No One Likes a Fat Pop Star

Album: Swings Both Ways (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This lighthearted song is a riposte to the tabloids' reporting of Williams' battles with weight problems. In the middle of the singer's Take the Crown tour, a newspaper printed some really unflattering pictures of him performing.
  • The song includes a verse where Williams sings, operatically,

    "Now you've upset me I feel like a snack.
    A packet of Minstrels, a pie and a nap
    So what's wrong with that?"

    "Fat Pop Star started as a joke," co-writer Guy Chambers told The Daily Telegraph. "I came up with the chorus melody, which is very operatic, and Rob can really sing that kind of music. When we performed it for the first time the whole crowd spontaneously stood up and started clapping. It was great seeing the shock of the public following that lyric and to hear him singing like Pavarotti."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Hawksley Workman

Hawksley WorkmanSongwriter Interviews

One of Canada's most popular and eclectic performers, Hawksley tells stories about his oldest songs, his plentiful side projects, and the ways that he keeps his songwriting fresh.

Penny Ford of Snap!

Penny Ford of Snap!Songwriter Interviews

The original voice of Snap! this story is filled with angry drag queens, video impersonators and Chaka Khan.

Queen

QueenFact or Fiction

Scaramouch, a hoople and a superhero soundtrack - see if you can spot the real Queen stories.

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up Musicians

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up MusiciansSong Writing

Eddie (played by Johnny Depp in the video) found fame fleeting, but Chuck Berry's made-up musician fared better.

Jimmy Webb

Jimmy WebbSongwriter Interviews

Webb talks about his classic songs "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "Wichita Lineman" and "MacArthur Park."

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?