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)
I've Been Trying
Phil Collins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lord knows that I've been trying
To understand why
Can't I be your only man
Now you said you loved me
So sincerely
That I believed that you loved me
Can't I be your only man
Day after day you
Ya Treat me any old way
I wanna go but my heart says no
Acting so strange
But my love still remains
So keep on trying boy
She's gonna change
[Instrumental]
Day after day you
Ya Treat me any old way
I wanna go but my heart says no
Acting so strange
Yet my love still remains
It says keep on trying boy
She's gonna change
Now, I've been trying,
Lord knows how I've been trying
But I can't understand why
Can't I be your only man
I just keep on trying
Oooh...ohoooh...
Just keep on trying...
Oooh...ohoooh...
Ya gotta keep on trying
Oooh...ohoooh...
The song "I've Been Trying" by Phil Collins, from his debut solo album "Face Value" released in 1981, is a heartfelt plea from a man to his lover, asking why he can't be her only man. He expresses his confusion and frustration as he tries to understand why she treats him poorly and acts so strange, despite claiming to love him sincerely. The verses repeat the same melody and lyrics, emphasizing the singer's unwavering desire to be the only one in his lover's life, while the instrumental interlude reinforces the mournful tone of the song.
The chorus serves as the emotional peak of the song, as Collins passionately declares his commitment to keep trying to win his lover's heart despite the obstacles, presumably because he is convinced that she will change eventually. The song's overall message is bittersweet, as the singer's persistence is admirable, but also tragic in a way, since he seems to be trapped in a cycle of unrequited love and emotional turmoil.
Overall, "I've Been Trying" is a poignant and relatable song about the struggles of love and the confusing nature of human relationships. Collins' emotive vocals and simple, yet effective instrumentation make it a classic example of his early work and a timeless piece of pop music.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been trying,
I've been making an effort to understand what's going on between us.
Lord knows that I've been trying
I've been really putting in a lot of effort to figure out why things are the way they are.
To understand why
I'm trying to find out the reason why things are happening the way they are.
Can't I be your only man
Why can't you love and commit to me exclusively?
Now you said you loved me
You've told me that you love me.
So sincerely
You seemed genuinely heartfelt when you said it.
That I believed that you loved me
I took your words seriously and believed that you meant them.
Yet I can't understand why
Despite this, I still can't comprehend what you're thinking and feeling.
Day after day you
Repetition of not understanding the other person's actions.
Ya Treat me any old way
You treat me without any consideration or respect.
I wanna go but my heart says no
My logical side tells me to leave, but my emotions are making it hard to do so.
Acting so strange
Your behavior has been unpredictable and unusual.
But my love still remains
Despite everything, I still have strong feelings for you.
So keep on trying boy
I'll continue making an effort to make this relationship work.
She's gonna change
I hope that your behavior will change for the better.
[Instrumental]
No lyrics, just music.
Now, I've been trying,
Reiteration of making an attempt to understand the situation.
Lord knows how I've been trying
I've been trying really hard, but it's been difficult.
But I can't understand why
Despite my best efforts, I still don't understand what's going on.
I just keep on trying
I'm not giving up on trying to sort things out between us.
Ya gotta keep on trying
Encouragement to persist in making an effort to fix the relationship.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CURTIS L MAYFIELD
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