Robert Miles’ ‘Children’ celebrates 31 years since the track became one of the most successful instrumental dance records of the 1990s

When Robert Miles released Children internationally in November 1995, the instrumental stood apart from much of the dance music reaching mainstream charts at the time. Its recognisable piano melody sat over a steady electronic beat, giving the track a sound that worked in clubs while still reaching radio audiences across Europe. Within months, Children had become an international hit and introduced Robert Miles to listeners far beyond the club scene.

The Personal Story Behind the Piano Melody

The origins of Children stretch beyond its later success. Robert Miles, born Roberto Concina, drew part of his inspiration from photographs his father had taken during humanitarian work in the former Yugoslavia, where the impact of war on children left a lasting impression on him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Another influence came from Italian nightlife in the early 1990s, when young people often faced dangerous journeys home after long nights in clubs. Robert Miles wanted DJs to have something calmer to play towards the end of the night, and that idea became part of the thinking behind Children. Those influences eventually came together through the piano line that became the track’s most recognisable feature, with the melody carrying much of the emotion over a four-on-the-floor rhythm.

From an Early Release to an International Breakthrough

Children first appeared earlier in 1995 through DBX Records, but the initial release attracted limited attention. The track gained more traction after Joe T. Vannelli played it in Miami, where Simon Berry of Platipus Records heard it and helped bring it to a wider market.

Its international release later that year changed the course of Robert Miles’ career. Children reached No. 1 in several European countries, including Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland, while climbing to No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, it reached No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the dance chart, while in the UK it spent ten weeks inside the Top 10 and also received early support from Pete Tong.

How ‘Children’ Became Closely Linked With Dream House

The success of Children helped bring wider attention to dream house, a style associated with softer melodies, piano and atmospheric synths over electronic rhythms. The sound already existed before Robert Miles broke internationally, but Children became one of the records most closely linked with its rise during the mid-1990s.

That influence has continued into more recent dance music, with Switch Disco and Ella Henderson sampling the melody for React in 2023. The track reached No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart, bringing the familiar piano line back into mainstream charts more than two decades after Children first broke internationally.