Go Gentle

"Go Gentle"
Single by Robbie Williams
from the album Swings Both Ways
Released	10 November 2013
Format	Digital download
Genre	Pop, swing
Length	4:31
Label	Island Records, Universal Music Group
Writer(s)	Robbie Williams, Guy Chambers, Chris Heath
Producer(s)	Guy Chambers
Robbie Williams singles chronology
"Goin' Crazy" (2013) "Go Gentle" (2013) "Dream a Little Dream" (2013)

"Go Gentle" is a song by British singer-songwriter Robbie Williams, released as the lead single from his tenth studio album Swings Both Ways (2013). The single was released in the United Kingdom on 10 November 2013. The song was written by Robbie Williams, Guy Chambers and Chris Heath.

Background

In an Interview with Magic FM, Williams said that the song is a promise to his daughter Teddy, he said: "Go Gentle is a promise I'm making to my daughter. It was written when she first arrived on the planet and I'd been a selfish popstar for most of my life and then all of a sudden I've been asked to take care of this whole person. I still am scared that I'm not up to the task! I'm doing a good job of being dad but it's scary, you have to look after this person for the whole of their life, I'm not very good at even looking after me!".^[1]

Music video

A music video to accompany the release of "Go Gentle" was first released onto YouTube on 16 October 2013 at a total length of three minutes and fifty seconds.^[2] The video shows Williams dressed as a sea captain and performing the song on a parade float decorated as a wooden ship, backed by a band dressed as sailors, moving through the streets of downtown Los Angeles.^[3]

Critical reception

Lewis Corner of Digital Spy gave the song a positive review stating:

"Robbie Williams's first big band effort Swing When You're Winning remains one of the most successful albums of his career so far, so it's no surprise to see him revisit the idea for a sequel. The singer's showmanship makes him a natural when it comes to the bravado and assurance of swing music, but this time out, instead of whispering sweet nothings in Nicole Kidman's ear on Christmas morning, there's a new girl who commands all of his attention. "Now when you go dancing with young men down at the disco/ Just keep it simple/ You don't have to kiss though," Robbie tells his new daughter Teddy over swaying brass and piano, prepping that serious father talk a good decade and a half in advance. But with a classic whistle line, a smooth melody and Robbie's undiminished star quality, we're pretty certain 'Go Gentle' will stand the test of time to serve its true purpose." ^[4]

Live performances

On 10 November 2013, Williams performed "Go Gentle" on the live results show of The X Factor.

Track listing

Digital download[5]
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Go Gentle"	4:31

CD single[6]
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Go Gentle"	4:31
2.	"You Got Old" (featuring Jonathan Wilkes)	3:45

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (2013) Peak position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[7] 29 Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[8] 18 Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[9] 24 Europe (Euro Digital Songs)[10] 13 Germany (Official German Charts)[11] 16 Ireland (IRMA)[12] 28 Italy (FIMI)[13] 5 Lebanon (The Official Lebanese Top 20)[14] 5 Mexico Inglés (Billboard)[15] 38 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[16] 45 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[17] 78 Scotland (Official Charts Company)[18] 11 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] 22 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[20] 10

Year-end charts Chart (2013) Position Hungarian Airplay Chart[21] 98 Certifications Region Certification Italy (FIMI)[22] Gold

Release history

Country	Release date	Format	Label
United Kingdom	10 November 2013[23]	Digital download	Island, Universal

References

1. "Robbie Williams: 'New single Go Gentle is a promise to my daughter'". Digital Spy.
2. Williams | 'Go Gentle' | Official Music Video - YouTube
3. "Robbie Williams sails a ship through LA in 'Go Gentle' video - watch". Digital Spy.
4. Lewis Corner. "Robbie Williams: 'Go Gentle' - Single review". Digital Spy.
5. Universal Music Deutschland: Deine Stars, deine Musik, alle Genres - Universal Music
6. ROBBIE WILLIAMS | Go Gentle (2-Track) | Diskografie
7. "Austriancharts.at – Robbie Williams – Go Gentle" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
8. "Ultratop.be – Robbie Williams – Go Gentle" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
9. "Ultratop.be – Robbie Williams – Go Gentle" (in French). Ultratip.
10. "Robbie Williams – Chart history" Billboard Euro Digital Songs for Robbie Williams.
11. "Offiziellecharts.de – Robbie Williams – Go Gentle". GfK Entertainment.
12. "Chart Track: Week 46, 2013". Irish Singles Chart.
13. "Top Digital Download, settimana 46 (dal 11-11-2013 al 17-11-2013)". FIMI.
14. "Robbie Williams – Candy – Lebanese Charts". Billboard.biz. Archived from the original on 15 November 2012.
15. "Mexico Inglés Airplay – Robbie Williams – Go Gentle". Billboard.
16. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Robbie Williams search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
17. "Dutchcharts.nl – Robbie Williams – Go Gentle" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
18. "Archive Chart: 2013-11-23". Scottish Singles Top 40.
19. "Swisscharts.com – Robbie Williams – Go Gentle". Swiss Singles Chart.
20. "Archive Chart: 2013-11-23" UK Singles Chart.
21. "MAHASZ Rádiós TOP 100 - radios 2013" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
22. "Italian single certifications – Robbie Williams – Go Gentle" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 17 March 2014. Select Online in the field Sezione. Enter Robbie Williams in the field Filtra. The certification will load automatically
23. iTunes - Music - Go Gentle - Single by Robbie Williams