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 Forgotten Everything
Phil Collins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've forgotten everything about you
'Til someone says your name
I've forgotten all the reasons I loved you
'Til someone tells me that you rang
The memories are hazy now
There's nothing, there's nothing there
Just me
And I don't understand why
I can't recollect my feelings
'Til someone mentions that they saw you
I really don't remember all the things you said
'Til someone shows me where you live
Why is everything so hazy now
I don't recall at all
There's nothing, there's nothing there
Just me
And I don't understand why
I can't recall your smile
The touch of your hand holding mine
And I can't remember why
Holding you seemed so right
The memories they're hazy now
I don't recall at all
There's nothing, there's nothing there
Just me
And I don't understand why
I've forgotten everything about you
'Til someone says your name
I've forgotten all the reasons I loved you
'Til someone tells me that you rang
The song I've Forgotten Everything, from Phil Collins's album Both Sides (1993), deals with the theme of memory loss, both literally and figuratively. In the first lines, the singer states that he has forgotten everything about someone, until someone else mentions that person's name. He then goes on to say that he has forgotten all the reasons he loved that person, until he is reminded that they contacted him. The memories of that relationship are hazy and he can't fully recall the feelings or moments that made it significant.
The repetition of the line "there's nothing there, just me" highlights the emptiness that comes with forgetting a significant relationship, and the confusion that comes with not understanding why one can't retain those memories. The refrain "I've forgotten everything about you...til someone says your name" further emphasizes the idea that memories can be easily triggered, even if they are buried deep within the subconscious.
The song plays with the idea of memory being a fickle and unpredictable force. The singer struggles to remember what once seemed so important, and the melancholy tone of the song suggests that despite the passing of time, he is still in emotional pain.
Line by Line Meaning
I've forgotten everything about you
The singer has completely forgotten everything about their past relationship.
'Til someone says your name
Only when someone mentions the person's name, does the singer remember them.
I've forgotten all the reasons I loved you
The singer can't recall why they ever loved the other person.
'Til someone tells me that you rang
Only when someone informs the singer that the other person called, does the singer remember them.
The memories are hazy now
The memories of the relationship are blurry, unclear and hard to remember.
I don't recall at all
The singer has no recollection of their past experiences with the other person.
There's nothing, there's nothing there
There's nothing left of the relationship, but empty memories.
Just me
The singer is alone, trying to understand why they can't remember anything.
And I don't understand why
The singer can't figure out why they can't remember anything about the other person.
I can't recollect my feelings
The singer can't remember what they felt for the other person.
'Til someone mentions that they saw you
Only when someone mentions seeing the other person, does the singer remember them.
I really don't remember all the things you said
The singer can't remember any of the conversations they had with the other person.
'Til someone shows me where you live
Only when someone takes the singer to where the other person lives, do they remember them.
I can't recall your smile
The singer can't remember the other person's smile.
The touch of your hand holding mine
The singer can't remember the feeling of the other person's touch.
And I can't remember why
The singer can't remember why they felt the way they did about the other person.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: PHILLIP DAVID CHARLES COLLINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
QueenOfTheForest
I've forgotten everything about you
'Til someone says your name
I've forgotten all the reasons I loved you
'Til someone tells me that you rang
The memories are hazy now
I don't recall at all
There's nothing, there's nothing there
Just me
And I don't understand why
I can't recollect my feelings
'Til someone mentions that they saw you
I really don't remember all the things you said
'Til someone shows me where you live
Why is everything so hazy now
I don't recall at all
There's nothing, there's nothing there
Just me
And I don't understand why
I can't recall your smile
The touch of your hand holding mine
And I can't remember why
Holding you seemed so right
The memories they're hazy now
I don't recall at all
There's nothing, there's nothing there
Just me
And I don't understand why
I've forgotten everything about you
'Til someone says your name
I've forgotten all the reasons I loved you
'Til someone tells me that you rang
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Phillip David Charles Collins
I’ve Forgotten Everything lyrics © Concord Music Publishing LLC
Jessi
I'm just trying to figure out how this song isn't well known...it's so beautiful.
drake kiyaga
Am tellin you. Guy is so talented
Mavigo Marsella
I will forever love this album. Thanks Phil ❤️❤️❤️
Yelen Maken
I have been a Phil Collins fan for as long as I can remember. I grew up listening to his songs and still do. From when I could even understand what the lyrics mean, the melody kept me going. Thank you Phil! ❤
Es Cuento Mío
Sweetness and pain together. Both Sides is a deep travel into Phil's heart and soul. Another level in love songs, Phil's credibility in his lyrics is unique.
nickavenoso78
Just to think that he sang this song without even writing lyrics or even writing them down for that matter, is just mind blowing!
drake kiyaga
Like for real?
Latina 4Life©
Beautiful soothing voice... always a favourite!
📽 AÇÃO
🇧🇷😎🇧🇷
skeeterrufino
Amo essa música e amo esse álbum, que na minha opinião é o melhor da sua carreira. Escuto desde 2006 e nunca enjoo. Essa música em especial, tem uma energia surreal; uma melancolia boa; uma tristeza romântica que penetra na alma e traz uma sensação única.