While Robbie Williams released twelve studio albums since breaking into the music industry back in the 1990s, the singer gained fame thanks to joining the pop group Take That. After spending a few years with the group, he eventually left to pursue a solo career. That move caused him to gain international fame when he sold nearly 2 million tickets in a single day for his Close Encounters tour. Holding various awards thanks to his contributions to music, Guy Chambers recently discussed working with him on the song “Angels” and how he almost “died” during the process.
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Speaking at an event for the Confetti Institute of Technologies, Chambers recalled what it was like to work with Williams and how a “sinus infection” almost ended the entire process. Having worked with numerous icons like Kylie Minogue and Tina Turner over the decades, the songwriter eventually found himself standing alongside Williams after he wrote “Angels.” “Angels started in my bedroom where I had a little studio set up, and it went from there to the studio where we recorded it.”
Although enjoying his time with Williams, Chambers admitted, “It was our second day of working together and I had a terrible sinus infection. I remember phoning my mother before, saying, ‘I really don’t think I can do this session. I’m going to cancel it.’” His mother insisted he continue to work, noting, “I’ve got this feeling about today. Whatever you do, don’t cancel it.”
Guy Chambers Thanful He Listened To His Mother
Listening to his mother, Chambers continued to work with Williams, but said, “The reason that song doesn’t have a middle eight is because of my sinus infection,” He continued, “The original demo for ‘Angels’ was just piano, his voice and me singing. That’s it. There are no drums, there’s no guitar. Just very, very simple – and again, that was because I thought I was going to die. I thought my head was going to explode.”
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Thankfully, his head didn’t explode, and the song went on to become a hit. And it seems his only regret was not writing more songs like it. “‘Angels’ is a spiritual song. It’s kind of a hymn. Therefore, I think because of that, it was this massive deal. We should have written more like that really, but we didn’t.”
(Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
