What was the first song Phil Collins wrote for Genesis?
When Phil Collins took over as the frontman of Genesis from Peter Gabriel in 1975, he had already proved himself to be a drumming prodigy more than capable of stepping into the main spotlight. He could do everything – well, most things, except songwriting. At the time Collins took over as leader of the band, he actually hadn’t yet penned any tunes in a professional capacity, and it was a task he was evidently quite keen to quickly fulfil.
For a man who, within a few short years, would go on to dominate the songwriting and chart scene with his own solo output as well as in the ranks of Genesis, the fact that he had never put the pen to the page up to this point was pretty surprising, to say the least. But given how successful Collins would go on to become in that capacity, it spoke to how blazing his talent was that he could write a surefire hit in no time at all – and even offering his eventual smash ‘In the Air Tonight’ to the band, who turned it down and allowed him to keep it for his own material.
But in terms of where it all began, it was the song ‘Misunderstanding’, taken from their album Duke in 1980, where Collins gained his first ever writing credit. Ironically, it was a time when the frontman was starting to fly the nest from Genesis, in the process of creating his 1981 debut solo record Face Value, that he actually brought the tune to life. However, deciding that it wasn’t the right fit for his own output, he graciously decided to donate ‘Please Don’t Ask’ to the Genesis effort.
With Collins later revealing that the sonics of the tune were based on Sly and the Family Stone’s ‘Hot Fun in the Summertime’ to The Beach Boys’ ‘Sail On, Sailor’, you would be mistaken for thinking there was some sun-drenched element of optimism shining out of its midst. Instead, however, the subject matter really came from much darker depths in the hallows of Collins’ life – in some ways demonstrating that if he was willing to dig that emotionally deep in his first song out of the gate, he was bound to eventually strike gold.
What did Phil Collins write ‘Misunderstanding’ about?
The phrase “it was the best of times and the worst of times” really rang true to Collins in that moment, as although he was quickly gaining traction within the ranks of the band, and also on the cusp of stratospheric stardom in his own right, his personal life almost made a mockery of the empire he was building in a musical capacity. Despite its starkness, however, this was the area Collins was able to dig into when turning his hand to writing songs, and thus guided ‘Misunderstanding’ into the world.
As the 1970s was meeting its end, so too was Collins’ first marriage to his childhood sweetheart Andrea Bortorelli, and naturally, he wasn’t in the clearest of headspaces. Taking himself off to Canada for some time in an attempt to process the divorce – but in doing so, leaving his Genesis bandmates somewhat in the lurch – upon his return, Collins started channelling his thoughts, emotions, and experiences into song. Some ended up being too personal, thus launching the idea of his own solo album, but some, such as ‘Misunderstanding’, were a perfect fit for the band’s bill.
In a skewed sense, it was just as well Collins endured so much heartbreak, as it was perhaps the single biggest component in bringing himself and his band on to further musical success. With ‘Misunderstanding’ becoming Genesis’ biggest hit in the US to date at that time, it would have likely been deemed a good show all round – until Collins launched his own solo album only a year later, that is, and then blew it out the water.
