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)
Something Happened on the Way to Heaven
Phil Collins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you don't know what you've got 'til you lose it
Well that was then and this is now
And I want you back
How many times do I have to say I'm sorry, yes I'm sorry
How can something so good go so bad
How can something so right go so wrong
But I want you back
How many times can I say I'm sorry
You know, you can run, and you can hide
But I'm now leaving 'less you come with me
We've had our problems but I'm on your side
You're all I need, please believe in me, oh yeah
I only wanted someone to love
But something happened on the way to heaven
It got a hold of me and wouldn't let go
And I want you back
How many times do I have to say I'm sorry, yes, I'm sorry
You know, you can run, and you can hide
But I'm not leaving less you come with me
We've had our problems but I'm on your side
You're all I need, please believe me
You know, you can run, and you can hide
But I'm not leaving till it's all over
We've had our problems but I'm on your side
You're all I need, let me show you
They say you can't take it with you when you go
And I believe it
But taking what I've got or being here with you
You know I, I'd rather leave it
We had a life, we had a love
But you don't know what you've got 'til you lose it
Well that was then and this is now
And I want you back
How many times do I have to say I'm sorry, yes I'm sorry
You know you can run, and you can hide
But I'm not leaving less you come with me
We've had our problems but I'm on your side
You're all I need, please believe in me
You can run, and you can hide
But I'm not leaving until it's all over
We've had our problems but I'm on your side
You're all I need, please believe in me
The lyrics of Phil Collins's song, Something Happened on the Way to Heaven, tell the story of a man who had a life and a love, but lost it. He regrets not appreciating what he had when he had it, and he wants it back. He apologizes for his mistakes and tries to convince his loved one to come back to him, but he doesn't have all the answers as to how something so good can turn bad. He promises to be on her side and help to solve their problems if she just comes back to him.
The song speaks to the universal human experience of sometimes taking the good things in our life for granted, and only realizing their value when they are gone. It portrays the struggle of trying to fix a broken relationship, and the pain of not knowing if it will work out. The chorus of the song, "You know, you can run, and you can hide, But I'm not leaving lest you come with me, We've had our problems but I'm on your side, You're all I need, please believe in me," captures the yearning for love and the hope for reconciliation.
Overall, the lyrics of the song speak to the complexities of love, relationships, and human emotions, and how we as humans struggle to navigate them.
Line by Line Meaning
We had a life, we had a love
Our relationship used to be great with a lot of love and happiness.
But you don't know what you've got 'til you lose it
Sometimes we don't appreciate what we have until it's gone.
Well that was then and this is now
The past is the past and now we're dealing with the present.
And I want you back
I miss you and I want to be with you again.
How many times do I have to say I'm sorry, yes I'm sorry
I know I've messed up and hurt you, and I'm asking for forgiveness.
How can something so good go so bad
I don't understand how our relationship turned sour.
How can something so right go so wrong
Our relationship was perfect, so I don't know how it fell apart.
I don't know, I don't have all the answers
I wish I had all the answers to fix our relationship, but I don't.
You know, you can run, and you can hide
You can ignore me and avoid me, but I won't give up on us.
But I'm now leaving 'less you come with me
I'm ready to move forward with you, but I can't do it alone.
We've had our problems but I'm on your side
We've had our disagreements, but I still care about you and want to make it work.
You're all I need, please believe in me, oh yeah
I don't need anyone else but you, and I'm begging you to trust me and give me another chance.
I only wanted someone to love
All I ever wanted was to be with someone I love.
But something happened on the way to heaven
Something went wrong in our relationship and it feels like we're not in a happy place anymore.
It got a hold of me and wouldn't let go
The problems in our relationship have consumed me and I can't shake them.
You know, you can run, and you can hide
Once again, you can avoid me, but I won't give up on us.
But I'm not leaving less you come with me
I won't leave without you, because I still believe in us.
You're all I need, let me show you
You're the most important person to me and I want to prove that I can be there for you.
They say you can't take it with you when you go
People say that material things don't matter because you can't take them with you when you die.
And I believe it
I agree with that sentiment.
But taking what I've got or being here with you
I have to choose between material possessions and being with you.
You know I, I'd rather leave it
I'd rather give up my possessions and be with you, because you're more important to me.
You can run, and you can hide
Once again, you can avoid me, but I won't give up on us.
But I'm not leaving until it's all over
I won't give up on us until we've exhausted all our options.
We've had our problems but I'm on your side
I'm still here for you and I want to make things right.
You're all I need, please believe in me
You mean everything to me and I want you to trust me and believe that we can make it work.
Lyrics © Takwene LLC, BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Phillip David Charles Collins, Daryl Stoermer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@neenastodden6837
To Phil
Im sorry
This is a sophisticated understated masterpiece
I love you so much ❤
I'm really sorry
I know you have the utmost integrity
And selflessness
Thank you for your priceless 🎁 ❤
Work of art
Makes my heart sing
@GeografiadeCostaRica
We had a life, we had a love
But you don't know what you've got 'til you lose it
Well that was then and this is now
And I want you back
How many times do I have to say I'm sorry, yes I'm sorry
How can something so good go so bad
How can something so right go so wrong
I don't know, I don't have all the answers
But I want you back
How many times can I say I'm sorry
You know, you can run, and you can hide
But I'm now leaving 'less you come with me
We've had our problems but I'm on your side
You're all I need, please believe in me, oh yeah
I only wanted someone to love
But something happened on the way to heaven
It got a hold of me and wouldn't let go
And I want you back
How many times do I have to say I'm sorry, yes, I'm sorry
You know, you can run, and you can hide
But I'm not leaving less you come with me
We've had our problems but I'm on your side
You're all I need, please believe me
You know, you can run, and you can hide
But I'm not leaving till it's all over
We've had our problems but I'm on your side
You're all I need, let me show you
They say you can't take it with you when you go
And I believe it
But taking what I've got or being here with you
You know I, I'd rather leave it
We had a life, we had a love
But you don't know what you've got 'til you lose it
Well that was then and this is now
And I want you back
How many times do I have to say I'm sorry, yes I'm sorry
You know you can run, and you can hide
But I'm not leaving less you come with me
We've had our problems but I'm on your side
You're all I need, please believe in me
You can run, and you can hide
But I'm not leaving until it's all over
We've had our problems but I'm on your side
You're all I need, please believe in me
@xiiBuzzinx
I wish mainstream music was still like this
@TrautsEwol
This is my depression song, every time that cloud hangs over my head one listen to this and it’s better than any medicine I’ve ever taken.
It holds close to my heart.
@connollybrosproduction8838
Same here, same here.
@DreFromMaine8472
One of Phil's greatest songs ever! It's awesome!
@michaelmcmurray7061
Phil Collins is a musical genius and a true legend.🙏🏻
@marioiacolucci
One more night
@mateosandiavologomeznavarr3149
Yesss
@Provos7777
Immensely talented, beautiful music
@GenesisLove07
Oh yes he sure is!!!!!!
@Provos7777
@@ashkarra2507 That’s your opinion. Nobody is comparing musicians, so I’m baffled at your comment.