"Tripping" is a song recorded by British singer Robbie Williams for his sixth studio albumIntensive Care. The single was released as the album's lead single on 3 October 2005, by Chrysalis Records. Backed with the track "Make Me Pure", also from the same album, it was sent to radio stationsaround the world. Williams himself calls the song "something like a mini gangster opera" and "kind of cabaret act reggae". The rolling rhythm of the song owes much to the early work of The Clash. During the chorus Williams reaches an extremely high disco-like head voice. Lyrically the song is a bit darker than previous songs. It tells the tale of gangsters and how they "don't kill their own and they all love their mothers", before an anguished chorus of "I've taken as much as I'm willing to take". The opening lyrics "First they ignore you, then laugh at you and hate you. Then they fight you, then you win" is a paraphrase from a quote commonly attributed to Mahatma Gandhi. Upon release, the song became global hit, reaching number one in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. It peaked within the top five in more than 10 European countries, including the United Kingdom, where it reached number two and was the 19th best-selling single of 2005. It was also a success in Australia, reaching number seven on the ARIA Singles Chart, and peaked at number 20 in New Zealand.
Music video
The video, which was directed by Johan Renck, features Williams running in place as if he can't seem to get anywhere. It appears that Williams is having a nightmare, in which he is living sometime in 1950s, and is stuck running endlessly in a maze without ever advancing, or driving in a stereotypical 1950s backdrop. It also includes a baby singing to him some of the chorus, and a pair of lesbian twins in his car's backseat. The car is a Saab 95. He also sees himself trapped in an elevator with a bigger guy in drag that proposed him to make out, he tries to defend himself but, at the end he allows him to be touched, and at that moment, Williams wakes up, smiles and close his eyes.
Chart success
The song became a massive worldwide success for Williams, debuting inside the top ten in most countries around Europe, including number-two in the United Kingdom, spending six weeks inside the top ten and fifteen inside the top seventy-five. The single reached number-one in The Netherlands, Argentina, Germany, Portugal, Italy, and Taiwan. In Switzerland, the single was certified Gold. In Mexico, the song reached number-nine and became the eleventh most played track of the year. In Australia, the single peaked at number-seven and went on to sell over 35,000 copies, being certified Gold by the ARIA.
