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)
Can't Turn Back the Years
Phil Collins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Could've given you everything that you need
But I cannot turn back the years
The perfect love was all you wanted from me
But I cannot turn back the years
So we have to be strong, and I'm finding that hard
If your heart's in pieces, you look for the truth
And when I look deep down inside I know, it's too bad I love you
Sometimes. hits me in the morning, hits me at night
That I cannot turn back the years
So I look out my window, turn off my light
But I cannot turn back the years
Can't make it seem easy, when you're all that I see
Can't live in a dream and I won't serenade the truth
People are hurting and they're looking to me
And I look at you there's nothing more to say, it's too bad I love you
But I'm never gonna give it up
All that I lived for, all that I dreamed
But I cannot turn back the years
You're the water I drink, you're the air that I breathe
But I cannot turn back the years
So we have to be strong, and I'm finding that hard
We have to move on, but no matter how hard I try
If your heart's in pieces, you look for the truth
And when I look deep down inside I know, it's too bad I love you
But I'm never gonna give it up
In Can't Turn Back the Years, Phil Collins sings about a bittersweet struggle to move on from a failed relationship. The singer laments that no matter how hard he tries to forget, he cannot turn back the years, he cannot go back to the past and change the course of things or relive some wonderful moments with the past love again. He conveys the idea that sometimes, no matter how much we try to move on, the memories of the past can linger and haunt us, making it difficult to break free and start anew. Despite the pain and heartache that comes with letting go, the singer recognizes that he must be strong and move on from the past. Sometimes, when he is alone with his thoughts, he feels the full weight of his regrets, but he resolves to keep trying and never give up on finding happiness again.
The lyrics of this song are powerful and moving, touching on a universal theme of loss, heartbreak, and the struggle to move on. The mournful melody and Collins's soulful voice add to the emotional depth of the song, making it a classic of his repertoire. The song's popularity was boosted by its inclusion in the soundtrack of the movie Mrs. Doubtfire, which helped it to reach a wider audience.
Line by Line Meaning
Could've given you everything that you need
I had the power to provide you with everything, but unfortunately,
But I cannot turn back the years
I cannot go back to the past to make things right.
The perfect love was all you wanted from me
All you ever wished for was an impeccable kind of love.
But I cannot turn back the years
But the past is immutable and I can't change it.
So we have to be strong, and I'm finding that hard
Therefore, we have to be strong and move on, but it's a tough situation.
We have to move on, but no matter how hard I try
It's imperative that we move on, even though it's not easy.
If your heart's in pieces, you look for the truth
When your emotions are shattered, the only hope is to discover the truth.
And when I look deep down inside, I know, it's too bad I love you
As I examine my own emotions, I realize that it's unfortunate that I love you.
Sometimes, hits me in the morning, hits me at night
Occasionally, I'm overwhelmed by this thought- it could be in the morning or the night.
That I cannot turn back the years
I can't change what has already happened.
So I look out my window, turn off my light
There are times when I prefer looking out of the window or turning off the light.
But I cannot turn back the years
But again, I can't change the past no matter what I do.
Can't make it seem easy, when you're all that I see
It's hard to make it seem effortless when I can only see you everywhere I go.
Can't live in a dream and I won't serenade the truth
I can't afford to live in fantasies, and I won't try to ignore the truth.
People are hurting and they're looking to me.
People are in agony, and they are searching for relief and hope from me.
And when I look deep down inside, I know, it's too bad I love you
As I examine my inner feelings, it's sad to realize that I love you.
All that I lived for, all that I dreamed
Everything I've experienced and aspired for signify nothing now.
But I cannot turn back the years
It's an unchangeable aspect of reality.
You're the water I drink, you're the air that I breathe
You are everything I need to survive mentally, physically and emotionally.
But I cannot turn back the years
Sadly, it's not possible to change what has passed.
So we have to be strong, and I'm finding that hard
We must remain courageous, but it's not an easy thing to accomplish.
We have to move on, but no matter how hard I try
It's necessary to walk past the present, regardless of how hard it is.
If your heart's in pieces, you look for the truth
If your heart is shattered, seeking the truth is your only hope.
And when I look deep down inside, I know, it's too bad I love you
As I introspect, I understand that it's regrettable that I love you.
But I'm never gonna give it up
However, I'm never going to give up on love completely.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Phillip David Charles Collins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Agent Bosconian
on Papa Was a Rolling Stone
It was the third of September
September, 3rd. It was the day that forever changed my life.
That day I'll always remember, yes I will
It was the day that I'll never forget about what had happened at that time.
'Cause that was the day, that my daddy died
The day that my estranged father; who was never around, had perished.
I never got a chance to see him
There wasn't an opportunity for me to even meet the man; not once.
Never heard nothin' but bad things about him
All that I've ever heard about were just awful, terrible, and cruel things that he did.
Momma I'm depending on you, to tell me the truth
Please tell me, Mother. Who and what this man truly was, and what he'd done?
Momma just hung her head and said
My Mother hung her head in sadness; thus she responded in her sorrowful voice to me...
Papa was a rolling stone,
My dear child.... Your Father was a man who could never stay in one place to settle down, and was a selfish person who never cared for anyone; but only for himself..
Where ever he laid his hat was his home
He had gone from one place to another with his hat that he wore; and wherever he put his hat down, he settled in there.
And when he died, all he left us was alone
By the time of his death, all that was left behind from him was loneliness and pain.
Hey Momma!
Mother, can you tell me anything about this Father of mine?
Is it true what they say that Papa never worked a day, in his life
Is it the truth that he never had lifted a finger to work at all; in his entire life?
And Momma, some bad talk goin' round town sayin' that Papa had three outside children
And according to the people that knew him all too well; that he also have bore three other children with his lover?
And another wife, and that ain't right
Such a disgraceful thing to hide about having another woman to be his wife.
Heard them talking Papa doing some store front preachin'
Some people eventually talked about his deceitful tricks, such as being a so-called "Preacher" at his store chapel.
Talked about saving souls and all the time leeching
He pretended to act like he was a priest and tricked many people into saving their souls; but at the same time, he robbed them of their hard-earned money.
Dealing in debt, and stealing in the name of the Lord
Trapped himself into debt with such evil acts; thus had stolen everything in the Lord's name.
Momma hung her head and said
My own Mother shook her head in a disgusted matter...
Papa was a rolling stone,
My dear child.... Your Father was a man who could never stay in one place to settle down, and was a selfish person who never cared for anyone; but only for himself.
Where ever he laid his hat was his home
He had gone from one place to another with his hat that he wore; and wherever he put his hat down, he settled in there.
And when he died, all he left us was alone
By the time of his death, all that was left behind from him was loneliness and pain.
Hey Momma,
I must know the whole truth about this wretched man. What else is there for you to tell me, Mother?
I heard Papa called himself a jack of all trades
Others had said that "Father" believed that he was a Jack-Of-All-Trades; thinking that he was unstoppable at anything that he had done to others.
Tell me is that what sent Papa to an early grave
Were these criminal actions that Father had committed in his lifetime; unaware of the consequences that he made, the main reason that put him in a six-foot grave of his own in a cemetery?
Folks say Papa would beg, borrow, steal
Everyone already knew that the bastard was a beggar, a deceiver, and a thief.
To pay his bills
He committed every single criminal activity; in order to pay the debts that he had.
Hey Momma,
But, Mother...
Folks say Papa never was much on thinking
Father had no knowledge of how to take on responsibility on such difficult situations, some other people had also spoke of.
Spent most of his time chasing women and drinking
He was nothing but a alcoholic who'd drink so much to his heart's content; as being a philanderer, who would go and become intimate with one woman to another woman; for his own selfish indulgence.
Momma I'm depending on you, to tell me the truth
Is this the entire truth about this disgraceful, cruel, trickster of a Father, Mother?
Momma looked up with a tear in her eye and said, son
Tears stream down on Mother's face; as she spoke one last time about him...
Papa was a rolling stone,
Once again, my child... Your Father was a man who could never stay in one place to settle down, and was a selfish person who never cared for anyone; but only for himself.
Where ever he laid his hat was his home
He had always gone from one place to another with his hat; and wherever he put his hat down, he settled in there.
And when he died, all he left us was alone
By the time of his death, all that was left behind from him was loneliness and pain.
Fredrick muchaili
on One More Night
This song is my favorite ever