Phil Collins was a little-known lead singer of a band mostly known for progressive rock when he made his solo debut. Just a few years later, the Genesis frontman could boast of one of the most impressive track records of any pop star.
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He did a lot of damage on the US pop charts, where he landed at the top spot seven different times. Looking back at that group of chart-toppers gives an idea of how thoroughly Collins dominated his era.
“Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)”
Collins did a great job of dividing hit material between his solo albums and his work with Genesis. Meanwhile, his first No. 1 came in the service of a film soundtrack. He had already written the bare bones of “Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)” for his first solo album. Ultimately, he decided to leave it off because he thought there were too many other songs like it on the record. It found a home as a standalone, showstopping ballad.
“Sussudio”
To this day, a lot of folks grimace at the very thought of how ubiquitous “Sussudio” seemed to be on radio and MTV in 1985. Of course, Collins shouldn’t be blamed for how often a song is played. Indeed, if “Sussudio” had been an album track, it might have gone down smoothly enough as a fun change of pace. Heard again and again, the overbearing horns and the nonsensical title can certainly grate on the nerves.
“One More Night”
Collins had a knack for sensitive balladry, songs that, at least for a while, he saved as solo singles. Eventually, they’d start to pop up as Genesis hits as well, when the band realized how mainstream fans seemed to gravitate to them. “One More Night” is kind of a sleepy song, both in terms of the arrangement and Collins’ vocal. But it came out at the height of its popularity, which made the No. 1 spot almost inevitable.
“Separate Ways”
Stephen Bishop, a hitmaker in his own right, penned “Separate Lives”. Collins, having dealt with his share of breakups, gravitated to the sentiment. After recording a version of it, Collins was contacted by the producers of a film called White Nights in the hopes that he’d turn it into a two-hander. Marilyn Martin, at the time an unknown backup singer, got the gig. Martin slipped seamlessly between Collins’ lines to create one of the most affecting duets of the 80s.
“A Groovy Kind Of Love”
Collins’ genial appearance in his videos made his eventual move to television and movie roles a foregone conclusion. He dipped his toes in the water with a turn on Miami Vice. Then came a lead part in the comedy Buster. Most folks have long since forgotten the film. But he came away with two more chart-toppers from the soundtrack. The first was “A Groovy Kind Of Love”, an anguished, slowed-down take on a 60s hit by The Mindbenders.
“Two Hearts”
You need only look back to Collins’ faithful cover of The Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love” to understand that he had a deep affinity for the music of Motown. He indulged that love by having Lamont Dozier, the co-writer of countless hits for the label, pen the music to “Two Hearts”. Collins, meanwhile, handled the lyrics. His ease on the vocals pushes this relatively lightweight track a long way.
“Another Day In Paradise”
Collins’ final No. 1 returned him to the stark sound that he and co-producer Hugh Padgham first cultivated on his first solo record. The difference is that the Face Value album focused on Collins’ laments about his divorce. “Another Day In Paradise” took a look outward and preached empathy for the homeless. Even with the downbeat topic, the pop smarts that he’d long since mastered gave Collins another smash.
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