"Shine My Shoes" is a song by British singer-songwriter Robbie Williams and the third and final single from his tenth studio album Swings Both Ways (2013). The single was released on 24 March 2014.[1] The song was written by Robbie Williams, Guy Chambers and Chris Heath. A vinyl version of the single was released two months prior to the official single release, through robbiewilliams.com.
| "Shine My Shoes" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Robbie Williams | ||||
| from the album Swings Both Ways | ||||
| Released | 24 March 2014 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:23 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Guy Chambers | |||
| Robbie Williams singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Shine My Shoes" on YouTube | ||||
Background
editAccording to Robbie;
"Guy Chambers and I started writing together again after a break of about ten years, and 'Shine My Shoes' came out of the first batch. It's in the spirit of a Sammy Davis Jr. song. In the biopic The Rat Pack there's a dream sequence where Sammy Davis Jr. is dancing against the racists. I'm singing against the haters and the naysayers, giving them my time in the form of a swing song detailing exactly why they should hate me. The smugness will infuriate the haters, and the people who kind of like me will just think that it's sweet."
The song also contains "lyrical flourishes from Williams's biographer Chris Heath" and Williams dismissing his critics ("The way you don't love me/Kinda makes you look ugly").[2]
Music video
editAn official lyric video of "Shine My Shoes" was uploaded to YouTube on 26 September 2013.[3]
Critical reception
editHelen Brown of The Telegraph, in a review for Swings Both Ways, called it "an original, though instantly recognisable and fairly forgettable Williams/Chambers collaboration".[2]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Shine My Shoes" | 3:21 |
| 2. | "You Got Old" (featuring Jonny Wilkes) | 3:45 |
Chart performance
edit| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart[4] | 89 |
References
edit- ^ "Robbie Williams". www.robbiewilliams.com.
- ^ a b Brown, Helen (14 November 2013). "Robbie Williams, Swings Both Ways, album review". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
- ^ Robbie Williams | Shine My Shoes (Official Lyric Video). YouTube. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart UK Top 100 – 23rd November 2013". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 21 November 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2014.