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 Don't Wanna Know
Phil Collins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it's been a long time coming
Some say it's too long, oh
She said it, and now she'll regret it
But if she'd ask anyone
I know they'll tell her to her face, that it's too late
'Cause I don't want to know
She can cry all she wants
She's not gonna bring me back, no no
I don't want to know
No, I don't want to know
She can try all she wants
It's not gonna get me back, oh oh, no no
They warned me
Oh yes they all warned me
They told me, "Now don't lose your heart to her
She'll never give it back, no no
Oh it's too late
She made a big mistake
It wouldn't be the first one anyway
Tell me how many more, no no no
No, I don't want to know (what she said)
No, I don't want to know (what she said)
She can cry all she wants
She's not gonna bring me back, no no
I don't want to know (what she said)
No, I don't want to know (what she said)
She can try all she wants
It's not gonna get me back, no no, oh oh
It's over
Oh oh, it's all over
And it's been a long time coming
Some say it's too long, oh oh
They warned me
Oh, yes they all warned me
They told me, now don't lose your head to her
She'll never give it back, no no, no no
I don't want to know (what she said)
No I don't want to know (what she said)
She can cry all she wants
She's not gonna get me back, no no
I don't want to know (what she said)
No I don't want to know (what she said)
She can try all she wants
She's not gonna bring me back, no no, no (no no no)
In Phil Collins's song I Don't Wanna Know, the singer reflects on a relationship that has ended, specifically referencing the words of a woman who has contributed to its demise. The song emphasizes the singer's desire for closure and his unwillingness to revisit what has ended. The phrase "it's been a long time coming" suggests that the relationship's end was inevitable, and there was little anyone could do to prevent it from happening. The repetition of the line "no, I don't wanna know" emphasizes the singer's desire to move on and his unwillingness to engage with the woman's words or emotions any further.
The second verse describes how the singer was warned by others that the woman he was involved with would not be capable of reciprocating his feelings. The line "tell me how many more" suggests that this betrayal was not the first, and perhaps the singer has grown tired of dealing with disloyalty. The third verse repeats the chorus, emphasizing that the singer is resolute in his decision to move on and not to engage any further with the woman who has hurt him. The final lines of the song reinforce the notion that the relationship is definitively over and that the singer has learned a valuable lesson about choosing romantic partners.
Line by Line Meaning
It's over, oh yes it's all over
The relationship is over and it is final.
And it's been a long time coming
The demise of the relationship took a while.
Some say it's too long, oh
Others believe that the end should have come earlier.
She said it, and now she'll regret it
She ended the relationship and will now suffer the consequences.
But if she'd ask anyone
If she were to seek advice from others,
I know they'll tell her to her face, that it's too late
They would all tell her that it is too late to salvage the relationship.
'Cause I don't want to know
The singer wants no information about the situation.
She can cry all she wants
Her tears will not change the outcome of the breakup.
She's not gonna bring me back, no no
Her actions and emotions will not win him back.
They warned me
Others warned the artist about the negative outcomes of the relationship.
Oh yes they all warned me
Many people gave the singer warnings about the relationship.
She made a big mistake
The woman in question made a significant error in judgment.
It wouldn't be the first one anyway
This is not the first mistake she has made in the relationship.
Tell me how many more, no no no
The singer questions how many more mistakes she will make.
No, I don't want to know (what she said)
The singer is adamant about not wanting any details about the breakup.
She can try all she wants
Her attempts at reconciliation will not work.
It's not gonna get me back, no no, oh oh, no no
Her actions will not change the outcome of the breakup.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Daryl Stuermer, Phil Collins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@chonkomatic
It's over, oh yes it's all over, and it's been a long time coming
Some say it's too long
She said it, and now she'll regret it, but if she'd ask anyone
I know they'll tell her to her face, that it's too late
[Chorus]
Because I don't want to know
No, I don't want to know
She can cry all she wants
She's not going to bring me back, no, no
I don't want to know
I don't want to know
She can try all she wants
It's not going to get me back, oh, oh, no, no
[Verse 2]
They warned me
Oh, yes, they all warned me
They told me, don't lose your heart to her
She'll never give it back, no, no
Oh, it's too late
She made a big mistake
It wouldn't be the first one anyway
Tell me how many more, no, no, no
[Chorus]
No, I don't want to know (what she said)[x2]
She can cry all she wants
She's not going to bring me back, no, no
I don't want to know (what she said)
No, I don't want to know (what she said)
She can try all she wants
It's not going to get me back, oh, oh, no, no
[Verse 3]
It's over
Oh, oh, it's all over
And it's been a long time coming
Some say it's too long, oh, oh
They warned me
Yes, they all warned me
They told me, now don't lose your heart to her
She'll never give it back, no, no, no, no
@topherpetrole1136
This whole album is pure gold. I love this song
@loripfadt3142
Everything Phil touches turns to gold....
@neilburns8869
There are certain albums that all good music lovers should have in their collection and No Jacket Required is one of them, as is Genesis Invisible Touch.
Others would most certainly include Queen's Platinum collection which includes Greatest hits I & II and Queen + which includes guest collaborations from the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert along with some of Freddie's solo tracks including Barcelona, Bruce Springsteen Greatest Hits, ABBA Gold and many other great CDs.
@therunningmanz5339
One of Phil's best by a mile. Should have been released as a single, brilliant track!
@skyhawk747
You probably already know that his touring guitarist Daryl Stuermer originally wrote it as an instrumental for his own album "Steppin' Out." He played it to Phil and Phil asked if he could write lyrics to it and this was the result.
@reginalddavis7578
My personal favorite tune on this album! Phil Collins’ singing and drumming is pure genius and unparalleled. Wishing Phil the best of health and long life. Blessings.❤️
@yaraoliveirasilva9621
Eu sou completamente louca por esse homem, é um espetáculo de ARTISTA, sem falar nas músicas que são sensacionais!👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
@SoftRockMusic88
I believe that somewhere in the world, there are people who feel the same emotions that I feel when I listen to masterpieces like this song.
@Messier87_M87
Phil Collins is a musical genius and i can't say enough about the guys that contributed to Genesis and Phil Collins also. I can't pick one song as my favorite.
@janesconsulting
Ditto. But Face Value, for me, is his best work. From first to last track he takes the listener on a personal, painful ride. True concept album. Art.