Keeping It Casual

This week Jim Adams has asked his readers in his post,
“Recognizing and Celebrating the Most Outstanding Album”, to write
about a song that won the Brit Award for Album of the Year.
Written for Song Lyric Sunday, here is my choice.

In all the time I’ve been writing on WordPress, I have never dedicated a story or a poem or even a music blog to anyone; that’s about to change.

Whenever I write a story or a poem, I always choose a song to go with whatever I’ve written. A lot of thought goes into my song choices and they have gotten their share of comments. Eleven days ago, on November 27, I wrote a poem called “Becoming Strangers” and the song I chose for that poem was “In The Air Tonight” by Phil Collins. One of my readers/friends, Michael Fishman, left a comment that made me laugh out loud. He said, and I quote:

“I knew that if I lived long enough I’d meet someone who liked Phil Collins. And now I did!”

And this was my response to him:

“Well, Fishman …. your Phil Collins comment gave me a good laugh. Just between you and me …. the videos I use for my stories do not always feature artists I like; the songs are chosen strictly because they fit the story. That said, I do like Phil Collins.”

My blog today is dedicated to Michael Fishman. Thanks for spurring me on, Fishman!

One of music’s most iconic and celebrated figures, England’s legendary singer/songwriter/drummer/producer Phil Collins has made an indelible mark on pop culture during his five-decade-long career – both as a member of Genesis and as a chart-topping solo artist. Long counted as one of the world’s all-time best-selling recording artists, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is also among its most decorated, with multiple awards to his name.

But what is perhaps more impressive is his ability to reach so many fans – across borders and generations – with a string of hits that have become ingrained in the collective consciousness, including “Against All Odds“, “Sussudio”, and, perhaps most famously, “In the Air Tonight“.

The impact of Phil Collins’ career is impossible to measure. As a drummer, he has long been ranked among the greatest in his craft by the likes of Modern Drummer and Rhythm magazines. His musicianship, meanwhile, has influenced a trove of peers, including the late Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters) and Neil Peart (Rush), as well as Anthrax’s Charlie Benante.

As a singer-songwriter, his timeless work has been embraced by generations of fans while his songs have been covered and sampled by scores of artists. Beyond his work with Genesis, Collins has sold an estimated 150 million albums worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. He also remains one of only three artists to sell over 100 million albums both as solo artists and with their respective bands; the other two recording stars are Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson.

Throughout his career, Phil Collins has been celebrated for his contributions to the pop music canon – both as a solo artist as well as a member of Genesis. Among other honors, his solo work has earned him eight GRAMMYS, an Academy Award, six BRITs, and six Ivor Novello Awards. In 1999, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame four years later, while in 2010, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis.

No Jacket Required was released in 1985 and became one of the best-selling albums of all time, selling over 25 million copies worldwide. The album included the hit singles “Sussudio,” “One More Night”, and “Don’t Lose My Number” and featured guest backing vocals from Helen Terry, Peter Gabriel, and Sting. No Jacket Required won the Brit Award for British Album of the Year in 1986. Phil Collins was the first solo artist to win the award competitively. The album’s title came from an incident where Collins was denied entry to a Chicago club due to his casual attire. 

My featured song from No Jacket Required is “Sussudio”, released in April 1985 as the second single from the album. It was the height of Phil-mania, as Collins was scoring hits left and right, both with Genesis and on his own. He would even make an appearance on the popular TV series “Miami Vice” later that year.

While the song’s title is meaningless, the song itself is not. Phil Collins described the song as being about a boy who is infatuated with a girl he knows from school; they don’t actually know each other well at all, though, as we learn from the first verse. Nonetheless, the boy is so smitten with his crush that he “feels so good” if he just says “the word” …. “Sussudio” …. which happens to be the girl’s name. “Sussudio” was Collins’ third #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and it was certified Gold in 1990. It helped to propel No Jacket Required to #1 on the Billboard 200, and it spent seven weeks at the top spot.

Phil Collins’ music remained remarkably popular into the early ‘90s, and he can probably attribute that to changing up his musical style on future releases. For the most part, Collins eschewed bright, danceable songs like “Sussudio” for subtler fare. Few songs typified the zeitgeist of the mid-’80s like “Sussudio”, and it remains one of his most popular songs in the digital era.

This is “Sussudio” from No Jacket Required by Phil Collins

LYRICS

There’s this girl that’s been on my mind
All the time, Sussusudio oh oh
Now she don’t even know my name
But I think she likes me just the same
Sussusudio oh oh

Oh if she called me I’d be there
I’d come running anywhere
She’s all I need, all my life
I feel so good if I just say the word
Sussusudio, just say the word
Oh Sussusudio

Now I know that I’m too young
My life has just begun
Sussusudio oh oh
Ooh give me a chance, give me a sign
I’ll show her anytime
Sussusudio oh oh

Ah, I’ve just got to have her, have her now
I’ve got to get closer but I don’t know how
She makes me nervous and makes me scared
But I feel so good if I just say the word
Sussusdio just say the word
Oh Sussusudio, oh

Ah, she’s all I need all of my life
I feel so good if I just say the word
Sussusudio I just say the word
Oh Sussusudio I just say the word
Oh Sussusudio I’ll say the word
Sussusudio oh oh oh
Just say the word
Just say the word
Sussusudio oh oh oh
Sussusudio
Sussusudio
Sussusudio oh oh oh
Sussusudio
Just say the word
Sussusudio oh oh oh
Sussusudio
Just say the word…

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Phillip David Charles Collins
Sussudio lyrics © Philip Collins Ltd

Recognizing and Celebrating the Most Outstanding Album

Big thanks to Jim Adams for hosting another great Song Lyric Sunday this week. Be sure to follow the link and check out Jim’s site.

Thanks for stopping by. See you on the flip side. 😎

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