According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), Take the Crown was the 36th global best-selling album of 2012, with sales of 1.2 million copies.

[5] At the 2013 Brit Awards, "Candy" was nominated for British Single of the Year but lost to Adele's "Skyfall".

[citation needed] To promote the album, Williams started the Take the Crown Stadium Tour, which lasted from June to August 2013.

Not wishing to denigrate the art of the record executive, but Island may as well have chosen the lead single by chucking a dart at the inlay sleeve.

Williams said of the track: "It's a summer song, very much in a similar vein to 'Rock DJ', about a girl who thinks she's great.

He said that "The presence of producer Jacknife Lee demonstrates that Robbie's search to replace Guy Chambers and Steve Power has grown less urgent and more interesting".

He said that the album was "crafted with great skill, Williams and producer Jacknife Lee turning their hands to a range of styles".

Petridis said that "You end up with an album that, had it been released as the followup to 2005's Intensive Care, would almost certainly have been the vast success that Williams wants it to be now.

He said that the album is "chock-full of anthemic, highly charged pop-rock songs but the stadium-scale synth and guitar blend is a long way from cutting-edge contemporary chart music, while a recurring lyrical theme is regret for past behaviour".

[23] In November 2012, Robbie Williams performed three concerts at The O2 Arena in London as part of a promotional tour of the album.

It was noted that "there's not much of the big visual gimmickry that tends to mark out pop shows: it relies on Williams's personality and arsenal of hits to carry it, which they do.

Jupp also said that Williams is "a true entertainer, he treads a fine line between cheeky and offensive, like a racier version of Bruce Forsyth.

"[27] The shows also featured special appearances from Take That bandmate Gary Barlow and music producer Guy Chambers with whom Williams has not worked with since 2002.