguely remember him being portrayed as a “bad boy”. He never caught on here but I am aware of him and I still can’t recall a single Take That or Robbie Williams song.
It is truly bizarre how little star power he has in the states
@@thelifeprofessorchannel not really.
Rock DJ is the only Robbie Williams song I associate with him to this day and it came out like over 20 years ago!
I remember how hard his record label and the music media tried so hard to make this guy happen in the US and it just never clicked. They were comparing him to Elton John!
A cheap version of Elton
Love Robbie!! As an American I’ve been following him since 1999-2000
Oh wow! It’s impressive that you actually know who he is!
Americans don’t understand the cheeky chappie underdog character.
I find it pretty obnoxious!
I’m American and fairly intelligent. I’ve no idea what that means.
"Cheeky chappie" wtf does this mean 😂
I think most millennials here in the states who grew up watching TRL probably are somewhat familiar with Robbie. He was played on there quite a bit. I was around 9 years old then and always remembered him and as an adult I’m a fan. Not breaking America probably saved his life though. The British press and paparazzi were absolutely horrible to him back then. Having anonymity here in the states was a weight off his shoulders.
I agree, I think it’s likely refreshing to have a place you are not famous in.
Yes as a millennial who grew up watching TRL every single day after school we're only familiar with Rock DJ where he's stripping off his clothes and then his skin and then muscles. Unforgettable music video for sure. But that was just one song that they played by robbie Williams and the only one that most of us Americans know but that was over 20 years ago i doubt most millennials would associate that with robbie. The song may be Unforgettable but I don't think people are still having that song or Robbie's name on their lips decades later. If the music video is shown then I think people would remember but that's it.
What?
I've lived my entire 41 years in the US and he was definitely popular here for a while.
Do you think he's talking about Robin Williams? Robbie Williams was not on the radio/mtv or on tour in the States. 99% of Americans never heard of him.
@johnferris9970 he was in the charts and recieved airtime.
He didn't quite make top 40.
53 inbthe charts was his best with angels
No lie, I had no idea who he was, but I have the AMC a list and every time I would go to the movies and I would see the better man trailer, still didn't get it but after seeing the damn thing play every single time it hooked me and went down the Robbie William's rabbit hole and love his music now lol . The movie was great as well, Feel, Better Man, Angels ...etc
I remember hearing his version of "Beyond the Sea" during the end credits of Finding Nemo. A few years later I found out in the Guinness Book of World Records that he was very popular in Latin America.
Ah, thank you. Thank you Thank you Thank you! For all of the American 'Who is Robbie Williams' and 'Why does this guy have a feature film released here' you are the first who actually seems to have done ANY amount of research into who is was, is, and the reasons you state on why he's not famous here are right on. THANK YOU for showing others in the world that there are still intelligent Americans out there and not just obnoxious a-holes who say crap for clicks. I lived in Australia in the early '00's and was fortunate to have known him when he was huge before moving back to the States. Because of that I missed out on the last 15 years of his still impressive career. Finally he's back into my world and I'm so happy for it and got right back in to loving him. I've been seriously embarrassed by what I've seen online from U.S. RUclipsrs- so for what it's worth, thank you this analysis- restored my faith in this country a bit. :)
Haha thanks!
Crazy how, here in the States literally NOBODY knows who he is. We’re out here (been a fan since ‘99 because my brother’s band toured Europe and he came back with “I’ve Been Expecting You” - which wasn’t even released in the US). I bet all the American fans could pack out a football stadium. But just one - lets do it here in Nashville ;)
For those outside the US - you gotta remember just how MASSIVE this country is. We had some friends visiting from Wales and I figured out, our state of Tennessee could for FIVE counties of Wales. And we’re just an average sized state!
Definitely still better than anything in the Pop genre that was put out since the last 10 years
His name was too similar to Robyn Williams which made me, an American, uncomfortable. It just felt like Robbie was treading on sacred ground. Having said that, it is interesting that UK/European and American cultures are so different that someone like Robbie Williams can exist and I think a lot of American’s are finding that fascinating with the release of the movie.
It was kind of a let down
I am Gen X (Robbie's generation). I am a Robbie fan since the 90's, a Justin Timberlake fan since the mid-2000's and a Harry Styles fan since 2017. I have a thing for former boy bands members going solo and doing the kind of music I like, the soft rock mixed with pop that you talked about. But hey, I am from Argentina, not the States, I can tell you Robbie is ultra famous here in South America since forever. He's even more famous than Justin T. who is coming to play here next year for the first time in his long career. I agree with your reasons why Robbie never broke America. He did not want to. He escaped UK press and hid in the only part of the world where no one would know him. He married an American. Now he feels he's a stranger in his adoptive country and that's why he's doing so much press for this movie. Now at 50, he really wants Americans to find out how talented he is. But timing was never on his side as you said.
Angels was the only song of his I heard being a teen in the nineties. His name recently caught my eye for his 15th #1 album, tying the fab four, so I had to dive into who the heck this guy is and where has he been. Got to admit that it must be nice to be rich, white & famous the world over and wildly unknown in the USA. I imagine he calls the US home just for that reason.
I feel if he wanted to have broken into america, they could have done it. They had to frame him a little differently perhaps, but i still think he could have dominated the adult contemporary market (rather than youth that he had a hold of). Specifically the "I've Been Expecting You" and "Sing When Your Winning" album eras.
I agree, I think if he had been framed correctly it would have been different.
@@thelifeprofessorchannelyour analysis is overall great! I’m a longtime Canadian Robbie fan since the Escapology album. Even though I was born in Europe and maintain a connection there I for all intents and purposes still initially discovered Robbie through American sources-one of those brief early 2000s promo pushes. I feel like in the late 90s neither his label’s marketing department nor Robbie were fully committed to breaking him Stateside…which likely would have entailed major compromises to his image, look, sound, behaviour that might have ended up stifling his unique playfully rogue-ish charm and even possibly stymied the dizzying heights he went on to achieve in the UK, Europe, Australia…etc. I think in the end all parties got the ‘right’ outcome.
That said-in these discourses…Robbie could stand to either really embrace and lean into his ‘infamous for not being famous in America’ rep and make a documentary (or reality show) about that or just put all that talk behind him and embrace touring the US (or periodically playing Vegas) as a niche artist.
Not everyone in pop plays stadiums and theatre level is perfectly fine. Plus everyone is always leaving out the relatively sizeable population of European/Latin American immigrants (as well as British/Aussie expats) living in America that have Spanish Language Euro Latin artists like Eros Ramazzotti and Laura Pausini successfully, repeatedly touring arenas in the States with next to no fanfare, marketing or attention beyond that Spanish target market…right under the noses of the mainstream anglosphere. Robbie could do alright touring the US as a low key performer for the ‘immigrants’-leave the media and true blue English-speaking Americans out of it and completely drop the ego😉😉
Keep grinding bro you deserve so many more views. Have for a while.
Appreciate that, thanks for the support!
Probably the main reason is that he was popular in the places that Take That did well in, like their home country, UK and Australia, etc...Take That didn't break into the US, so he was already on the back foot, after that...100 % about not aligning with the trends in the US, too...
if he was so big world wide, why did the movie bomb globally?
Marketing issue
English artists do make it in America, it's not impossible. I mean didn't Elton John, Sade, Phil Collins, Lisa Stansfield, Oasis, and The Spice Girls all become popular here? Even some British Hip-hop make it through. Robbie was just not likeable for American audiences for some reason. I also think his label probably deserves some of the blame too. Cause i faintly remember them trying to push him stateside in the early 00s.
Ed Sheeran , Sam Smith , Adele 😉
Duran Duran, Joy Division, Queen, David Bowie
How did you all forget THE BEATLES?? They're the first band that ushered in the whole "British invasion" phrase that's been going decades strong.
The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, Fleetwood Mac, Ozzy Osborne, Muse, Amy Winehouse, The Who, Seal, Eric Clapton, Coldplay, Dua Lipa, One Direction etc etc etc "it's not impossible"? Lol they became literally half of the American soundtrack! 😂
Slick rick, mf doom, 21 savage...
Us really loves a British rock group.
Zeppelin, sabbath, definitely leopard, the who, the clash,..
Its a really long list
@@721renabeatles still the band with most number 1 hits in America
I feel like he’s getting a lot of harsh comments only because he’s not well known in US. :(
I grew up listening his music and I’m from Mexico, even Yuridia, a national singer, has a very popular cover of his song “Angels” in spanish.
I’ve seen from many comments that he was very popular in Latin America!
I like Robbie Williams from that Millennium song. I just found out from this video that he was in a boy band. It’s kinda cool, he could’ve lived here in America and been left alone.
Two words: Self deprecation. It's a concept that never made it to the States, whereas it's a big virtue in the UK. The things that confused American audiences were basically R. William's self deprecating creativity and sense of humour. "I made it big but I'm still a cheeky chap from a working class family in a small town" attitude. His attempts to Americanise himself by singing Sinatra songs just didn't go down well. Europe and Asia loved him for who he really was.
What does that have to do with self deprication…? Per your example I quotations you could same the same thing about the strokes. You could always hate on them as equally. Because they’re both just being corny acting like they are phased by fame and just fellas having a good time! With no worries.
We have self deprecating performers, they’re just our comedians. Think Rodney Dangerfield types.
Thats not why though. He didn't get enough time for them to even see that part of him
He did get famous in America. In Argentina he was huge.
No one refers to Argentina as America. They refer to Argentina as Argentina. We all know what people mean when we say American
@@721rena Yeah, and it's wrong. It's like saying that Robbie was not popular in Europe only because he was not popular in ONE country of Europe.
Who cares if Americans from United States don't know about this guy. The rest of the continent and all around the world are die hard fans of his music. Greetings from Colombia South America!
The comparison between Robbie & Timberlake doesn't necessarily stands. In Europe Robbie was huge but Timberlake was also very successful. We could say that in Europe we didn't need Timberlake as we already had Robbie. The thing is that European audience is more open and the market more multi sound oriented. Not so in America, at least from one point on (used to be up to the early 90s).
Soft poppy rock is the most insanely boring genre, America has room there for Bowie but that's about it. Massive Attack were/are decently big in the US because they're at least musically interesting.
The global perception of America is that it’s always been a very insular society. By and large Americans only know about America. You can explain things til the cows come home, but that’s the basis to all this, and this is further proof in no uncertain terms. In the UK, Robbie has even outsold Elvis, one of the all time global greats.
They lived in their bubble.
He is HUGE in America, maybe not in the USA, but the actual ametica actually knows him
How ? Can you explain it ? You had celebrities knows him, but the whole population doesn't.
Now he has a movie nominated for the Oscars. So America better know him!
I was in theaters seeing Wicked when a trailer for his biopic came on. Most people’s reaction was confusion/baffling to “who the f is this dude??” So yeah, Americans still don’t know or care who Robbie Williams is even with a biopic pushed in our faces. I honestly don’t think it’ll do too well here even if the film is well received critically. Most Americans aren’t gonna spend their hard earned cash to go to the theaters to watch a biopic about a dude they’ve never heard of from a different country who’s had next to no effect on *their* pop culture landscape.
Also, how’s it nominated for an Oscar already when the film hasn’t even come out yet 😂
Oscar nomination aren’t out yet…
@@W4TSKYactually the film has already come out in major cities
Yeah America could give 2 sh&@ts about this guy
@@W4TSKYlol it flopped in the box office this weekend 😂😂 😅 Even with the CGI monkey we still don’t care 😂😂
The American subsidiary of Robbie’s UK label did try to break Robbie in the States.
For the US Market Capitol Records released a compilation album of songs from Robbie’s first two UK albums and titled it The Ego Has Landed.
The album and its lead single Millennium was promoted heavily with Robbie making appearances on US television to promote it.
Robbie also played a series of industry “showcases” in some of the smallest venues in LA and NYC.
I was fortunate enough to go to the LA showcase. I couldn’t believe that an artist that was selling out stadiums in the UK and Europe was playing in a 2000 capacity club and charged $15 for tickets.
The show was beyond amazing.
Robbie’s next two releases Sing When You’re Winning and Escapology received US releases and promotion but didn’t achieve the sales levels he was getting overseas.
At this point he was beyond MASSIVE everywhere in the world but the USA. The fame and lack of privacy was suffocating him.
It’s rumored that for his health and well being, Robbie made the decision to stop all future releases and promotions in the USA so that he could live a normal life.
His only US performances happen when he’s playing a residency in Las Vegas.
Oh wow!
The Arctic Monkeys were MASSIVE in the UK before they started to try and make it in the US, I mean they could easily sell out stadiums every album went to number one but when they started trying to make it in the US they were some other bands opening act. It paid off for them in the end but it has to be humbling to go from the top to just another act.
Robbie is to us a mixture of Justin Timberlake but on a Charlie Sheen Diet 😂
😂😂😂
I think he is pretty big in Australia and South Africa as well.
Those who bought Now CDs must have heard one of his songs
Not forgetting . Ozzy Osborne, Black sabbath, The Who, rolling stones, Police, Sting, Elton john, Queen, etc etc etc.
He was massive here in Australia and is still well loved
Just because you don't understand something doesn't make it middle of the road.
Many big names in America (JayZ, Kanye, Drake...) are very niche artists in Europe. I'm always shocked to see how many millions of listeners have on Spotify where they would sell no gig in my home country😂
In the 80’s 90’s and 2000’s I consumed almost exclusively UK music but Robbie is completely unknown to me!
*on the note of Americans, not understanding references to Vaudeville or lounge singing as you would put it: I would say part of the issue is due to the deteriorating American educational system because those art forms of entertainment came from African-Americans throughout slavery, civil war, post slavery and through the world war the 40s 50s 60s you name it, but because America is not properly taught its history in a linear fashion between cause-and-effect. These things are left like gaps whereas I might assume the Brits understand the connectivity of things a bit better or more thoroughly and someone like Robbie Williams floats within that.
Oasis to many Americans are a one hit wonder😅 Not realizing they are one of the greatest bands of all time.
Surprisingly Americans want to see them in concert, a whole concert. But I see.what u mean
That’s false.
Not sure if it’s a commonwealth thing but we did get a lot of Robbie Williams during his heyday in Canada.
Some absolute classic tunes, I would recommend Americans check it out
I get all this, Robbie just did what he felt was right so I think the stars aligned for him that was so he can have somewhere where he wouldn’t get hounded, and yeah it’s a good mix. What I don’t agree with is when you say he does middle of the road pop music that Americans just don’t like. You have a lot of middle of the road pop musicians over there that have been big. But, music is subjective, you like what you like, there’s no right or wrong way in music.
I thought people didn't know Robbie because I was getting old. Good to know it's just America 😂
The greatest country on the planet actually has better taste. That’s why America doesn’t like this beta
@@drrightwing4435 hahahah both countries make trash, don't kid yourself 😂
@@drrightwing4435yep. He’s an average singer. Not popular in Canada either.
I grew in socal so KROQ and 91x were big. U2 toured like crazy to make it. I had a friend that talked about Robbie and I was like. WHO? This is from somebody I love Pulp, Blur, Verve, The Smiths.
Robbie is not predictable. He will say whatever he is thinking at the moment and question everything. He will curse and talk about sex and drugs. While his music is very mainstream, it is often subversive in content. He doesn't play by the rules. People with his personality traits are normally comedians, not singers. I can think of plenty of British singers like him, but, as far as American, I can't think of any.
multiple different rappers i could name for sure, why do you think having a charismatic person is exclusive to you guys? he didnt get big over here, so what? you all seem pretty hung up on the fact that only a small amount of people from the US know him, why? music is subjective bro not everyone is gonna like something just because yall over there enjoy it
Im from South America and Robbie as Jamiroquia and other European celebrities are huge down here. We obviously don’t have same culture and is far away from how close America and Uk culture are. Still they where huge down here.
Very interesting!
Really interesting video thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I got into a comments row here a few years ago about Robie. The video was american and taking about boybands mainy bsb and Nsync. Someone said in the comments that Robbie "faded away" and was never big. And i was like wtf you on about he like has x amount of no 1s and sold 75 million records. And the person was "oh he didnt make it in america so doesnt count" 🙄 🤨
Well, most Americans of different backgrounds, just didn’t care about English people. Remember David Beckham? He was supposed to make the MLS big in the states, he even won the cup his first year. No one gave a fuck 😂
Everything British is cringe! Like Prince Harry...completely unlikable since the nazi uniform stunt!!! Yet the brits easily forgave him!!!
Cause we dont like soccer, people love him as a person though
I like the way you present yourself. Very entertaining. :)
Thank you!
Your line of reasoning makes plenty of sense. Just as a side note, I do think there was label support as regards US promo - otherwise they wouldn't have bothered releasing 'The Ego Has Landed'! They did give up fairly quickly, though... and I'm glad they did as Robbie needed a place where he could seek solace and disconnect from his pop star lifestyle.
I'd love for you to look into Anastacia's case as it's pretty much the absolute opposite: she fell into oblivion in the US after album #1, yet remains widely known in Europe, with some of her biggest songs coming out years later. If there's a surefire formula, we're still far from cracking it...
I’ll definitely look into it!
I’m Mexican and I’m surprised he wasn’t know in the us
I was feeling down today and looked randomly to see what was playing. Whatever it was I was gonna see just to take my mind off of life. OMG I LOVED IT THOUGH IT WAS GREAT LOL I LOVED THE MONKEY CHOICE... I don't know why
People in America have crap taste. They make people like Bieber, Britney, and Swift huge. I knew of Robbie back in 1995 with Take That. When I heard he was releasing a solo album I had that ordered in minutes (because of dial up internet) nothing took seconds back then. See for most people they tend to only listen to what's played over and over and over again on their local radio stations. So if an artist doesn't have a record deal in America back before internet took off, you most likely would never hear them. When they did finally release his album in the states, there was too much competition and most of the male soloists were doing more R&B /hip hop music. He didn't really fit in. There also wasn't huge promotion because for one he was already huge all over the rest of the world and after the first couple singles pushed didn't make any dent they didn't see the purpose on spending so much money and having it fail harder. It was all about the right place and time and America was having and has since had crap taste in music for most of the last 20+ years.
….but you like Robbie Williams…
@T.Truthtella-n3i he is 100x better than 90% of the popular artists of the last 20 years.
I tried listening to Robbie on spotify recently and he just sounds... boring.
I listen to a decent bit of music from Britain like Massive Attack, the KLF, Alien Sex Fiend, Fields of the Nephilim, Super Furry Animals, Coil, but if they played Robbie on a top 40 station and I heard it - it'd just be super forgettable.
Lmao you sound bitter 😂
@@W4TSKY it that like Gen Zs favorite word. Bitter. No one's bitter. I have my taste and most Americans have none.
I don’t understand why he never became big in the US. I was a kid when I heard one of his songs on a top US hits CD ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I was one of those American idiots (I guess?) in the late 90s who bought his solo album and got this shtick and liked it. I also loved Pet Shop Boys and 007 so I guess it made sense. But yeah, most people I knew didn’t know who I was talking about if I was talking about Robbie Williams or St Etienne or a whole host of other bands.
Oh wow!
THE major reason he never broke America , Robbie is sarcastic doesn't take himself seriously and likes to take the piss out of himself and others , Americans do not get that type of humour or that type of personality .
Yeah for some reason we hate satire. Either we don't get it or we think it's a cop out
That’s a very broad generalization.
The music he was
Making at the time wasn’t what Americans wanted at the time.
thats not really true
That’s not true.
In 2002, my Lithuanian cousin came to New York for school. He brought his Ego has Landed cd. It was fine but mostly interesting in how it could be a worldwide hit but no reason to care about it in New York. Curious.
That would have been crazy before social media!
Hes one of many artist who didn't become famous in your country Madness,slade and status Quo were also massive here and unknown but then again Sweedish titans Abba only got famous stateside after Mama Mia came out in the cinemas
I wonder if Robbie would consider doing a gig in Las Vegas. Kylie Minogue is another pop star who never really got exposure in the USA but she did do Las Vegas successfully.
He actually did do a few shows in 2019 that did very well and they were going to continue in 2020.... then Covid. :(
I'm English, I love mostly Rock music. I hate anything machine
-manufactured and pop music like most of the time... but I've always had undeniable big respect for Robbie Williams. Shamelessly I must admit, what a talent, what a VOICE. A rock star trapped in a 'pop star's body' 🤣
I've not seen that money movie, but i watched the robbie williams netflix documentary and it's really good, i remember those times.
there's LOTS of major UK acts that never broke America like Manic Street Preachers. I think a lot of acts get big by catching a cultural moment like a surfer catches just that right rip curl wave at just the right time. Being esoterically UK didn't stop Oasis from blowing up in America. Maybe if the Spice Girls come out 2-3 years earlier, they're still big in the UK, but maybe barely crack the US like All Saints. For all the reason mentioned above that Robbie didn't make, he could have made it big given the right timing.
Funny enough, I heard of Manic Street Preachers and Super Furry Animals years ago - even saw SFA in concert in Portland. Hadn't heard of Robbie until this video came out 😂
Works the other way too, there are a lot of huge American acts that remain unheard of in the UK.
Im a media literate, intelligent 34 year old American man. Never heard of robbie williams in my life, until this movie
Never even heard the name.
It is truly amazing just how unknown he is in the us
Surely you've heard the songs Better Man, Angels, Lets me entertain you..
Says more about you than Williams
A Better Man is Oscar worthy! Great movie/musical biopic ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I do want to watch it!
Didnt know he was not faous in USA, he was very well known in Mexico :O
He was just too cheeky, funny and real for Americans. Just take a look at the kind of people that actually is successful in America. Products type of artists, people like Britney Spears or Justin Timberlake…. It’s a shame because he is one of the biggest pop stars ever.
I don't think so, his music just lacks creativity
@@1stIParkMyCar agreed, as the "american" she's referring to, i listened to some of his music and didnt really enjoy any of it that much. some of these people in the comment need to stop acting like its our fault he never got big here. Its just how it goes, it didnt work out over here, who cares? If you like it fine if you dont fine its music
PLANE !
Also X-Japan would make a good video about why they're the biggest rock band in the world, except in America. But J-Metal has actually been making a lot of inroads recently.
Every time something out there comes out, a lot of the audience is going to reject it. Openness is not that common. That's why the pre-digested infinite sequels sell.
Dude, you calling it butt rock just made me feel so understood! I have been calling that kind of music butt rock for so long, and no one ever understood what I meant. And you can't explain it, it just is butt rock.
😂it’s a life changing experience buddy😂