Born and raised in west London, Collins played drums from the age of five and completed drama school training, which secured him various roles as a child actor, with his first major role, aged 13, as the Artful Dodger in the West End musical Oliver!. He then pursued a music career, joining Genesis in 1970 as their drummer and becoming lead singer in 1975 following the departure of Peter Gabriel. Collins began a successful solo career in the 1980s, initially inspired by his marital breakdown and love of soul music, releasing the albums Face Value (1981), Hello, I Must Be Going! (1982), No Jacket Required (1985) and ...But Seriously (1989). Collins became, in the words of AllMusic, "one of the most successful pop and adult contemporary singers of the '80s and beyond". He also became known for a distinctive gated reverb drum sound on many of his recordings. In 1985, he was the only artist to perform at both Live Aid concerts. He also resumed his acting career, appearing in Miami Vice and subsequently starring in the film Buster (1988). In 1996, Collins left Genesis to focus on solo work; this included writing songs for Disney's Tarzan (1999) for which he received an Oscar for Best Original Song for "You'll Be in My Heart". He rejoined Genesis for their Turn It On Again Tour in 2007. Following a five-year retirement to focus on his family life, Collins released an autobiography in 2016 and completed his Not Dead Yet Tour in 2019. He then rejoined Genesis in 2020 for a second reunion tour, ending in March 2022.
Collins's discography includes eight studio albums that have sold 33.5 million certified units in the US and an estimated 150 million records sold worldwide, making him one of the world's best-selling artists. He is one of only three recording artists, along with Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson, who have sold over 100 million records both as solo artists and separately as principal members of a band. He has won eight Grammy Awards, six Brit Awards (winning Best British Male Artist three times), two Golden Globe Awards, one Academy Award, and a Disney Legend Award. He was awarded six Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, including the International Achievement Award. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999, and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010. He has also been recognised by music publications with induction into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2012, and the Classic Drummer Hall of Fame in 2013.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Collins
Studio albums
Face Value (1981)
Hello, I Must Be Going! (1982)
No Jacket Required (1985)
...But Seriously (1989)
Both Sides (1993)
Dance into the Light (1996)
Testify (2002)
Going Back (2010)
Burn Down the Mission
Phil Collins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Did he say he'd come to call on me
For things are getting desperate in our home
Living in the parish of the restless folks I know
Everybody now bring your family down to the riverside
Look to the east to see where the fat stock hide
Behind four walls of stone the rich man sleeps
Burn down the mission
If we're gonna stay alive
Watch the black smoke fly to heaven
See the red flame light the sky
Burn down the mission
Burn it down to stay alive
It's our only chance of living
Take all you need to live inside
Deep in the woods the squirrels are out today
My wife cried when they came to take me away
But what more could I do just to keep her warm
Than burn burn burn burn down the mission walls
The song opens with a rather enigmatic verse that mentions an angel, and hints at desperation in the singer's home and community. The second verse provides more context, appealing to the community to gather at the riverside, and to look towards the rich man's domain to the east. The lyrics suggest a growing animosity towards the privileged class, who are depicted as sleeping behind walls of stone while the "restless folks" suffer. Against this backdrop of class conflict, Phil Collins issues a fiery call to action, urging the listener to burn down the mission - a religious institution or a metaphor for something else - in order to survive. The repeated refrain intensifies the urgency, depicting the fire as a means of communication with the divine and a symbolic act of rebellion against oppression.
Line by Line Meaning
You tell me there's an angel in your tree
You claim that everything in your life is perfect, and your angel is constantly around you.
Did he say he'd come to call on me
Does your angel have a message for me?
For things are getting desperate in our home
We are facing desperation and hardships in our household.
Living in the parish of the restless folks I know
We are living in a community where everyone around us is dissatisfied with life.
Everybody now bring your family down to the riverside
Let’s call all the community to gather around the river.
Look to the east to see where the fat stock hide
The rich people are hiding their wealth in the east side of the city.
Behind four walls of stone the rich man sleeps
The rich people are sleeping peacefully behind their walls while the poor people are suffering.
It's time we put the flame torch to their keep
It's time to burn their castles and mansions down in protest.
Burn down the mission
We should destroy the rich people's houses to fight for survival.
If we're gonna stay alive
It’s the only way we can survive.
Watch the black smoke fly to heaven
As we burn their castles, we see the black smoke rising toward the heavens.
See the red flame light the sky
We can see the brilliant red flame illuminating the sky as we burn down the structures.
Burn down the mission
We must demolish this mission.
Burn it down to stay alive
We need to destroy it completely for our own survival.
It's our only chance of living
This is our last hope to survive.
Take all you need to live inside
Use anything you need from inside their houses to live and feed your family.
Deep in the woods the squirrels are out today
Life is moving on in nature, and everything is as it should be, while we suffer.
My wife cried when they came to take me away
My wife was upset when the authorities arrested me.
But what more could I do just to keep her warm
All I could do to provide for my family was to set fire to the houses of the rich.
Than burn burn burn burn down the mission walls
I had no other option but to burn down the mansion.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BERNIE TAUPIN, ELTON JOHN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
bones703
LOVE this version! Elton's original is awesome, but Collins takes it to a whole 'nother level
william johnson
Very good cover but Elton’s live version post vocal chord surgery is miles ahead of this.
- Beeman
I just listened to Elton's version.
I feel like Phil Collins made the song sound like he was thee original artist.
nickavenoso78
I love Elton’s original version, but honestly I have to say, I like Phil’s version better.
ᴇ. ᴅ. 🇵🇹
Phil Collins has so many tracks, that are literally hidden gems, that it's amazing.
RadDudeski69
One of the best Phil Collins covers, as far as I'm concerned, and I've been a fan of his for 30 years. The track was recorded in 1989 during the But Seriously sessions, so the Two Rooms project was a long time coming. Steve Winwood is on the organ here.
Luís Fernando F. Toscano. Filho
oh man Elton John and Phil Collins... two legends!!!
M. S.
Made in England.
Lotta Bubbles
This is off the album Two Rooms, a tribute to Elton John with various artists singing Elton tunes. If you like Elton's music, then it's a must have...
tracey Ross
I had it on cassette many moons ago!! Kate bush version of rocket Man is outstanding!!