“Children” by Robert Miles
“Children (Composition)” is a song by the late Swiss-Italian DJ and music producer Robert Miles. Miles first released this song as part of his 1995 EP entitled Soundtracks via DBX Records. This particular release failed to chart.
Re-released Version
It was re-released (both the original and a “Dream Version”, which features vocals) in November of that same year – this time by a different record label. The re-released version was the lead single from Robert Miles’ first studio album, Dreamland.
The latter release was very successful. It climbed to the number 21 spot on America’s Billboard Hot 100 and number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. It also claimed the top spot on records charts in several countries, including the following:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Canada
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Iceland
- Italy
- Norway
- Scotland
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
In addition to this, it also topped the UK Dance and Billboard Hot Dance Club Play charts.
Certification
“Children” has also been certified Platinum in France, Germany, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom .Furthermore, it went on to achieve Gold certification in Australia and Sweden.
Inspiration behind “Children”
The initial inspiration for the composition of this track stemmed from photographs of children from war-torn Yugoslavia Robert Miles (1969-2017) bore witness to via his dad, Albino Concina, who acquired them from a humanitarian mission in that country.
This track falls into the “trance” (specifically “dream trance”) genre of club music. And there is a very-specific reason Robert Miles designed it so. His goal was to create a set-ending track which would calm partygoers down before heading out the door. This was because at the time, car accidents by young people coming home from raves were very-problematic, especially in Miles’ home country of Italy. In fact the situation got so bad that these incidents were collectively dubbed “Saturday Night Slaughter”.
As such, Miles is accredited as one of the pioneers of trance music, a club-based phenomenon which occurred in the 1990s.
All of this considered, “Children” was the signature song of Robert Miles’ career, all for a track which only cost him £150 or $250 to record!
Robert Miles’ “Dreamland” Album
On June 7, 1996, Italian record producer and DJ, Robert Miles, released his debut studio album, titled Dreamland. The album is considered one of the world’s greatest albums by an Italian artist. It has received numerous platinum and gold certifications in about 12 countries. It peaked at number 54 on the Billboard 200 chart, and number 7 on the UK Albums chart. The album also picked up a host of awards including the Brit award for best international debut, best-selling male Newcomer at the World Music Awards, and two BMIs.
However, the initial release of the album was only available for certain regions of Europe. It was then released to the United States about a month later after it became a hit in every part of Europe. The version released in the United States contained an additional song titled, One and One. Miles wrote all the songs on the album except One and One, which was co-written by Billy Steinberg, Marie-Claire D’Ubaldo, and Rick Nowels. Here are some of the songs on the project:
- “Children”
- “Fable”
- “Fantasya”
- “Landscape”
- “In My Dreams”
- “Princess of Light”
- “In the Dawn”
- “Red Zone”
- “One and One”
Who is Robert Miles?
Roberto Concina, professionally known as Robert Miles was a legendary Italian record producer, musician, DJ, and composer. Born in Fleurier, Switzerland, Robert grew up in Friuli, Italy where his parents moved to. He became very exceptional at the skill of playing the piano and DJing as a teen and at 13, he was invited by the locals in Friuli, to DJ in many house parties.
He began his music career in 1984 under the name Robert Milani. After strategizing for his career, Robert adopted the name Miles, as a symbol of remembrance of the musical journey he had to take to achieve his goals in the career. He worked as a regular DJ in many Venice area clubs, radio networks, and record labels including Metromaxx. In 1990, he started his own business by establishing his own pirate radio station and a recording studio.
In 1995, he officially released Children, his all-time hit song, with which he is primarily identified. The song topped the European Hot 100 charts, shortly after its release, and was the number one song in many countries including Denmark, Austria, USA, Germany, France, Finland, and Belgium. He received multiple gold and platinum certifications from these countries for the song. He also received numerous awards for the song, including a World music award and a Brit Award. As of 2019, Robert remained the only Italian artist to win a Brit Award. The song has sold over 5 million copies across the world.
Robert Dies
In 2016, Robert found out that he was suffering from stage 4 metastatic cancer, after seeking medical care from his doctor. Through various medical solutions and therapy, he fought the cancer for over 11 months. However, on May 9, 2017, he lost his life to the cancer while in Ibiza, Spain. He died at age 47.
