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)
Waiting For This Moment
Phil Collins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Carila papaya
Bixa orellana
Callistemon linearis
Campanula incurva
I know you all
Oh, I've been waiting for this moment
Here I am - my head is spinning
Because I'm finally living the life that I dreamed
It seems I've been waiting forever
Mimulus aurantiacus
Pedicularis attollens
Boehmeria tricuspis
I always knew you'd be this beautiful
Here and now nothing matters
Everything I wanted's here
I feel at home, I've found my place
All this beauty before me was out of my reach
I never imagined such wonder
All these friends, I feel like I know them oh so well
And though it's strange I feel they know me too
There's something strangely intoxicating
And it's going to my head
That makes me feel oh so alive
I could stay here forever and never need more
Embracing these wonders of nature
Calliandra hustoniana
Campanula barbata
Babiana rubrocyanea
Campanula fragilis
Calycanthus occidentalis
Gentiana saxosa
Oh these friends, it seems like I know them oh so well
And I can see that, ooh, they want to know me too
It's such a liberating feeling
And it's happening to me
I've never felt this glow inside
New, exciting, inviting, wanting to play
I cannot resist this temptation, temptation
The first half of "Jane" presents us with a list of plant names, which immediately gives us a sense of the natural environment that Phil Collins is immersing himself in. He knows and is familiar with these plants, and mentions them as a means of showing us how deeply he feels a part of this landscape. He asks his listeners to trust him - "I know you all" - and we get the sense that he is telling us about a place that is not only tangible and physical but deeply spiritual.
In the second half, Collins moves away from the natural environment and talks about the emotional journey he has been on, waiting for a moment like this one. He feels like he has been waiting for this his whole life, and now that he has found it, he is finally living the life he's always dreamed of. He is overwhelmed and his head is spinning, but it's clear that he feels completely at home in this place. He has found a sense of belonging that he never imagined was possible.
Overall, "Jane" is a song about the joy of discovery and the satisfaction of finding a place where one feels completely at home. Collins is describing a kind of spiritual epiphany that he has experienced, and the feeling of being connected both to nature and to other people who share his sense of wonder and delight.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, I've been waiting for this moment
The singer has been waiting for this specific moment for a long time.
Oh, it seems like all my life
The singer feels like they have been waiting their entire life for this moment.
Here I am - my head is spinning
The singer is having a hard time comprehending that this moment is actually happening.
Because I'm finally living the life that I dreamed
The artist is now living the life that they have always dreamt of.
It seems I've been waiting forever
The artist feels like they have been waiting an eternity for this moment to arrive.
I always knew you'd be this beautiful
The singer always knew that this moment or experience would be beautiful.
Here and now nothing matters
In this current moment, nothing else in the world matters.
Everything I wanted's here
The artist has everything they could ever want in this moment.
I feel at home, I've found my place
The artist feels a sense of belonging and has found their rightful place in this moment.
All this beauty before me was out of my reach
Previously, the artist never imagined they would be able to experience such beauty.
I never imagined such wonder
The singer never thought they would experience something so remarkable and awe-inspiring.
All these friends, I feel like I know them oh so well
The artist feels a sense of familiarity towards the people in this moment.
And though it's strange I feel they know me too
The singer feels like these people also have a sense of familiarity towards them despite the fact they have just met.
There's something strangely intoxicating
There is something hypnotically captivating about this moment that the singer can't quite put their finger on.
And it's going to my head
The effect of this moment is consuming the singer's thoughts.
That makes me feel oh so alive
This moment is making the artist feel more alive than ever before.
I could stay here forever and never need more
The artist is so content in this moment that they could stay there for an eternity without wanting anything else.
Embracing these wonders of nature
The singer is embracing and appreciating the natural beauty around them.
Oh these friends, it seems like I know them oh so well
The singer is continuing to feel a sense of familiarity towards the people in this moment.
And I can see that, ooh, they want to know me too
The artist feels like the people in this moment are interested in getting to know them as well.
It's such a liberating feeling
The artist feels free and liberated in this moment.
And it's happening to me
The artist is experiencing this amazing moment first-hand.
I've never felt this glow inside
The singer is feeling an inner glow that they have never experienced before.
New, exciting, inviting, wanting to play
This moment is full of new, exciting opportunities and is inviting the artist to participate and engage.
I cannot resist this temptation, temptation
The singer cannot resist the temptation to fully immerse themselves in this moment and all it has to offer.
Contributed by Violet V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
shiloh gordon
1981-2021 40 years I've listened to this song, and it still gives me chills!
D
Heard it for the first time in 2021 and now I totally understand the hype. straight fire 🔥🔥🤘🏾
Mega Battle Zero
it just brings out a different passion of the soul, I feel so focused to workout when I listen to it.
Hoodini ✔
What was is like man?
shiloh gordon
@Hoodini ✔ There's a badass video with Miami vice, and this song playing, it was like that!
The Most Evil Twin
Hauntingly beautiful.
When this came out, I told my roommate, "We'll still be listening to this 20 years from now." I was so short-sighted. That was over 40 years ago. Crank it in the dark and just listen. An absolute masterpiece.
Shirogane Tsuki
When people ask what's my favorite song I never had an answer, because there is so much damn good music out there.
Then I recently rewatched Miami Vice and when the first tunes of this song were playing I had my answer. This is the one song that gives me chills for over 40 years now.
Matthew Funk
Ufc fighters using this song lol
William Wilson
Very Well said
T Thompson
Facts