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...But Seriously

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Allmusic[1]

...But Seriously is the fourth full-length studio album by Phil Collins. It was recorded at The Farm, Surrey, England, and at A & M Studios, Los Angeles, United States. It was released on 7 November 1989 on Virgin in the UK and Ireland, Atlantic in the US and Canada, WEA Records (now Warner Music Group) for the rest of the world.

Musical style

While much of the album follows the same formula as Collins' previous album, No Jacket Required (1985), there was also a move towards more organic production as Collins chose to utilise live instrumentation instead of drum machines and prominently used keyboards.

Themes

The tone of the album is serious, as the title suggests. Instead of focusing entirely on personal relationships, dark psychedelics, and simple fun, Collins expands his focus to the exploration of socio-economic and political themes. There is great emotional turmoil underneath the polished studio production, and many of the songs are unambiguous and unveiled in their melancholy.

"Another Day in Paradise" is a critical look at the plight of the homeless.[2] The song was inspired by Collins' visit to Washington, D.C. There, he was struck with the widespread poverty in which so many people live, and the struggles that homeless people face. He was equally struck by the perfect abandonment of these needy people, and the complacency of the city as a whole, despite being the nation's center of government (hence the sarcasm used in the title of the song).

Another politically-themed song on the album is "Colours", which voices Collins' condemnation of the segregation and oppression of black and coloured people in South Africa under apartheid. Arguably the song with the most progressive rock influence in this album (à la Genesis), it is quite popular with some fans. But it did not see much commercial success as it is almost nine minutes long, and radio stations had no interest in playing it. The political theme is also evident in the second song on the album "That's Just the Way It Is", which deals with The Troubles of Northern Ireland. This was a minor chart hit in the summer of 1990 and in the lyrics Collins makes reference to the gridlock of Ulster's sectarian differences most notably in the line "If we'd agree that we can disagree, we could stop all of this today."

While incorporating political themes, ...But Seriously does not abandon the theme of relationships. But unlike some of his earlier work, Collins takes a more mature and reflective approach when looking at the relationships in his life. During the album's creation, he was dealing with a range of estrangements: from society, from his father, and from his wife.

These influences can be seen in the dramatic gospel-influenced track, "I Wish It Would Rain Down", which features Eric Clapton.

"Father to Son" is another song in which Collins explores his connections with people, in this case, his own son. The song has a positive, inspirational tone as he seeks to guide his son through some of the trials of life and love, and to reassure him that, "if you look behind you, I will be there".

Track listing

All tracks are written by Phil Collins, except where noted.

CD

  1. "Hang in Long Enough"  – 4:44
  2. "That's Just the Way It Is"  – 5:20
  3. "Do You Remember?"  – 4:36
  4. "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" (lyrics: Phil Collins, music: Daryl Stuermer, Phil Collins)  – 4:52
  5. "Colours"  – 8:51
  6. "I Wish It Would Rain Down"  – 5:28
  7. "Another Day in Paradise"  – 5:22
  8. "Heat on the Street"  – 3:51
  9. "All of My Life"  – 5:36
  10. "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning" (instrumental) (music: Phil Collins, Thomas Washington)  – 1:26
  11. "Father to Son"  – 3:28
  12. "Find a Way to My Heart"  – 6:08

LP

Side A
  1. "Hang in Long Enough"  – 4:44
  2. "That's Just the Way It Is"  – 5:20
  3. "Find a Way to My Heart"  – 6:08
  4. "Colours"  – 8:51
  5. "Father to Son"  – 3:28
Side B
  1. "Another Day in Paradise"  – 5:22
  2. "All of My Life"  – 5:36
  3. "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven"  – 4:52
  4. "Do You Remember?"  – 4:36
  5. "I Wish It Would Rain Down"  – 5:28

Working titles

  • The original title of "Do You Remember?" was originally "Lionel".
  • The original title of "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" was originally "Broadway Chorus".
  • The original title of the first part of "Colours" was originally "Hymn" and the second part was originally called "Oh! Mr. Botha What Can We Do?".
  • The original title of "Another Day in Paradise" was originally "Homeless".

B-sides

  1. "Thats's How I Feel"
  2. "You've Been in Love (That Little Bit Too Long)"
  3. "Around the World in 80 Presets"

Audio sample

"Another Day in Paradise", from Collins' ...But Seriously
Collins' last of seven American number one songs, "Another Day in Paradise" and its theme regarding the homeless won Collins a Grammy for Record of the Year.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Personnel

Instrumental contributions

  • Alex Brown – backing vocals
  • Marva King – backing vocals
  • Lynne Fiddmont – backing vocals

Featured musicians

Chart performance

Chart (1989) Peak
position 		Total
weeks
Australian Albums Chart[3] 1 45
Austrian Albums Chart[4] 1 44
Canadian Albums Chart[5] 1 66
Dutch Albums Chart[6] 1 79
German Albums Chart[7] 1 ?
New Zealand Albums Chart[8] 1 63
Norwegian Albums Chart[9] 1 27
Swedish Albums Chart[10] 1 14
Swiss Albums Chart[11] 1 51
UK Albums Chart[12] 1 71
U.S. Billboard Hot 200[13] 1 90

Certifications

Country Sales Certification
Argentina 180,000+ 3× Platinum[14]
Austria 100,000+ 2× Platinum[15]
Brazil 100,000+ Gold[16]
Canada 700,000+ 7× Platinum[17]
France 1,711,100+ Multi-Platinum[18]
Finland 74,715+ Platinum[19]
Germany 3,000,000+ 6× Platinum[20]
Switzerland 250,000+ 5× Platinum[21]
The Netherlands 200,000+ 2× Platinum[22]
United Kingdom 2,740,590+ 8× Platinum[23]
United States 4,000,000+ 4× Platinum[24]
  • In the UK, the success of ...But Seriously was impressive. It spent 15 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1, including the whole competitive Christmas season, and at the end of 1989 became the third best-selling album of the year in the country. ...But Seriously became the best-selling album of 1990 in the UK.
  • ...But Seriously also peaked No. 1 on the Billboard 200 during four weeks. It became the second best-selling album of 1990, according to Billboard.
  • In Germany, ...But Seriously is the second best-selling album in the chart history of certified albums, and the best-selling album within the foreign repertoire.[25]

Singles

In the US, ...But Seriously contained five singles, all of which reached the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. In terms of the number of hit singles from one release, ...But Seriously remains the most successful album by Phil Collins.

  • "Another Day in Paradise" reached No. 1 (1989)[2]
  • "I Wish It Would Rain Down" reached No. 3 (1990)
  • "Do You Remember?" reached No. 4 (1990)
  • "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" reached No. 4 (1990)
  • "Hang in Long Enough" reached No. 23 (1990)

In Canada, "Another Day in Paradise", "I Wish It Would Rain Down", "Do You Remember?" and "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" reached all No. 1, with Phil Collins achieving four number one hits in the same calendar year, 1990.

Tour

In support of the album, Collins' embarked on a world wide tour, called Seriously Live!. In total, there were 113 shows over 3 continents and it led to the release of a live album and video Serious Hits... Live!.

See also

References

  1. ^ Geoff Orens. "...But Seriously". allmusic. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
  2. ^ a b Dean, Maury (2003). Rock N' Roll Gold Rush. Algora. p. 60. ISBN 0-87586-207-1.
  3. ^ Steffen Hung. "Australian charts portal". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  4. ^ Steffen Hung. "Austria Top 40 – Hitparade Österreich". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  5. ^ "Bienvenue au site Web BIBLIOTHÈQUE ET ARCHIVES CANADA | Welcome to the LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA website". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  6. ^ Steffen Hung. "Phil Collins – ...But Seriously". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  7. ^ "Charts-Surfer". Charts-surfer.de. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  8. ^ Steffen Hung. "New Zealand charts portal". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  9. ^ Steffen Hung (15 June 2006). "Norwegian charts portal". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  10. ^ Steffen Hung (3 February 2012). "Swedish Charts Portal". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  11. ^ Steffen Hung. "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade und Music Community". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  12. ^ "UK Singles & Albums Chart Archive". Chart Stats. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  13. ^ "Music News, Reviews, Articles, Information, News Online & Free Music". Billboard. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  14. ^ "Representando a la Industria Argentina de la Música". CAPIF.
  15. ^ "IFPI Austria – Verband der Österreichischen Musikwirtschaft".
  16. ^ "Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos".
  17. ^ "CRIA > Certified Awards Search". Canadian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
  18. ^ "Les Meilleures Ventes de CD/Albums depuis 1968". SNEP.
  19. ^ "Musiikki Tuottajat". IFPI Finland.
  20. ^ "Bundesverband Musikindustrie".
  21. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community".
  22. ^ "NVPI Goud/Platina Muziek". {{cite web}}: Text "NVPI" ignored (help)
  23. ^ "Top 40 Best Selling Albums: 28 July 1956 – 14 June 2009" (PDF). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
  24. ^ "RIAA Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 23 October 2006.
  25. ^ "Highes Gold Platinum certifications" (PDF). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
Preceded by Billboard 200 number-one album
30 December 1989 – 12 January 1990
20 January – 2 February 1990 		Succeeded by
Girl You Know It's True by Milli Vanilli
Forever Your Girl by Paula Abdul
Preceded by UK number one album
2 December 1989 – 26 January 1990
3 February 1990 – 23 March 1990 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album
2 December 1989 – 17 December 1989 		Succeeded by

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