Always a bright spark, even in his Take That days, Robbie Williams used his natural charisma as a performer—and tendency to write lyrics that were both confessional and comedic—to fill a post-Britpop yearning for big, Beatles-esque pop songs. These were delivered with a wink and a grin, but there was always a bitter edge even to his most chirpy ditties. Williams transformed himself into a globe-straddling pop star—the biggest Britain produced during the early '00s—with enough influence to temporarily rehabilitate swing music, and he made peace (and the album Progress) with his former bandmates in 2010.