After he left Take That, Williams' first record was the song "Freedom", which was written by George Michael. His first album was called "Life Thru a Lens". It was first sold in September 1997. At this time, Williams had many problems with alcohol and depression. "Angels", a song from his first album, became his most famous song. Because "Angels" was so successful, the album "Life Thru a Lens" became much more popular, and he sold more than three million copies of it in Europe.