Home | Songs By Year | Songs from 2000
Eternity/The Road to Mandalay
Buy Eternity/The Road to Mandalay now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the song. And once you've experienced the song, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Eternity" / "The Road to Mandalay
| cover = Robbie Williams - Eternity- The Road to Mandalay - CD double cover.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Robbie Williams
| B-side = Toxic
| released =
| recorded =
| studio = Master Rock, Sarm Hook End ("The Road to Mandalay")
| genre =
| length =
| label = Chrysalis
| writer =
| producer =
| prev_title = Let Love Be Your Energy
| prev_year = 2001
| next_title = Better Man
| next_year = 2001
| misc =
}}
"'Eternity'" / "'The Road to Mandalay'" is the fifth single from English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams' third studio album, 'Sing When You're Winning' (2000). "Eternity" does not appear on the album but was later included on Williams' 'Greatest Hits' album in 2004. The lyrics of "Eternity" were written as a tribute to Williams' close friendship with Geri Halliwell. Brian May of Queen plays electric guitar on the track.
Released on 9 July 2001, the double A-side was the 20th-best-selling single of 2001 in the United Kingdom, topping the country's singles chart, and also peaked at number two in Ireland. "Eternity" as a solo single reached number one in New Zealand and became a top-10 hit in eight other countries. Though "Eternity" never appeared on a Robbie Williams studio album, a comedic snippet of the song can be heard in "Outtakes", a hidden track on 'Swing When You're Winning'.
Music videos
The video for "The Road to Mandalay" shows Robbie Williams and four friends driving a Jensen FF and a Ford Transit van, alternatively goofing around and scoping out a money transport van and the people who transport the money in Marseille. When the robbery goes down, Williams and his friends dress with masks covering their faces and run into the transport van with a truck. Holding up a sign with the French words "Ouvrez ou je bute le chien" ("Open or I kill the dog"), and showing the dog of one of the drivers, thus showing they know where to find the driver's family, they quickly move the money to another van, then celebrate while driving off. Williams invites his friends to his new plush house, celebrating with plenty of champagne and cake. The video ends with the van nearly running over an elderly lady, and with Williams waking up startled next to his girlfriend (Australian model Lisa Seiffert).
The video for "Eternity" is a sequel to "The Road to Mandalay". It was directed by Vaughan Arnell. It is mixed with scenes from the first video, which are scenes of Williams and his girlfriend lounging around their house in Spain, playing pool and walking along the beach and jumping on the trampoline. These scenes are also intercut with scenes of Williams and his girlfriend standing opposite each other, looking wistfully at each other. The end of the video shows Williams giving his girlfriend a long parting kiss, then being handcuffed and led away to several waiting Guardia Civil police cars, having been tracked down from clues left at the scene of the robbery.
Track listings
'UK CD and cassette single'
# "Eternity" 5:02
# "The Road to Mandalay" 3:57
# "Toxic" 3:48
'European CD single'
# "Eternity" 5:02
# "The Road to Mandalay" 3:57
'French CD single'
# "The Road to Mandalay" 3:57
# "Eternity" 5:02
Credits and personnel
"Eternity"
Credits are taken from the 'Greatest Hits' album booklet.'Studio'
* Mastered at Metropolis Mastering (London, England)
'Personnel'
* Robbie Williams writing, lead vocals
* Guy Chambers writing, piano, production, arrangement
* Gary Nuttall backing vocals, acoustic guitar
* Claire Worrall backing vocals
* Phil Palmer acoustic guitar
* Brian May electric guitar
* Melvin Duffy pedal steel guitar
* B. J. Cole pedal steel guitar
* Dave Clayton keyboards
* Andy Duncan percussion
* Steve Power production, mixing
* Richard Flack Pro Tools
* Tony Cousins mastering
"The Road to Mandalay"
Credits are taken from the 'Sing When You're Winning' album booklet.'Studios'
* Recorded at Master Rock Studios (North London, England) and Sarm Hook End (Reading, England)
* Mixed at Battery Studios (London, England)
* Mastered at Metropolis Mastering (London, England)
'Personnel'
* Robbie Williams writing, lead vocals
* Guy Chambers writing, backing vocals, piano, organ, Mellotron, clavinet, Omnichord, production, arrangement
* Andy Caine backing vocals
* Steve McEwan backing vocals
* Phil Palmer acoustic and electric guitars
* Dave Catlin-Birch bass guitar
* Melvin Duffy pedal steel guitar
* Chris Sharrock drums
* Andy Duncan drum programming, Pro Tools
* Bob Lanese trumpet
* Pauline Boeykens tuba
* Edgar Herzog clarinet
* Alex Dickson autoharp
* Steve Power glockenspiel, production, mixing
* Richard Flack Pro Tools
* Jim Brumby Pro Tools
* Tony Cousins mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
Category:2000 songs
Category:2000s ballads
Category:2001 singles
Category:Chrysalis Records singles
Category:Music videos directed by Vaughan Arnell
Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand
Category:Pop ballads
Category:Robbie Williams songs
Category:Song recordings produced by Guy Chambers
Category:Song recordings produced by Steve Power
Category:Songs written by Guy Chambers
Category:Songs written by Robbie Williams
Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles
Buy Eternity/The Road to Mandalay now from Amazon
<-- Return to songs from 2000