Genesis self-titled album released

Genesis Genesis

Released: October 3, 1983 Peak: 9 US, 11 UK, 2 CN, 41 AU Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): 4.0 US, 0.6 UK, 10.2 world (includes US and UK) Genre: classic rock

Tracks: Click on a song title for more details. Mama [6:47] That’s All [4:24] Home by the Sea [5:07] Second Home by the Sea [6:08] Illegal Alien [5:13] Taking It All Too Hard [3:56] Just a Job to Do [4:46] Silver Rainbow [4:28] It’s Gonna Get Better [5:00] Total Running Time: 45:33 The Players: Phil Collins (vocals, drums, percussion) Mike Rutherford (guitar, bass, backing vocals) Tony Banks (keyboards, backing vocals)

Rating: 3.626 out of 5.00 (average of 18 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “If Genesis still had one foot in the art rock world with Abacab, they jumped into pop with both feet on their eponymous release.” AM With their “mid-tempo arrangements designed for pop radio in the 1980s,” AM “the songs are so concise they’re virtually new wave, but still steeped in angst.” BL Then there’s the “crisp, glossy production” AM courtesy of “Police and XTC producer Hugh Padham,” BL in which “the drums go boom and Collins belts hard while simple keyboard hooks are slammed home.” BL The “determined attempt to go pop” BLmeant a “lack of musical innovation that fans had come to expect was a little disappointing.” AM Still, “after years of relative obscurity on this side of the Atlantic, one cannot blame the band, especially one so talented.” AM Besides, even if “they had lost their edge, Genesis still had the ability to craft catchy songs,” AM especially “slower easy listening songs such as That’s All or Taking It All Too Hard.” AM “Genesis still represents the best pop radio of that era, and the album is still recommended for fans looking for 1980s nostalgia or fans of Phil Collins’ solo work.” AM The Songs Here’s a breakdown of each of the individual songs.

Mama Genesis

Writer(s): Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford (see lyrics here) Released: single (8/22/1983), Genesis (1983), Turn It on Again – The Hits (compilation, 1999), Platinum Collection (compilation, 2004), Turn It on Again – The Hits (Tour Edition) (compilation, 2007), The Last Domino? (compilation, 2021) Peak: 73 BB, 60 CB, 5 AR, 4 UK, 43 CN, 45 AU, 5 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.25 UK, 0.75 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 17.90 video, 62.72 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: The Genesis album could be characterized as their crossover album. The group has slowly moved from their progressive rock roots in the ‘60s to a more conventional album rock sound by the late ‘70s with songs like “Follow You, Follow Me,” “Turn It on Again,” “Misunderstanding,” and “Abacab.” The Genesis album firmly established the band at rock radio with seven charting songs, including three top-10s. The first of those was “Mama,” a song that was certainly strong and bold, but an interesting choice as a lead single. It certainly wasn’t the kind of song which would storm up the pop charts. It did, however, reach #4 in the UK, the most successful song in the band’s career in their home country. The menacing and eerie song was marked by its “harsh drum machine introduction composed by Mike Rutherford, which leads into minimalist synthesizer lines in a minor tonality and finally Phil Collins’ reverb-laden voice.” WK Some interpreted that song as being about abortion, with the narrator being the voice of a fetus pleading with the pregnant woman not to abort. SF However, Collins based the song on David Niven’s book The Moon’s a Balloon in which a young man falls for a prostitute who is not interested in him. In the song, Collins gives the man an Oedipal complex, meaning he is fixated on referring to the sex worker as “Mama.” SF

That’s All Genesis

Writer(s): Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford Released: single (10/3/1983), Genesis (1983), Turn It on Again – The Hits (compilation, 1999), Platinum Collection (compilation, 2004), Turn It on Again – The Hits (Tour Edition) (compilation, 2007), The Last Domino? (compilation, 2021) Peak: 6 BB, 10 CB, 2 RR, 7 AC, 2 AR, 16 UK, 14 CN, 62 AU, 4 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 2.0 radio, -- video, 237.04 streaming About the Song: “That’s All” was a first for Genesis – a top-10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. As a solo artist, Phil Collins had already reached the top 10 in 1982 with his cover of the Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love” and would also find success in early ’84 – even as Genesis was still charting singles – with “Against All Odds” and “Easy Lover.”

Home by the Sea Genesis

Writer(s): Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford Released: single (Australia, 1983), Genesis (1983), Platinum Collection (compilation, 2004), The Last Domino? (compilation, 2021) First Charted: 10/31/1983 Peak: 24 AR, 80 AU, 2 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 42.17 streaming About the Song: While tailor-made for album rock radio this song, along with the instrumental “Second Home by the Sea,” were also a bit of a throwback, showing that Genesis hadn’t completely forgotten their progressive rock roots.

Second Home by the Sea Genesis

Writer(s): Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford Released: Genesis (1983), Platinum Collection (compilation, 2004), The Last Domino? (compilation, 2021) Peak: 16 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 8.65 streaming About the Song: See comments for “Second Home by the Sea.”

Illegal Alien Genesis

Writer(s): Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford Released: single (1/23/1984), Genesis (1983), Platinum Collection (compilation, 2004), Turn It on Again – The Hits (Tour Edition) (compilation, 2007) First Charted: 1/23/1984 Peak: 44 BB, 49 CB, 21 AR, 46 UK, 41 CN, 1 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 6.45 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: “While all the songs [on Genesis] are unbelievable catchy, they often mask inane lyrics,” AM such as on “the surpassingly stupid, Mexican-accented Illegal Alien – where craftsmanship overcomes good sense” BL and “tarnishes the album.” BL The subject matter is a tip-off that some cringeworthy moments might be ahead – and it’s all packaged in an upbeat, “aren’t we having fun?” vibe that betrays any serious message the song intended.

Taking It All Too Hard Genesis

Writer(s): Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford Released: single (2/25/1984), Genesis (1983) Peak: 50 BB, 49 CB, 11 AC, 41 AR, 14 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 11.66 streaming About the Song: This ballad seemed like a surefire hit – but Phil Collins’ solo success with “Against All Odds,” released the same month, took attention away from Genesis and “Taking It All Too Hard” didn’t even make the top 40 while “Odds” went all the way to #1.

Just a Job to Do Genesis

Writer(s): Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford Released: Genesis (1983) First Charted: 11/5/1983 Peak: 10 AR, 8 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 6.48 streaming About the Song: This was a poppy, made-for-album-rock-radio song, even if the subject matter was about a hitman lamenting the job he had to do.

Silver Rainbow Genesis

Writer(s): Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford Released: Genesis (1983) Peak: 18 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 3.26 streaming

It’s Gonna Get Better Genesis

Writer(s): Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford Released: Genesis (1983) First Charted: 10/8/1983 Peak: 16 AR, 11 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 4.59 streaming About the Song: In the early ‘80s, album rock radio was the perfect landing spot for an album like Genesis. The album included a mix of pop (“That’s All”) that could easily find a place on the Billboard Hot 100, but also mixed in songs like “Just a Job to Do” and “Home by the Sea” that might not have made it at pop radio but were ideal for the album rock radio format. “It’s Gonna Get Better” lands between the two. It was embraced at album rock radio, reaching #16, but also felt like it could have been a successful pop hit. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be and the song wasn’t released as a single. It may have suffered from the fact that “Taking It All Too Hard,” which seemed tailor-made for top-40 radio, stalled at #50 in the wake of Phil Collins’ explosion as a pop star in his own right.

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Genesis AM AllMusic.com review by Vik Iyengar BL Blender magazine revew by Jon Pareles. (10/07), pp.118-9. SF Songfacts page for “Mama” WK Wikipedia page for Genesis album WK Wikipedia page for “Mama” Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 3/18/2008; last updated 9/15/2025.