Phil Collins’ Own Heartbreak Inspired One of His Biggest Hits in the 1980s

In 1984, Phil Collins had a No. 1 hit with “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)”. It is part of the soundtrack for the Against All Odds film, also out in 1984. Collins is the sole writer of the song, which was inspired by his own heartbreak.

Videos by American Songwriter

The chorus of “Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)” says, “So, take a look at me now / Well, there’s just an empty space / And there’s nothing left here to remind me / Just the memory of your face / Oh, take a look at me now / Well, there’s just an empty space / And you coming back to me is against the odds / And that’s what I’ve got to face.”

“Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)” quickly became one of Collins’s most successful songs. It is his first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It’s likely little consolation, since Collins wrote the sad song about his split from his first wife, Andrea Bertorelli. The two got married in 1975, divorcing in 1980.

“That song was written during my first divorce,” Collins reveals (via Songfacts). “My first wife and the kids had gone, and I was left there. The song was written out of experience as opposed to a ‘what if’ song.”

Why Phil Collins Is Grateful for What Inspired “Against All Odds (Take a Look At Me Now)”

“Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)” came when Collins was in the middle of a lot of personal pain. He was also finding his footing as a solo artist, after being mostly known for his work with Genesis. The heartache of his divorce allowed him to tap into feelings he says may have otherwise been left uncovered.

“If that personal stuff had not happened to me at the time, I probably would never have made an album,” Collins reflects. “And if I was to have made an album eventually, it probably would have been a jazz/rock thing. Without that stuff, I wouldn’t have felt the stuff I felt sitting at a piano night after night, day after day, writing stuff.”

Collins originally wrote “Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)” for his debut solo album, Face Value. He had no idea that the song would eventually become an integral part of a movie.

“I wasn’t drawn to it initially,” Collins admits. “I didn’t like it as much as ‘You Know What I Mean,’ and I thought there was only room for one of those on the album.”

Collins won his first Grammy for this song.

Photo by Bob King/Redferns