Why Does the Robbie Williams Video for Feel Show a Bingo Game?

Music videos are a great way for artists to fill in the blanks and give some more details about what their songs mean than they can fit into the lyrics. In the case of Robbie Williams’ song Feel from 2002, the section showing the singer taking part in a bingo game raised eyebrows at the time but with the benefit of hindsight can we work out what it means?

Why Did Robbie Go to a Bingo Game in the Video?

The singer is known to be a fan of bingo and is reported to have played games with former band-mate Gary Barlow. At the time this video was made, online bingo was just starting to have an impact and we can see now the way this has increased the diversity and appeal of the sector. For instance, the list of Paddy Power Bingo games ranges from classic versions to themed games in many different bingo rooms. This means that players can look at options like free bingo or jackpot games and decide which to play. They also offer Slingo, which is a cross between bingo and slots that has further diversified the sector.

Other music videos have also used bingo, such as SWMRS and their Lose Lose Lose song. The band explained that they wanted to contrast punk energy with performing in a bingo hall, to show the clash in style between these genres. Bingo My Love by Cleopatra takes a different approach as it uses the name of the game without actually being about bingo.

But at the time of Feel, the game of bingo was considered more niche than it is now, with relatively few people having tried it online. This song’s video shows Robbie as a cool cowboy who meets a woman played by actress Daryl Hannah. The couple fall in love and the action switches to them happily playing bingo in what looks like a modest café or restaurant, which at first doesn’t seem to fit in with the glamorous and exciting images in the rest of the video.

Looking at the Lyrics More Deeply

Once we concentrate more closely on the song’s lyrics, we realize that it’s about the search for his place in the world and making real connections with people. With frank lyrics where he opens up about his doubts and insecurities, as described here in this Yahoo News article, it presumably seemed right to him that they should film the couple having an intimate moment together playing a game that he loves and that, at the time, was probably considered to be less fashionable than it is now.

Robbie admits to pouring his heart out when he sang the song on the original demo, and since he wasn’t able to sing it again with such genuine emotion it was this early take that was used in the final version of the song. Songwriter Guy Chambers also pointed out that the lyrics are honest and deep. This review on the BBC site calls it a study in 21st-century loneliness, but while the lyrics suggest an unfinished search for happiness, the video gives us a glimpse of how playing bingo with a special person could be exactly what the singer is looking for.

Feel is one of the best Robbie Williams songs and the inclusion of a bingo game in the video feels like a very personal touch that perhaps not all viewers appreciated at the time but that looks perfect when we watch it now.

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About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.