If an album is going to be based on a theme, it’s usually the case that the artist who releases that record will focus on that theme for a single LP. Then they’ll move on to something different the next time around.
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In the case of Phil Collins, however, he was still feeling the sting of a divorce, even after spending much of an entire album exploring his feelings about it. It led him to write and record “I Don’t Care Anymore”, a searing song of frustration released in 1982.
Sudden Solo Success
That Phil Collins would even get to the point where he would release a second solo album that would be highly anticipated might have seemed a long shot at the start of the 80s. Collins had only taken over as lead singer of Genesis in the latter half of the 70s when Peter Gabriel skedaddled from the group.
He also wasn’t exactly that adept as a songwriter at that point, at least not in terms of commercial fare. But his impending divorce from his first wife helped to inspire his creative juices. During a break between Genesis projects, he released the album Face Value, his first solo effort, in 1981.
The album surprised many with its success, which was spurred by the stunning single “In The Air Tonight”. Like many of the other songs on Face Value, that track emanated from the lurking feelings of loss and helplessness about his broken marriage. As it turned out, he didn’t quite get everything off his chest in that one sitting.
“Care” Package
Collins was riding high professionally in 1982. After the success of Face Value, Collins and Genesis enjoyed their most commercially successful album with Abacab in 1981. When the tour for that record ended, he headed right back to the studio to make another solo record, once again working with producer Hugh Padgham.
As is often the case with divorce, the legal wranglings lingered on well after the couple had separated. Collins apparently was getting fed up with the demands being made on him. “I Don’t Care Anymore” represented his rather bitter, defiant response to those demands.
Unlike “In The Air Tonight”, which made listeners wait for the big drum sounds, “I Don’t Care Anymore” comes right out pounding. Collins’ vocals stay at a barely contained simmer for a while before he explodes in the final moments. The song squeaked into the Top 40 in 1982 when released as a single. But it has enjoyed an impressive afterlife on classic rock radio.
Behind the Lyrics of “I Don’t Care Anymore”
In “I Don’t Care Anymore”, Collins plays the role of a guy who’s been battered for so long that he ceases to give any resistance. “You won’t catch me crying ‘cause I just can’t win,” he admits. He lashes out at his ex’s behavior: “And it seems to me there’s a means to an end.”
Collins’ one-liners get more biting as the song progresses. “I don’t care what you say,” he jibes. “We never played by the same rules anyway.” Having been the put-upon one for so long, the narrator simply wants his freedom to grieve his lost love in peace. “’Cause all I want out of you is just a-let me be,” Collins sneers.
The song ends with Collins moaning the words “no more” again and again over a peppery drumbeat. Maybe that was his way of saying that he was closing out the topic of his divorce for good. “I Don’t Care Anymore” certainly proved a cathartic way for him to put it all to rest.
Photo by Bob King/Redferns
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