I've Been Expecting You

I've Been Expecting You
Studio album by Robbie Williams
Released 26 October 1998
Recorded 1998
Genre
Length 76:08
75:20 (2002 reissue replacement track)
Label Chrysalis
Producer
Robbie Williams chronology
Life thru a Lens
(1997)
I've Been Expecting You
(1998)
The Ego Has Landed
(1999)
Singles from I've Been Expecting You
  1. "Millennium"
    Released: 7 September 1998
  2. "No Regrets"
    Released: 30 November 1998
  3. "Strong"
    Released: 15 March 1999
  4. "She's the One / It's Only Us"
    Released: 8 November 1999
  5. "Win Some Lose Some"
    Released: 13 March 2000

I've Been Expecting You is the second studio album by British singer-songwriter Robbie Williams. A critical and major commercial success, it was released in 1998 on Chrysalis Records.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

John Bush of AllMusic rated the album four stars out of five, and stated that the album is both a "studied" and "more mature, calculated album" than its predecessor Life Thru a Lens (1997) "from a pop star who's often gloried in being immature and spontaneous."[2] He noted the album "may suffer from comparisons to its excellent predecessor, but it also finds Robbie Williams weathering the sophomore storm quite well."[2] NME rated the album 8/10, saying "boy, what a record" and that Williams' "writing skills have improved enormously."[3] The reviewer was also noted the album's "impressive diversity" and concluded that "sure, Robbie's still more Michael Barrymore than Michael Stipe, and he'll never be 'cool' by that constipated, soul-crushingly snobbish James Lavelle definition. But he's a natural-born star and he wants you to love him. I've Been Expecting You provides 12 good reasons why you should."[3]

Success

Williams and Chambers started the writing process of the album in Jamaica in the spring of 1998. I've Been Expecting You was released in October 1998. It debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, and went on to become the UK's best selling album for that year. According to the BPI, the album has sold 2,582,016 copies in the UK as of November 2013,[4] and has been certified 10× Platinum for shipments of 3 million copies, making it Williams' best-selling album in the country.

The album also received attention outside the United Kingdom, particularly in continental Europe and Latin America, and has sold a total of five million copies worldwide.[5] Williams finished album promotion with an extensive European tour in the autumn of 1999. I've Been Expecting You was ranked 91st in a 2005 survey held by British television's Channel 4 to determine the 100 greatest albums of all time.[6]

Singles

Lawsuit

In 1998, Williams was sued by Ludlow Publishing over the song "Jesus in a Camper Van" because it lifted lyrics from the Loudon Wainwright III song "I Am the Way", from his album Attempted Mustache. The lyric to "I Am the Way" is as follows: "Every son of God has a little hard luck sometime, especially when he goes around saying he's the way." The lyric to "Jesus in a Camper Van" in question is: "Even the son of God gets it hard sometimes, especially when he goes around saying, I am the way."

Williams claimed that he had heard a young man say the line whilst in rehab, and only found that it was a line from Wainwright's song after he had already recorded it. Williams' agents called Wainwright to notify him about this, but Wainwright had little say in the matter; "I Am the Way" was a parody of the Woody Guthrie song "New York Town"; Ludlow Publishing owned the line's copyright. In 2002, Ludlow Publishing won the lawsuit, receiving 25% of the income that "Jesus in a Camper Van" garnered, and subsequently, the album was re-issued replacing "Jesus in a Camper Van" with "It's Only Us".

Track listing

I've Been Expecting YouStandard edition
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Strong"  
4:39
2. "No Regrets"  
  • Williams
  • Chambers
5:10
3. "Millennium"  
4:08
4. "Phoenix from the Flames"  
  • Williams
  • Chambers
4:02
5. "Win Some Lose Some"  
  • Williams
  • Chambers
4:18
6. "Grace"  
  • Williams
  • Chambers
3:12
7. "Jesus in a Camper Van"  
3:39
8. "Heaven from Here"  
  • Williams
  • Chambers
3:05
9. "Karma Killer"  
  • Williams
  • Chambers
4:29
10. "She's the One"  Karl Wallinger 4:18
11. "Man Machine"  
  • Williams
  • Chambers
3:36
12. "These Dreams"  
  • Williams
  • Chambers
5:08
13. "Stand Your Ground" (hidden track)
  • Williams
  • Chambers
3:14
14. "Stalker's Day Off (I've Been Hanging Around)" (hidden track)
  • Williams
  • Chambers
  • Fil Eisler
3:38

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (1998) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[10] 24
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[11] 11
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[12] 32
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[13] 35
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] 20
French Albums (SNEP)[15] 31
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[16] 16
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[17] 4
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[18] 5
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[19] 21
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[20] 19
UK Albums (OCC)[21] 1

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[22] Platinum 50,000
France (SNEP)[23] 2× Gold 200,000
Germany (BVMI)[24] Gold 250,000
Sweden (GLF)[25] Gold 40,000
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[26] Platinum 50,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[27] 10× Platinum 2,582,016[4]
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[28] 4× Platinum 4,000,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

See also

References

  1. AllMusic review
  2. 1 2 John Bush. "I've Been Expecting You". AllMusic.
  3. 1 2 "NME Reviews - I've Been Expecting You". NME.
  4. 1 2 Jones, Alan (25 November 2013). "Official Charts Analysis: Robbie LP sells 108k to claim UK's 1,000th Official No.1". Music Week (Intent Media). Retrieved 18 October 2015. (subscription required (help)).
  5. IFPI Platinum Europe Awards - 2000, http://www.ifpi.org/content/section_news/plat2000.html
  6. 2005 Channel 4 The 100 Greatest Albums
  7. BPI Certification for "Millennium"
  8. BPI Certification for "No Regrets"
  9. BPI Certification for "She's The One"/"It's Only Us"
  10. "Austriancharts.at – Robbie Williams – I've Been Expecting You" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  11. "Ultratop.be – Robbie Williams – I've Been Expecting You" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  12. "Ultratop.be – Robbie Williams – I've Been Expecting You" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  13. "Dutchcharts.nl – Robbie Williams – I've Been Expecting You" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  14. "Robbie Williams: I've Been Expecting You" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat IFPI Finland. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  15. "Lescharts.com – Robbie Williams – I've Been Expecting You". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  16. "Officialcharts.de – Robbie Williams – I've Been Expecting You". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  17. "Charts.org.nz – Robbie Williams – I've Been Expecting You". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  18. "Norwegiancharts.com – Robbie Williams – I've Been Expecting You". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  19. "Swedishcharts.com – Robbie Williams – I've Been Expecting You". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  20. "Swisscharts.com – Robbie Williams – I've Been Expecting You". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  21. "Robbie Williams | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  22. "Bonhams : A Platinum award for the album I've Been Expecting You, Denmark, circa 1998". IFPI Denmark. 1793 Ltd. GBR Bonhams.com. Archived from the original on 6 August 2015. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  23. "French album certifications – Robbie Williams – I've Been Expecting You" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  24. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Robbie Williams; 'I've Been Expecting You')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  25. "Sverigetopplistan - Sveriges Officiella Topplista > "Robbie Williams" > "Sök" > "I'VE BEEN EXPECTING YOU" > "Visa" (in Swedish). The Official Swedish Charts. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  26. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Robbie Williams; 'I've Been Expecting You')". Hung Medien.
  27. "British album certifications – ROBBIE WILLIAMS – I'VE BEEN EXPECTING YOU". British Phonographic Industry. Enter I'VE BEEN EXPECTING YOU in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  28. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2001". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
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