Posted on 03/14/2023 4:03:36 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Many artists have one song they can’t escape, and Phil Collins is the same. At some stage, a creation stops being under the ownership of the artist who crafted it and becomes a part of the collective lexicon. Phil Collins’ pop behemoth ‘In The Air Tonight’ is one such piece that transcended the artist.
Following Peter Gabriel’s departure from the group, they desperately needed to reinvent themselves to survive, and Collins stepped up to become the band’s new singer. It was a decision which could have gravely backfired, but instead, it started the most commercially successful chapter of Genesis’ career, and for many, it’s their favourite era.
After his success as a swashbuckling frontman, Collins started a solo career in 1980 and announced himself with his debut single, ‘In The Air Tonight’. The track charted internationally and made him a star in his own right without the backing of Genesis. His drumming is perhaps one of the single most iconic fills to ever be extrapolated from the instrument and its a pattern that still stalks Collins to this day.
However, ‘In The Air Tonight’ is a painful reminder of a dark period in Collins’ life after the heartbreaking break-up of his first marriage. When he wrote the track, his mind was in a lonely place, and the artist used music as a form of therapy. Unexpectedly, it became the biggest hit of his career and continues to follow him everywhere he goes.
Speaking of the track to Rolling Stone, Collins said: “This song has become a stone around my neck, though I do love it. I wrote it after my wife left me. Genesis had done a tour that was far too long. She said to me, ‘We won’t be together if you do the next tour.’ I said, ‘I’m a musician. I have to go away and play. Just hold your breath when I’m over there.’ Then Genesis toured Japan. When I got back, she said she was leaving and taking the kids.
“At the time, Genesis had decided to change things up a bit, maybe rattle our cages. The idea was to record separately with these new Roland drum machines we’d been given. I set up a studio in the master bedroom of my house with a Fender Rhodes piano and a drum kit. One day I was working on a piece in D-minor, the saddest [key] of all. I just wrote a sequence, and it sounded nice. I wrote the lyrics spontaneously. I’m not quite sure what the song is about, but there’s a lot of anger, a lot of despair and a lot of frustration.”
He added: “Nobody knows what the song is about, and I kind of like the mystery. And now NFL players use it to work out. I saw a video recently of Steph Curry singing it in his car, and it was just in an ad for milk chocolate. Where will it end? But I’m not complaining. It paid for this house we’re in right now!”
While Collins views the song as “a stone around my neck”, he’s also gracious about the riches it has given him, including his luxury Californian mansion. Additionally, he’s acutely aware it’s better to be remembered for one song rather than none at all.
An artist should be proud of the work he does. It’s a great song.
It was almost on the Duke album, which would have fit perfectly. Seems to have done OK on its own...
Could have been worse. Just ask James Taylor.
I saw his last & final tour, he sung from a chair and no longer plays he’s so boogered up.
In the Air Tonight is definitely a moving song. It once work perfectly for me after a breakup as I burned love letters. (Remember those … writing on paper … what a concept 😆)
He’ had some bad luck with marriage. The last one threw him out of their Miami Beach home and started shacking w her boyfriend and became squatters
Bkmk
I was really too young to understand that kind of betrayal and the heartbreak that comes with it. Later in life, when I understood, I could still hear those haunting piano cords.
Always liked this song, especially when the drums kick in. I had the album, too.
Great drum work. I crank it up when Phil gets after it.
Yeah, I usually skipped "Please Don't Ask", but the rest of the album is great. Probably the best thing Phil did with Genesis was "Guide Vocal".
Very sad that the wife had not signed on to her partner’s career. She should’ve figured it out before. My father was an officer in the military. My mother was a good military wife, accepting the times when he had to be away.
Meanwhile, Peter Gabriel is recording a new album, and the songs I’ve heard so far are pretty good, and he’s touring this year. I hope I can see him this time. I’ve missed out on his other tours.
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