Rock DJ

Robbie Williams took a bold step into the new millennium with "Rock DJ," the lead single from his third studio album, Sing When You're Winning. Released on 31 July 2000, the track blends disco, pop, and hip-hop influences, sampling Barry White's "It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next to Me," A Tribe Called Quest's "Can I Kick It?," and a quote from Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh's "La Di Da Di." In his 2023 Netflix series, Williams joked that he was trying to write "Karma Police" but ended up with "Karma Chameleon."

The song became a massive hit, reaching number one in Costa Rica, Estonia, Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, while charting in the top 10 of 16 other countries. It was the fourth-best-selling single of 2000 in the UK. In the US, it peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart. The accompanying music video, directed by Vaughan Arnell, stirred controversy with its graphic imagery: Williams strips naked, then removes his skin and muscles, ultimately becoming a skeleton. At the 2001 Brit Awards, "Rock DJ" won British Single of the Year, and the video won British Video of the Year. [edit]