‘Against All Odds’: the Oscar-winning song Phil Collins thought was butchered
When an artist writes a hit song that they’re immensely proud of, the last thing they want is for someone to come along and tarnish its reputation for everyone who might have previously enjoyed it by recording or performing a horrendous cover. Marvin Gaye would almost certainly have been turning in his grave when David Bowie and Mick Jagger massacred ‘Dancing in the Street’ in 1985, and as good as the original version he wrote for Martha Reeves is, it’s now forever sullied in my mind by the horrifyingly misguided version that the two rock legends chose to join forces for. Phil Collins knows all too well about both sides to this coin.
I’ve been critical of Phil Collins’ abhorrent cover of the Supremes’ ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’ before, and I’ll happily slander it again if I have to, but that doesn’t mean that I feel the former Genesis drummer should receive a taste of his own medicine. No artist ever truly deserves to have their hard work forever ruined by a lacklustre cover, and when the original is so well-known and adored by fans across the globe, hearing a version that catastrophically fails to meet the high standards that have been set can invoke a real nails-on-the-chalkboard reaction to its inferiority.
Despite saying that I don’t wish Collins to be a victim of this unfortunate fate, my protestations are coming almost 40 years too late, as the one cover of his song that haunts him the most originated from 1985, and probably still circles around in the singer’s nightmares. The entire situation surrounding this cover’s origins is shrouded in controversy, and if there were any justice in the world, Collins would never have had to be subjected to such a diabolical rendition of his music.
Released in 1984, ‘Against All Odds’ was a hugely successful hit for Collins, and was recorded as part of the soundtrack for the film of the same name. Due to its association with Against All Odds, it received a nomination for ‘Best Original Song’ at the Academy Awards in 1985, but despite Collins being present for the awards ceremony and having the capacity to give his own rendition of the song, the honour of singing the track to the Oscars audience was bestowed upon dancer Ann Reinking.
Naturally, the tabloids and entertainment press had a field day remarking on how Collins was snubbed for the performance in the first place, but the reaction to Reinking’s rendition was equally as scathing, given how she lip-synced for large portions of the song, and pulled overly-dramatic facial expressions throughout. The performance lives in infamy nowadays for how atrocious it was, and while nobody was impressed with her over-the-top display, there was nobody less amused by it than Collins himself.
During an interview with Playboy in 1986, Collins said that the reaction to him not being asked to perform at the ceremony was blown out of proportion, and that he was “a bit peeved, but that’s life.” However, what he found to be more galling was the performance from Reinking herself, which he recalls as being one of the most uncomfortable experiences he has ever had to endure.
“That night,” he recalled, “I was sitting in my seat and poor old Ann Reinking, who was singing the song, came in. She knew I was there and knew about all the fuss that had gone on about it. And … well, she may be a dancer, but she can’t sing. She was awful.”
If that wasn’t already enough of a damning indictment, Collins said that those around him at the time were equally as embarrassed by the performance. Collins recalled: “Kenny Loggins was sitting behind me and he said, ‘I can’t believe what they did to your song.’”
