Listen to Robbie Williams’ reflective new single ‘Forbidden Road’ from ‘Better Man’ biopic
Robbie Williams has shared the new single ‘Forbidden Road’, taken from upcoming biopic Better Man. Check it out, alongside the full soundtrack tracklist, below.
The new single was written specially for the film, which is directed by Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) and tells the life story of Williams – from his early days in childhood to his first taste of success with boyband Take That.
It will also dive into his massively successful career as a solo artist, covering the record-breaking achievements he accrued with albums like 2000’s ‘Sing When You’re Winning’ and 2002’s ‘Escapology’.
Released today (November 22), the new single comes alongside a brand new lyric video, which includes previously unseen footage from the film. As for the sound of the single, the track comes centred around a simple acoustic guitar melody, and sees the singer open up about his journey in the lyrics.
“Maybe I’m never satisfied / I made a lot of poor decisions / Yeah I’ve made some revisions / And I’m still tryna get it right / I’m a living contradiction / The cure and the affliction,” he sings. “You need to lose your mind / To get back to the light / Sometimes.” Check it out below.
As well as the new single dropping today, the full tracklisting for the film’s soundtrack has also been shared in full, and includes some of the biggest hits from across Williams’ solo career.
These include ‘Feel’, ‘Angels’, ‘Come Undone’, ‘Rock DJ’, ‘Let Me Entertain You’ and more, as well as ‘Forbidden Road’ as the closing track.
The ‘Better Man (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)’ album is released digitally via Columbia Records on December 27 – the day after Better Man hits UK cinemas – with a physical release to follow. Visit here to pre-order, and find the full the tracklist below.
As highlighted in a press release, the artwork for the soundtrack mirrors the recently revealed film poster, and comes as a homage to Williams’ album cover, ‘Life Thru A Lens’.
The original album cover image was taken by renowned photographer, Andy Earl, who was behind iconic covers from the likes of Pink Floyd, Johnny Cash, Madonna and Prince.
The ‘Better Man (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)’ tracklist is:
1. ‘Feel’
2. ‘I Found Heaven’
3. ‘Rock DJ’
4. ‘Relight My Fire’
5. ‘Come Undone’
6. ‘She’s the One’
7. ‘Something Beautiful’
8. ‘Land of 1000 Dances’
9. ‘Angels’
10. ‘Let Me Entertain You’
11. ‘Better Man’
12. ‘My Way’
13. ‘Forbidden Road’
Better Man sees the singer reimagined as a CGI monkey, and many fans reacted to the trailer upon release last month, with lots praising the bizarre character concept in the biopic. “This looks amazing, and completely bananas! Can’t wait to see this!,” one wrote. Another added: “Looks totally incredible. Cannot wait. Planet of the Apes does Robbie Williams.”
Discussing the film ahead of the December release, director Michael Gracey honed in on Williams referring to himself as a monkey over and again.“Robbie would say things like, ‘I’m up the back dancing like a monkey.’ After a while, I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be amazing to represent Robbie as a monkey in the film?’ Because Robbie is telling this story – and that’s how he sees himself,” he said.
In other Robbie Williams news, earlier this month the singer announced details of a huge tour across the UK, Ireland and Europe in 2025. The announcement came after he hinted to fans that he would be hitting the road again “soon” the week prior. Visit here to buy tickets.
The post Listen to Robbie Williams’ reflective new single ‘Forbidden Road’ from ‘Better Man’ biopic appeared first on NME.
Liberty Dunworth
NME
