Released 28 July 2003 Recorded 2002 Label Chrysalis | Format CD single, DVD single Genre Pop | |
Length 4:48 (album version)
4:01 (radio edit) | ||
"Something Beautiful" is a song written by Guy Chambers and Robbie Williams. Originally offered to Welsh singer Tom Jones, it was released on 28 July 2003 as the third single from Williams' fifth studio album Escapology (2002).
Contents
Music video
The video of the song is influenced by reality shows like Pop Idol, and is one of the few which has two different endings. An interactive version of the video was created to run on Sky Digital by weapon7 where viewers could vote through the red button and discover the backstory of the participants. A spokesman for Williams told the Daily Mirror, "We wanted to find someone with the 'essence' of Robbie to perform the new track in the video – it could be a woman."
At the start of the video, fans from all over Europe try to impress judges during the audition stage of fictional reality show Manufactured Miracles; one of the members of the selection panel is Williams' real-life father Pete Conway. Several contestants are put through to the next round, but only three emerge finalists: actor/singer Peter Caruana from Manchester, and students Rebecca Durrant and Bjorn Wenner from Essex and Hamburg respectively. They are groomed to be pop stars by learning from a choreographer and singing coach how to dance and sing like Williams and given makeovers by stylists, while experiencing the celebrity status lifestyle, with an interview at Capital FM and staying in a luxury hotel, before competing in the live shows with each finalist representing a different stage in Williams' career.
Two versions of the video were filmed. In the first, viewers are asked to vote at Williams' website for who they thought was the best performer. The second version of the video ends with the winner receiving a trophy before meeting Williams who sits at a bus stop reading a newspaper with the headline "Robbie For a Week: Back to Reality for Final Three"—a reference to how several reality stars have been abandoned by their once-loyal fans and management following their brief success. The Manufactured Miracles winner varies from country to country—in the United Kingdom, Peter was revealed to be the champion—and at the filming none of them knew that they would be meeting Williams at the bus stop, so their surprise is genuine.
Rebecca Durrant, who later became a police officer, told the Sunday Mirror that the experience put her off becoming famous, stating "After I filmed the video I realised I didn't want to face the pressure, the secrecy, the non-stop filming and constant hair and make-up touchups... the closest I get to singing now is karaoke in my local pub." Similarly, in an interview with the Salford Advertiser, Peter Caruana stated, "I decided it was time to give Robbie a rest – he's been good to me, but enough is enough. In a way I think it has held me back and I really want to get back to treading the boards, because that's what I trained for." He has since featured in commercials for Chicago Town Pizza as a Simon Cowell lookalike.
Formats and track listings
These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Something Beautiful".
UK CD
(Released 27 July 2003)
- "Something Beautiful" – 4:48
- "Berliner Star" – 3:52
- "Coffee, Tea & Sympathy" – 4:35
UK DVD
(Released 27 July 2003)
- "Something Beautiful" (video) – 4:48
- "Berliner Star" (audio) – 3:52
- "Coffee, Tea & Sympathy" (audio) – 4:25