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Easy Lover

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For the Ellie Goulding song, see Easy Lover (Ellie Goulding song).

"Easy Lover"
Front cover of UK 7-inch single
Single by Philip Bailey and Phil Collins
from the album Chinese Wall
B-side"Woman"
ReleasedNovember 1984 (US)
25 February 1985 (UK)[1]
Recorded1984
Genre
Length4:54 (Single Version) 5:03 (Album Version)
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Phil Collins
Philip Bailey singles chronology
"Photogenic Memory"
(1984) 		"Easy Lover"
(1984) 		"Walking on the Chinese Wall"
(1984)
Phil Collins singles chronology
"Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)"
(1984) 		"Easy Lover"
(1984) 		"One More Night"
(1984)
Music video
"Easy Lover" on YouTube

"Easy Lover" is a song performed by Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire and Phil Collins of Genesis, and jointly written and composed by Bailey, Collins, and Nathan East. The song appeared on Bailey's solo album, Chinese Wall. Collins has performed the song in his live concerts, and it appears on both his 1990 album, Serious Hits... Live!, and his 1998 compilation album, ...Hits. It is Bailey's only US Top 40 hit as a solo artist.

The song was a No. 1 hit in several countries, including Canada, the Netherlands, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. In the U.S., it spent 23 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including 7 weeks in the Top 10, and peaked at No. 2 the weeks of 2 February 1985 and 9 February 1985, behind the chart-topping "I Want to Know What Love Is" by Foreigner. In the UK Singles Chart, it reached No. 1, staying there for four weeks.[2] The single sold over a million copies in the U.S. and was certified gold,[3] as the RIAA requirement for a platinum single disc was not lowered to one million units until 1989.[4] In addition, "Easy Lover" has been certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and Music Canada.

"Easy Lover" won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Overall Performance in a Video in 1985 and was Grammy Award nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals in 1986.[5][6]

Background

In 1984, Phil Collins was hired as the producer for Philip Bailey's solo album, Chinese Wall. According to Collins, Bailey approached him at the end of the sessions for the album and asked him to write a song together. In "Phil Collins: My Life in 15 Songs", a 2016 interview he gave to Rolling Stone magazine, Collins said of the song: "So we just started having a jam one night, and went round and round and turned it into a verse and a chorus. We recorded it that night so we wouldn't forget it. That song doesn't sound like any particular era. It's just fantastic."[7] According to the official sheet music, the song is in the key of F minor and has a tempo of 105 BPM, though the studio recording has a tempo of 130 BPM.[8]

Music video

The song's music video, filmed at Etward Studios, London, England, humorously depicts the making of a music video. It was produced by Paul Flattery and directed by Jim Yukich.[9]

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1984–1986) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[10] 74
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[11] 21
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[12] 4
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[13] 1
Canada (The Record)[14] 1
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[15] 16
Finland (The Official Finnish Charts)[16] 5
France (SNEP)[17] 14
Ireland (IRMA)[18] 1
Italy (Musica e dischi)[19] 21
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[20] 1
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[21] 2
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[22] 2
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[23] 6
Spain (AFYVE)[24] 11
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[25] 10
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[26] 8
UK Singles (OCC)[27] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[28] 2
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[29] 15
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[30] 7
US Top Rock Tracks (Billboard) 5
US Hot Black Singles (Billboard) 3
US Cash Box Top 100[31] 1
West Germany (Official German Charts)[32] 5

Year-end charts

Chart (1985) Rank
Canada[33] 4
New Zealand[34] 42
UK[35] 12
US Billboard Hot 100[36] 12
US Cash Box[37] 7

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[38] Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[39] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[40] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "BPI certifications".
  2. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 447. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. ^ "Philip Bailey: Chinese Wall". riaa.com. RIAA.
  4. ^ "Rock Music, etc., Terms". spider.georgetowncollege.edu. Archived from the original on 18 May 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  5. ^ "MTV Video Music Awards History: Best Overall Performance". Rock On The Net. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
  6. ^ "Grammy Awards: Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Group or Duo". Rock On The Net. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
  7. ^ Greene, Andy (29 February 2016). "Phil Collins: My Life in 15 Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  8. ^ "Phil Collins "Easy Lover" Sheet Music in F Minor". Musicnotes.com. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  9. ^ "Video Track" (PDF). Billboard. 12 January 1985. p. 34.
  10. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992: 23 years of hit singles & albums from the top 100 charts. St Ives, N.S.W, Australia: Australian Chart Book. p. 71. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  11. ^ "Philip Bailey with Phil Collins – Easy Lover" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  12. ^ "Philip Bailey with Phil Collins – Easy Lover" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  13. ^ Lwin, Nanda (2000). Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Mississauga, Ontario: Music Data Canada.
  14. ^ Lwin, Nanda (2000). Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Mississauga, Ontario: Music Data Canada.
  15. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 16 March 1985. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  16. ^ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  17. ^ "Philip Bailey with Phil Collins – Easy Lover" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  18. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Easy Lover". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  19. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Philip Bailey & Phil Collins".
  20. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 4, 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  21. ^ "Philip Bailey with Phil Collins – Easy Lover" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  22. ^ "Philip Bailey with Phil Collins – Easy Lover". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  23. ^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  24. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  25. ^ "Philip Bailey with Phil Collins – Easy Lover". Singles Top 100.
  26. ^ "Philip Bailey with Phil Collins – Easy Lover". Swiss Singles Chart.
  27. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  28. ^ "Philip Bailey with Phil Collins Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  29. ^ "Philip Bailey with Phil Collins Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  30. ^ "Phil Collins Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  31. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 2/09/85". Cash Box. 9 February 1985. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  32. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Philip Bailey with Phil Collins – Easy Lover" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  33. ^ "RPM's Top 100 Singles of 1985". Top Singles. RPM. Vol. 43, no. 16. 28 December 1985. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2019 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  34. ^ "Top Selling Singles of 1985". The Official New Zealand Music Chart. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  35. ^ "Top 100 Singles". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications. 24 January 1987. p. 24.
  36. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1985/Top 100 Songs of 1985". Music Outfitters. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  37. ^ "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1985". Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  38. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Philip Bailey – Easy Lover". Music Canada. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  39. ^ "British single certifications – Philip Bailey & Phil Collins – Easy Lover". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  40. ^ "American single certifications – Philip Bailey – Easy Lover (Duet with Phil Collins)". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
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