Remember When Sting and Peter Gabriel Sang on a Phil Collins Song in 1985?
Phil Collins’ 1985 song “Take Me Home” featured prominent backing vocals from Sting and Peter Gabriel, alongside Helen Terry. The track became a Top 10 hit and is one of several successful songs on Collins’ album No Jacket Required, which won two Grammy Awards.
Despite its gentle sound, the song is about a patient in a mental hospital who wants to escape, and Collins drew inspiration from the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Sting also sang on two other album tracks. Later versions included Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s 2003 song “Home”, whose video featured Collins, and a 2024 recording by Little Big Town and Sugarland.
In short
- Sting and Peter Gabriel sang backing vocals on Collins’ 1985 hit.
- The song was inspired by One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
- Bone Thugs-N-Harmony later sampled it, with Collins in the video.
Explained simply
Phil Collins was a drummer and singer who became a solo star after rising to fame with the band Genesis. “Take Me Home” appeared on his 1985 album No Jacket Required, which also included several hit songs and won two Grammy Awards. Sting and Peter Gabriel, both well-known musicians, joined Helen Terry to sing backing vocals on the track.
The song’s calm sound contrasts with its story: its narrator is a patient in a mental hospital who wants to leave. Collins said the idea was inspired by the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which is set in a psychiatric hospital. The song’s later versions and uses show how it continued to reach new listeners.