Phil Collins’ Face Value released

First posted 3/26/2008; updated 9/15/2020.

Face Value Phil Collins

Released: February 13, 1981 Peak: 7 US, 13 UK, 13 CN, 2 AU Sales (in millions): 5.0 US, 1.5 UK, 17.6 world (includes US and UK) Genre: mainstream pop-rock

Tracks: Click for codes to singles charts. In the Air Tonight (1/17/81, 19 US, 19 CB, 2 AR, 2 UK, 3 AU, 2 CN, sales: 3 million) This Must Be Love Behind the Lines (4/4/81, 58 AR) The Roof Is Leaking Droned Hand in Hand I Missed Again (3/7/81, 19 US, 19 CB, 8 AR, 14 UK, 88 CN, 6 CN) You Know What I Mean Thunder and Lightning I’m Not Moving If Leaving Me Is Easy (5/30/81, 17 UK) Tomorrow Never Knows

Rating: 3.918 out of 5.00 (average of 15 ratings) Quotable: Collins’ “masterpiece and one of the finest moments of the ‘80s musical landscape” – Tim Sendra, All Music Guide Awards:

About the Album: Phil Collins spent a decade with the rock group Genesis, first as their drummer and then their singer, before launching a solo career. “He’d been wrestling with the idea of doing a solo record for years, finding great inspiration in the pain caused by an impending divorce and craving artistic independence after years of collaboration. Many of the songs ended up on Genesis’ 1980 album Duke – and ‘Against All Odds’ was pocketed for later use – but he kept enough to make an album that stands as a classic moment of ‘80s pop/rock.” AMG “Collins produced the album himself and played keyboards and drums, calling in friends and the Earth, Wind & Fire horns to fill out the songs.” AMG The “thundering drums and punchy horn arrangements…clicked with the public…launching Collins’ career as one of the biggest and most unlikely stars of the ‘80s.” AZ The album kicks off “with the bitter anthem In the Air Tonight” AMG “where Collins dryly comments, ‘If you told me you were drowning / I would not lend a hand’).” AZ It is “rightly considered one of the great heartbreak songs of all time.” AMG The album offers “a compelling churn of emotions” AZ alternating “between moody ballads and bouncily soulful tracks that try to put a smile on the pain.” AMG “His everyman style of singing translates to both types of songs; he’s just as good at wringing every drop of emotion out of the ballads as he is at sailing through the deceptive breezy tunes.” AMG “The gently sung, sweet-as-punch This Must Be Love” AMG showcases “the delight he feels in exploring a new relationship.” AZ It “gives an early respite after the lurching, bruising ‘In the Air Tonight.’” AMG “The poppier tracks, like the snappy Behind the Lines and the impossibly hooky I Missed Again, show off his skills as a hitmaker and vocalist.” AMG “The pulsing I’m Not Movin’ marries one of Collins’ catchiest melodies and airiest productions with the most forceful lyrics on the record.” AMG “On the quieter songs like If Leaving Me Is Easy, Collins’ wracked vocals leave no doubt that he’s not sugarcoating his emotional devastation as he sorts through the wreckage of his life.” AMG “The new agey Droned and the swinging Hand in Hand give the album some instrumental texture and allow a break from all the desperate emotion on display.” AMG “This range of sound and emotion is part of what helps the album succeed as much as it does; so does the feeling that Collins felt driven to make this album to help him heal. It’s not a career move or a cash grab; it’s a transmission from a wounded soul delivered with a soft touch and sensitivity. As such, it’s Collins’ most honest, most compelling work. He went on to become a huge star, with loads more hits, but Face Value stands as his masterpiece and one of the finest moments of the ‘80s musical landscape.” AMG Notes: In 2016, a deluxe edition of the album was released with eight live songs from various years and four demos from 1980 for “This Must Be Love,” “Please Don’t Ask,” “Misunderstanding,” and “Against All Odds.”

Resources and Related Links: Phil Collins’ DMDB Encyclopedia entry AMG All Music Guide review by Tim Sendra AZ Amazon.com review by Daniel Durchholz

Phil Collins “In the Air Tonight” charted

In the Air Tonight Phil Collins

Writer(s): Phil Collins (see lyrics here) Released: January 5, 1981 First Charted: January 17, 1981 Peak: 19 US, 19 CB, 6 GR, 17 HR, 11 RR, 1 CL, 2 AR, 2 UK, 2 CN, 3 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 3.5 US, 1.1 UK, 4.9 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 472.7 video, 499.81 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Phil Collins’ profile grew substantially in the decade before he released his first solo album. He started as the drummer with prog-rock band Genesis in 1970 and became their lead singer after Peter Gabriel’s departure in 1975. Over the next few years, the band developed a more album rock-friendly sound with hits like “Follow You, Follow Me,” “Misunderstanding,” and “Turn It on Again.” In 1981, Collins released his first solo album, launching himself as one of the premiere artists of the ‘80s as he alternated solo releases with continued work with Genesis. “In the Air Tonight” was the lead single for Face Value. It was a #1 hit in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Sweden and peaked at #2 in the UK. WK In the United States it barely scraped the top 20, but became his signature song despite numerous hits as a solo artist and with Genesis which charted higher. WK A popular urban legend developed that the song was about witnessing a person drowning. The story goes that Collins wasn’t in a position to help, but that he saw someone else who could have saved the person and chose not to. He tracked down the person’s identity, invited him to a concert, and sang the song with a spotlight trained on the man the entire time. SF Humiliated, the man committed suicide after the show. SN Eminem even referred to the story in his song “Stan.” There have been many variations of the story, but Collins has denied them all. WK He explained that he wrote the song after his divorce in 1980. He sang the lyrics spontaneously during an in-studio songwriting session. As he said, “I’m not quite sure what the song is about, but there’s a lot of anger, a lot of despair, and a lot of frustration.” WK The “rock oddity classic” WK creates a mood “of restrained anger until the final chorus when an explosive burst of drums releases the musical tension.” WK It has been called “the sleekest, most melodramatic drum break in history.” WK Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Phil Collins BC Brad Carl (2015). 50 Songs from the 70s and 80s That Still Hold Up. Pages 57-58. SN Snopes.com (9/12/2000). “Fact Check: In the Air Tonight by David Mikkelson SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 11/16/2019; last updated 12/26/2022.