Millennium (song)
Encyclopedia
- For the Front Line Assembly song see Millennium (Front Line Assembly song)Millennium (Front Line Assembly song)Millennium is a maxi single off the studio album Millennium by the Industrial band Front Line Assembly. This album was released August 23, 1994 on the Roadrunner Records label.- Track listing :All tracks by Front Line Assembly-Personnel:...
"Millennium" is a song by Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
, released as the first single from his second album, I've Been Expecting You
I've Been Expecting You
I've Been Expecting You is the second studio album by British singer-songwriter Robbie Williams.-Success:Williams and Chambers started the writing process of the album in Jamaica in the spring of 1998. I've Been Expecting You was released in October 1998. It debuted at #1 on the UK Albums Chart,...
. The song was released in 1998.
The song heavily borrows the musical arrangement from John Barry
John Barry (composer)
John Barry Prendergast, OBE was an English conductor and composer of film music. He is best known for composing the soundtracks for 12 of the James Bond films between 1962 and 1987...
's "You Only Live Twice
You Only Live Twice (song)
"You Only Live Twice" was the title song from the film of the same name and was sung by Nancy Sinatra, with music by John Barry and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. The song is widely recognised for its striking opening bars, featuring a simple 2-bar theme in the high octaves of the violins and lush...
", the title track for the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film of the same name
You Only Live Twice (film)
You Only Live Twice is the fifth spy film in the James Bond series, and the fifth to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film's screenplay was written by Roald Dahl, and loosely based on Ian Fleming's 1964 novel of the same name...
, reported to be one of Williams' favourite Bond films.
The song was the 30th best selling of 1998 in the UK.
"Millennium" was Williams' first solo single to top the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. In 1999, the song also received extensive airplay in Canada and the USA, where it was the lead single for Williams' North American compilation album, The Ego Has Landed
The Ego Has Landed
The Ego Has Landed is a compilation album by English pop singer Robbie Williams. After the success of Williams around the world , Williams was signed to Capitol Records in the United States, which is a part of EMI, the album was released in May 1999 in the United States and Canada, and later issued...
.
Music video
The tongue-in-cheekTongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek is a phrase used as a figure of speech to imply that a statement or other production is humorously intended and it should not be taken at face value. The facial expression typically indicates that one is joking or making a mental effort. In the past, it may also have indicated...
video for "Millennium" features Williams parodying James Bond, complete with references to Bond films like Thunderball
Thunderball (film)
Thunderball is the fourth spy film in the James Bond series starring Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming, which in turn was based on an original screenplay by Jack Whittingham...
and From Russia with Love
From Russia with Love (film)
From Russia with Love is the second in the James Bond spy film series, and the second to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Released in 1963, the film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, and directed by Terence Young. It is based on the 1957 novel of the...
. The song includes a sample of You Only Live Twice
You Only Live Twice (song)
"You Only Live Twice" was the title song from the film of the same name and was sung by Nancy Sinatra, with music by John Barry and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. The song is widely recognised for its striking opening bars, featuring a simple 2-bar theme in the high octaves of the violins and lush...
by Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sandra Sinatra is an American singer and actress. She is the daughter of singer/actor Frank Sinatra, and remains best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"....
. The video was filmed at Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, approximately west of central London. The studios have played host to many productions over the years from huge blockbuster films to television shows to commercials to pop promos.The purchase of Shepperton...
, home to most Bond productions. During the end of the video, Williams drives away in an economy car
Economy car
An economy car is an automobile that is designed for low cost operation. Typical economy cars are small, light weight, and inexpensive to buy. Economy car designers are forced by stringent design constraints to be inventive...
, a fittingly chosen Bond Bug
Bond Bug
The Bond Bug was a small British two seat, three wheeled sports car of the 1970s. Following the purchase of Bond Cars Limited, Reliant commissioned Tom Karen of Ogle Design to design a fun car. It was a wedge-shaped microcar, with a lift-up canopy and side screens instead of conventional doors...
, instead of 007's Aston Martin DB5
Aston Martin DB5
The Aston Martin DB5 is a luxury grand tourer that was made by Aston Martin. Released in 1963, it was an evolution of the final series of DB4. The DB series was named honouring David Brown ....
, which later drives past him while he's having car trouble.
At the 1999 BRIT Awards
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
, "Millennium" won the award for Best British Video.
Reception
The song became Williams' first number-one single in the United Kingdom, shipping over 400,000 copies and being certified gold by the BPIBritish Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
. The song also became an international success; it managed to break into the Top 40 around the world. It also became Williams' first song to chart inside the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
when it was released in 1999. However, neither it nor "Angels" (the song chosen as his second single in the United States) charted in the US Top 40.
Formats and track listings
These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Millennium".UK CD1
(Released 7 September 1998)
- "Millennium" – 4:07
- "Love Cheat" [Demo Version] – 3:46
- "Rome Munich Rome" [Demo Version] – 3:05
UK CD2
(Released 7 September 1998)
- "Millennium" – 4:07
- "Lazy Days" [Original Version] – 4:29
- "Angels" [Live Version] – 5:38
European CD Maxi
(Released 7 September 1998)
- "Millennium" – 4:07
- "Love Cheat" [Demo Version] – 3:46
- "Rome Munich Rome" [Demo Version] – 3:05
- "Angels" [Live Version] – 5:38
Certifications and sales
Charts
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
1 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
1 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 3 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 6 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 12 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 14 |
| French Singles Chart | 16 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 18 |
| Belgian (Flanders Flanders Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp... ) Singles Chart |
18 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 18 |
| Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart | 20 |
| Australian Singles Chart | 24 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 38 |
| German Singles Chart | 41 |
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
9 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
72 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay Hot 100 Airplay The Hot 100 Airplay chart is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It measures radio airplay, and is one of the three component charts, along with the Hot Singles Sales and the Hot Digital Songs charts, that determine the chart positions of singles on the Billboard... |
74 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 20 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Tracks Top 40 Tracks Top 40 Tracks is a defunct airplay chart from Billboard Magazine. It was created in 1998, when Billboard Magazine changed the airplay profile of The Hot 100 Airplay to include more R&B, Country, and Rock stations to its profile . To preserve the notion of the former chart, Top 40 Tracks was... |
29 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks Adult Top 40 is a variation on the United States Billboard charts... |
22 |