Feel (Robbie Williams song)

"Feel" is a song by British singer-songwriter Robbie Williams. It was released 10 October 2002 as the lead single from his fifth studio album, "Escapology" (2002). The song became an international hit, reaching the top of the charts in Austria, Poland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and top five positions in countries such as Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Background.
"Feel" was written by Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers. According to Williams, most of the vocals are from the original demo recording from 1999, as he felt unsatisfied with the re-recorded vocals. He commented, "I just couldn't sing it as well as I did on that day."
Music video.
The video was directed by Vaughan Arnell and shows Williams in a cowboy-like lifestyle. It gained some attention in the United States thanks to Daryl Hannah's appearance as Williams's love interest. There were two versions of the same video, one shot in black and white and the other in colour and was filmed in Sundre, Alberta, Canada. Eventually, the black and white version achieved larger popularity and is the only version available in Vevo through Robbie's official YouTube channel (in which is the most popular video, with over 257 million views as of 27 March 2021) and various streaming platforms.
Chart performance.
The song was aimed to become the Christmas number-one in the United Kingdom, but peaked at number four. It still spent four weeks inside the top 10, however. "Feel" became Williams's biggest international hit and his best selling single in Europe: the song topped the charts in Hungary, Italy, Portugal and the Netherlands. The song was also successful in Argentina, Mexico and in Canada, where it reached the top 10 and spent a total of 54 weeks in the chart. It was the most played song in Europe in 2003. Despite Williams's major success in most of the world, "Feel" failed to reach the "Billboard" Hot 100 in the US. To date, "Feel" has sold 245,000 copies in the UK.
In popular culture.
Cover versions.
After the release of "Feel", contestant Ricky Ord sang the song in the second season of "Deutschland sucht den Superstar" for the theme "My Pop Idol", being one of the first contestants eliminated. In Season 8, contestant Ardian Bujupi sang the song for the theme "English v. German". A year later, in 2016, contestants of the tenth season of "X Factor Italy" sang a medley of "Feel" and "Angels", before being joined by Williams himself to sing his single "Party Like a Russian".