# Is Robbie Williams the biggest music star not to break into the USA market? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 1, 2007, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robbie-williams-the-biggest-music-star-not-to-break-into-the-usa-market/398278 "2007-04-01T07:07:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![blinkingblinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@blinkingblinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinkingblinking)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robbie-williams-the-biggest-music-star-not-to-break-into-the-usa-market/398278/1 "2007-04-01T07:07:57Z")
I have heard sales of over 70 million albums. No cite. Not to mention concert tours around the world ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robbie-williams-the-biggest-music-star-not-to-break-into-the-usa-market/398278/2 "2007-04-01T07:15:51Z")
Kate Bush and David Hasselhoff spring to mind, equally citeless. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robbie-williams-the-biggest-music-star-not-to-break-into-the-usa-market/398278/3 "2007-04-01T07:51:08Z")
Obligatory Wiki Link: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbie\_williams#Reception\_in\_United\_States](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbie_williams#Reception_in_United_States) ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robbie-williams-the-biggest-music-star-not-to-break-into-the-usa-market/398278/4 "2007-04-01T07:53:24Z")
Here’s a whole slew of singers who have sold more records than Robbie Williams, some of whom have also never really broke into the U.S. market: > **[List of best-selling music artists](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_selling_music_artists)** > > The following list of best-selling music artists includes those music acts from the 20th century to the present with claims of 75 million or more record sales worldwide. This information cannot be listed officially, as there is no organization that has recorded global music sales. > The tables are listed with each artist's claimed sales figure(s) and their total independently certified units and are ranked in descending order by claimed sales. If two or more artists have the same claimed sales... ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robbie-williams-the-biggest-music-star-not-to-break-into-the-usa-market/398278/5 "2007-04-01T09:10:49Z")
I have heard of Robbie Williams (from SDMB) but have never heard his music that I know of. A friend of mine is a huge hit in Germany but she is unknown in the USA (except for **Annie Xmas** here on the boards.) [Angelika Milster](http://www.angelika-milster.de/) ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robbie-williams-the-biggest-music-star-not-to-break-into-the-usa-market/398278/6 "2007-04-01T09:20:07Z")
[QUOTE=DMark] I have heard of Robbie Williams (from SDMB) but have never heard his music that I know of. A friend of mine is a huge hit in Germany but she is unknown in the USA (except for **Annie Xmas** here on the boards.) [Angelika Milster](http://www.angelika-milster.de/) [/QUOTE] Oh, in case you don’t speak German and want to hear some clips from her most recent album, click [here](http://www.angelikamilster.de/mit_den_augen_der_liebe/detail.php?nr=216&kategorie=mit_den_augen_der_liebe) and then click on the black word, “anhoeren”. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robbie-williams-the-biggest-music-star-not-to-break-into-the-usa-market/398278/7 "2007-04-01T09:32:09Z")
I heard one Robbie Williams song (in Japan) and liked it, so went to buy the CD. Put the CD in and found out that every other song on there was unlistenable dreck. Most likely, the one song was written for him by professional music writers, while as the rest were things he had “created.” I suspect that his popularity hasn’t transferred over the pond because the US has it’s own manufactured talent without transporting them in. [Supreme](http://youtube.com/watch?v=8ivr4XVssaU) is a good song though. He _can_ sing well, when given a good song. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robbie-williams-the-biggest-music-star-not-to-break-into-the-usa-market/398278/8 "2007-04-01T09:53:08Z")
[QUOTE=Sage Rat] [Supreme](http://youtube.com/watch?v=8ivr4XVssaU) is a good song though. He _can_ sing well, when given a good song. [/QUOTE] OK, matter of taste. I am sure many hearing my link to Angelika might say the same, but I watched and listened to this video clip and, well, it sounds like really, really bad Eurovison. James Blunt has done very well over here simply because he doesn’t sound like that. ---
**Author:** ![blinkingblinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@blinkingblinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinkingblinking)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robbie-williams-the-biggest-music-star-not-to-break-into-the-usa-market/398278/9 "2007-04-01T10:40:53Z")
[QUOTE=Wendell Wagner] Here’s a whole slew of singers who have sold more records than Robbie Williams, some of whom have also never really broke into the U.S. market: > **[List of best-selling music artists](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_selling_music_artists)** > > The following list of best-selling music artists includes musical artists from the 20th century to the present with claims of 75 million or more record sales worldwide. The tables list artists in descending order by claimed sales; artists with equal claimed sales are ranked by certified units. The claimed-sales and certified-unit figures include sales of albums, singles, compilation albums, and music videos as well as downloads of singles and full-length albums. Sales figures, such as those fr... [/QUOTE] But Robbie is also one of the most popular concert acts of the last decade. His world tours have been huge. I am not just going by album sales. ---
**Author:** ![blinkingblinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@blinkingblinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinkingblinking)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robbie-williams-the-biggest-music-star-not-to-break-into-the-usa-market/398278/10 "2007-04-01T10:50:42Z")
[QUOTE=blinkingblinking] But Robbie is also one of the most popular concert acts of the last decade. His world tours have been huge. I am not just going by album sales. [/QUOTE] Looking for figures on concert ticket sales. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robbie-williams-the-biggest-music-star-not-to-break-into-the-usa-market/398278/11 "2007-04-01T11:00:51Z")
> [@](#): > > 26th November 2005 00:00:00 > > Robbie Williams breaks record with concert ticket sales > > ROBBIE WILLIAMS has set a new world record, after selling more than 1.6 million concert tickets for his 2006 world tour - earning an estimated $144 million (£80 million). > > The British pop hunk’s impressive ticket sales have earned him a spot in the 2007 Guinness World Book of Records. [http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/entertainment/112202004.htm](http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/entertainment/112202004.htm) He’s very popular, to say the least. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robbie-williams-the-biggest-music-star-not-to-break-into-the-usa-market/398278/12 "2007-04-01T12:20:46Z")
[QUOTE=Sage Rat] Most likely, the one song was written for him by professional music writers, while as the rest were things he had “created.” [/QUOTE] I hold no particular brief for Mr Williams, but you’re wrong about this. Just about everything he records is a collaboration with very experienced songwriters, lyricists and producers, and Robbie himself usually gets a ‘co-writer’ credit in there somewhere as well. I doubt there’s anything he has ever recorded that is his own solo creation (and he doesn’t claim otherwise, let it be said). Sorry you didn’t like any of the other tracks, and I probably wouldn’t have liked them either (I’ve never bought anything with his name on it). But it’s very likely this ‘dreck’ was the work of some of the best and most commercially successful song-writing talent available. After all, Robbie can be choosy: here in the UK, just about every writer and producer of note would give anything to work with RW. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robbie-williams-the-biggest-music-star-not-to-break-into-the-usa-market/398278/13 "2007-04-01T12:25:07Z")
[QUOTE=Wendell Wagner] Here’s a whole slew of singers who have sold more records than Robbie Williams, some of whom have also never really broke into the U.S. market: > **[List of best-selling music artists](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_selling_music_artists)** > > The following list of best-selling music artists includes musical artists from the 20th century to the present with claims of 75 million or more record sales worldwide. The tables list artists in descending order by claimed sales; artists with equal claimed sales are ranked by certified units. The claimed-sales and certified-unit figures include sales of albums, singles, compilation albums, and music videos as well as downloads of singles and full-length albums. Sales figures, such as those fr... [/QUOTE] I find it hard to believe that Julitísimo is the only Spanish artist to have had that kind of sales… **DMark** , you must never listen to Viva or MTV, I’ve seen him in both. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robbie-williams-the-biggest-music-star-not-to-break-into-the-usa-market/398278/14 "2007-04-01T12:28:03Z")
[QUOTE=DMark] I watched and listened to this video clip and, well, it sounds like really, really bad Eurovison. [/QUOTE] The other songs were worse. _nods_ ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robbie-williams-the-biggest-music-star-not-to-break-into-the-usa-market/398278/15 "2007-04-01T12:29:22Z")
[QUOTE=ianzin] But it’s very likely this ‘dreck’ was the work of some of the best and most commercially successful song-writing talent available. After all, Robbie can be choosy: here in the UK, just about every writer and producer of note would give anything to work with RW. [/QUOTE] Might be. He might just have really bad choice in music. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robbie-williams-the-biggest-music-star-not-to-break-into-the-usa-market/398278/16 "2007-04-01T15:11:59Z")
He had a hit here several years ago. “Millenium” did quite well, I think, but I’ve never heard anything by him since (not that I keep up very well–could be wrong). ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robbie-williams-the-biggest-music-star-not-to-break-into-the-usa-market/398278/17 "2007-04-01T15:50:43Z")
The video where he ripped off his flesh and flung it at models might have made an impression on some Americans. But it isn’t the type of thing people go for, unless they’re _already_ your fans. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robbie-williams-the-biggest-music-star-not-to-break-into-the-usa-market/398278/18 "2007-04-01T17:23:06Z")
Besides “Millenium” and “Rock DJ” (the ripping-off-his-flesh one), he also did a remake of “Beyond the Sea” for the _Finding Nemo_ soundtrack and a remake duet of “Something Stupid” with (of all people) Nicole Kidman, both of which I’ve heard several times here in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robbie-williams-the-biggest-music-star-not-to-break-into-the-usa-market/398278/19 "2007-04-01T17:51:22Z")
Note Cliff Richard of the UK up in the over 250,000,000 sales category. He was probably the leading pop music superstar while the Beatles were still trying to get gigs in Liverpool, even though he’s the same age as John and Ringo. He had 34 singles hit the UK charts in the Beatles years, 1962-1969, including five number ones and 19 other top tens. He continued enormous chart success through the 70s and 80s, having another number one hit in 1990, which is where my old book ends. The Shadows, his sometimes backing band before they split off, had instrumental hits of their own for 20 years, including three number ones and 5 other top tens during the Beatles years. Keith Richards supposedly changed his name to Keith Richard for a time (or had Andrew Loog Oldham do it for him) to make a connection with the more famous singer. Cliff Richard is arguably the single most famous musician in the UK. He was the first rock singer knighted, two years before McCartney. He supposedly has sold more records in the U.K. than anyone else, with The Beatles in second place. (Of course he had a much longer career.) Why he is essentially unknown in the U.S. is the biggest mystery in music. But there can’t be anybody bigger than him. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robbie-williams-the-biggest-music-star-not-to-break-into-the-usa-market/398278/20 "2007-04-01T18:23:32Z")
blinkingblinking writes: \> But Robbie is also one of the most popular concert acts of the last decade. His \> world tours have been huge. \> I am not just going by album sales. It’s quite likely that nearly all of the singers listed in that link also are very popular concert acts. I don’t think that Robbie Williams is anywhere near being the most popular music star never to break into the American market. As Exapno Mapcase points out, the singer most likely to have that title is Cliff Richard. In a career over forty years long, he sold enormous amounts of albums and singles, did huge numbers of concerts, and was the most popular singer for a long period in the U.K. Despite this, he’s only had a few hits in the U.S. So not only are there other wildly popular acts that never broke into the American market, there’s even one who sings in English and who really tried to make it in the U.S. but failed. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robbie-williams-the-biggest-music-star-not-to-break-into-the-usa-market/398278.md?page=2)