Make Me Pure

Album: Intensive Care (2005)
Charted: 2
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Robbie Williams wrote "Make Me Pure" after turning 30 and feeling like he had a "spiritual void" in his life. The song is addressed to God, with Williams asking in the refrain: "Oh Lord, make me pure, but not yet." This is a paraphrase of a quote by Saint Augustine of Hippo, who once said: "Da mihi castitatem et continentiam, sed noli modo (Give me chastity and continence, but not yet)."
  • Williams wrote this song with Stephen Duffy and Chris Heath. Before he collaborated with Williams on Intensive Care, Duffy was a member of both Duran Duran and The Lilac Time. Chris Heath, meanwhile, is a British author who spent almost two years working with Williams on his biography Feel, which came out in September 2004.
  • The music video for "Make Me Pure" depicts Williams and his band performing the song in a garage-turned-studio. It received minimal promotion at the time, with most television channels choosing instead to broadcast the video for the more popular A-side single, "Tripping."
  • "Make Me Pure" was the first single released from Williams' sixth album, Intensive Care. It was issued as a double A-side along with "Tripping" in the UK, with both songs peaking at #2. "Make Me Pure" also peaked at #15 in the Netherlands, despite not being released as an official single there.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Randy Newman

Randy NewmanSongwriting Legends

Newman makes it look easy these days, but in this 1974 interview, he reveals the paranoia and pressures that made him yearn for his old 9-5 job.

Jason Newsted (ex-Metallica)

Jason Newsted (ex-Metallica)Songwriter Interviews

The former Metallica bassist talks about his first time writing a song with James Hetfield, and how a hand-me-down iPad has changed his songwriting.

The Real Nick Drake

The Real Nick DrakeSong Writing

The head of Drake's estate shares his insights on the late folk singer's life and music.

Jules Shear - "All Through The Night"

Jules Shear - "All Through The Night"They're Playing My Song

Shears does very little promotion, which has kept him secluded from the spotlight. What changed when Cyndi Lauper had a hit with his song? Not much, really.

Paul Williams

Paul WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

He's a singer and an actor, but as a songwriter Paul helped make Kermit a cultured frog, turned a bank commercial into a huge hit and made love both "exciting and new" and "soft as an easy chair."

Kerry Livgren of Kansas

Kerry Livgren of KansasSongwriter Interviews

In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind."