Niki N. Phaser

Robbie Williams’ 2006 album, Rudebox, was the very definition of mixed reviews, as the pop idol went a bit too electro for what people expected of him. Once you overpass the controversy and the unlikely first single Rudebox, you find a nice collection of tracks sporting mixed styles, but all of them sounding quite catchy. The perfect example is this non-single, pop-hop tune, The 80′s. You should know from the start that if you have a problem with Robbie Williams’ rapping, you can still enjoy the great music and the hook of the chorus, one of those cases of upbeat nostalgia. It doesn’t happen too often. But The 80′s is also one of those cases when you can’t really choose which is your favourite, the music or the lyrics. Nostalgic and very funny, the lyrics make the song unfold like a movie in the listener’s mind, one of those coming of age drama-comedies. There is talk about football, family, Falklands and a lot about sex: “And it was but I couldn’t care less, I’d seen a girl’s part, made a mess on her dress, oh yes! You’re now rocking with the best, second person in my year that had seen a breast”. And in pure retro-fashion, you get a bunch of pop-culture references to the mentioned decade, stuff like The Beastie Boys, Wham, LL Cool J, Berlin (Take My Breath Away), Snap (Rhythm Is A Dancer). The song wasn’t released as a single, but there was a video contest, where directors all over the world could submit their video for this song.

SEE THE WINNER HERE