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Robbie Williams Breaks The Beatles’ UK Chart Record With 16th Number One Album
Robbie Williams has officially rewritten British chart history. The pop superstar has surpassed The Beatles to become the artist with the most UK number one albums of all time, after his latest release, Britpop, debuted at the top of the UK Albums Chart.
The record-breaking feat marks Williams’ 16th solo UK number one, overtaking The Beatles’ long-standing tally of 15 chart-topping albums. It is a milestone few would have predicted when his solo career began in 1997 with Life Thru A Lens, and one that cements his status as one of the most commercially successful British artists ever.
A Landmark Moment for British Pop
Speaking to BBC News, an emotional Robbie Williams described the achievement as “absolutely unbelievable,” likening his career to “stretching an elastic band from Stoke-on-Trent to the Moon.”
Now 51, the singer is celebrating the moment quietly in Paris with his wife, Ayda Field — a low-key contrast to the excesses of his early fame. “We’ll celebrate with a Coke Zero and a salad,” he joked, reflecting a healthier chapter in a life once marked by addiction and mental health struggles.
Robbie Williams said he is taking time to fully absorb the moment. “For a while, I didn’t get to do that because of mental illness,” he admitted. “Now I’m in a place where the garden is blossoming.”
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Britpop: A Full-Circle Album
In a neat twist of pop history, Britpop deliberately harks back to the moment Williams stepped away from Take That and launched his solo career. The album’s artwork references a famous 1995 Glastonbury photograph showing Williams with bleached hair and a missing tooth — taken shortly before his dismissal from the band.
Williams has described Britpop as “the album I wanted to make after I left Take That,” and a love letter to the golden era of 1990s British guitar music. Influences from Oasis and Elastica run through the record, while collaborations include Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes on the glam-stomp track Cocky and former Take That bandmate Gary Barlow on Morrissey.
Critics Weigh In
Reviews for Britpop have been largely positive. The Guardian awarded four stars, calling it “a wayward yet winning time-machine trip to the 90s,” while Rolling Stone praised Williams for sounding “liberated” and delivering “some of his best songs in years.”
The NME was more cautious, but still acknowledged the album’s boldness, describing it as unmistakably Robbie Williams.
Surpassing Legends — With Perspective
Across his career, Williams now boasts 21 UK number one albums, including chart-toppers with Take That and the Better Man soundtrack. Only Paul McCartney surpasses him overall, with 23.
Still, Williams remains grounded — thanks in part to his family. Recalling a recent conversation, he laughed: “My daughter Teddy whispered, ‘In the UK.’ So I won’t get too carried away.”
