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Remember When Phil Collins Heated up a Leftover for His First US No. 1 Single in 1984?
Phil Collins scored his first US number one single in 1984 with "Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)", but the song's origins actually date back around three years earlier. He had written the ballad, then titled "How Can You Just Sit There?", during the emotionally raw sessions for his 1981 solo debut album Face Value, only to leave it off the record because he already had too many similarly sombre tracks. It later found a second life when film director Taylor Hackford asked Collins for a closing-credits song for his movie Against All Odds, prompting Collins to revive and rework the shelved composition.
Collins reshaped the lyrics around the film's plot, recasting the song as a narrator's plea to an ex-partner, and recorded it with producer Arif Mardin, pianist Rob Mounsey and his own distinctive drumming while on tour with Genesis. It became his first movie theme, launching a lucrative pattern that later produced hits including "Separate Lives", "A Groovy Kind Of Love" and "You'll Be In My Heart". "Against All Odds" surpassed his previous best US chart placing, the 1982 cover "You Can't Hurry Love" (number 10), reaching number one in 1984 and becoming the first of his seven US chart-topping singles.
In short
- Phil Collins recycled a shelved 1981 ballad for a 1984 film theme
- "Against All Odds" became his first US number one single
- It launched Collins's long run of hit movie soundtrack songs
Explained simply
Phil Collins wrote “Against All Odds” around 1981, while making his first solo album, Face Value. At the time, he called it “How Can You Just Sit There?” but left it off the album because it was one of several similarly sombre songs.
The song later caught the attention of film director Taylor Hackford, who wanted music for the closing credits of his film Against All Odds. Collins revised the lyrics to connect with the film’s story and recorded the song with producer Arif Mardin, pianist Rob Mounsey and his own drums.
The film work began a series of songs Collins wrote or recorded for films, including “Separate Lives” and “You’ll Be in My Heart”. “Against All Odds” also became his first US number one, after his 1982 cover of “You Can’t Hurry Love” had reached number 10.
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