Genesis successfully made the jump from progressive rock mavericks to mainstream pop heroes. The catalyst for the transformation was the songwriting development of drummer/lead singer Phil Collins. Wracked by personal torment and grief surrounding a failed marriage, Collins couldn’t help but start writing songs about it all. He wrote “Misunderstanding” early on in this process, and the song gave Genesis their biggest hit in the US to that point.
Videos by American Songwriter
A New Band
When Peter Gabriel departed Genesis, the remaining band members initially carried on without too much change to their signature style. They still depended upon ornate song suites that built up and unwound over much longer stretches of time than the average pop song. And the subject matter often wandered into fantastical realms.
Once the band was down to three members, Genesis started to rethink their approach. For one, audience tastes were changing, and prog rock held less sway as the 70s began to wane. On top of that, the band members wanted to come in from the outer reaches. They wished to start writing about things that were more germane to their lives and the lives of their fans.
Phil Collins hadn’t written much for the band throughout much of the 70s. But as his first marriage crumbled over the demands placed on him by being in Genesis, he found himself starting to pen some tracks of his own. Genesis’ “Misunderstanding” came from that batch.
Collins’ New Songs
There was a time when it seemed iffy whether Collins would return to the band. In an attempt to save his marriage, he actually headed to Canada for a while. That left the other band members (Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks) unable to do much of anything.
Once Collins gave up on the marriage, he returned to England and started writing songs that helped him deal with the frustration and sorrow he was feeling. As he demoed these tracks, he started to realize that they might be a bit too personal for Genesis and would be better suited to a solo album.
Still, since Rutherford and Banks had recently done solo albums of their own, they didn’t have a ton of songs to bring to the Genesis party. As a result, Collins used a few of the potential solo songs on the 1980 band album Duke, including “Misunderstanding”.
Interesting tidbit: Genesis also had the chance to record “In The Air Tonight”, but allowed Collins to keep it for Face Value in 1981.
Behind the Lyrics of “Misunderstanding”
“Misunderstanding” by Genesis details the angst of a narrator who has been stood up by his lover. He tries to rationalize this missed date: “There must be some misunderstanding/There must be some kind of mistake.” He can’t bring himself to face the truth, but that truth is coming by the end of the song.
He admits to the depth of his love for her. “Never dreamed I’d have this feeling,” he says. “But seeing you is believing.” In the final middle eight, however, his world is shattered by what he witnesses. “I still don’t believe it,” Collins sings. “He was just leaving.”
“Misunderstanding” might not reach the same depths as other Collins’ songs of lost love from that era. But the bouncy piano and the anguished melody made it an ideal pop confection. And it set the tone for one of the biggest band transformations in rock history.
Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.