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...But Seriously

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For the Joe Walsh album, see But Seriously, Folks...

Untitled
Professional ratings
Review scores
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Allmusic[2]
Rolling Stone[3]

...But Seriously is the fourth solo studio album by English singer-songwriter Phil Collins. It was recorded at The Farm, Surrey, England, and at A&M Studios, Los Angeles, United States. It was released on 20 November 1989,[1] 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. It was the best-selling album of 1990 in the UK.

A 2-disc remastered version of the album will be released on 10 June 2016 and will contain live songs and demos.[4][5]

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 drums instead of the drum machines used heavily on No Jacket Required. He also prominently used keyboards and electric piano but fewer synthesizers. The album also features a sole instrumental track, "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning", which recalls the jazz-influenced instrumentals featured on his first two albums, Face Value and Hello, I Must Be Going.

Themes

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

"Another Day in Paradise", which was released as the lead single and became the album's biggest international hit, is a sympathetic look at the plight of the homeless.[6] 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). 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.

The album also features a dramatic, gospel-influenced track, "I Wish It Would Rain Down", which features Eric Clapton prominently on guitar and became one of the album's biggest hit singles.

"Father to Son" is a song in which Collins explores his connection with 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

No.TitleLength
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: Collins, music: Collins, Daryl Stuermer)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" (Collins, Thomas Washington)1:26
11."Father to Son"3:28
12."Find a Way to My Heart"6:08

LP

Side A
No.TitleLength
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
No.TitleLength
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

2016 reissue bonus disc

No.TitleLength
1."Hang in Long Enough (live)" 
2."Something Happened on the Way to Heaven (live)" 
3."Colours (live)" 
4."Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (live)" 
5."Always (live)" 
6."Find a Way to My Heart (live)" 
7."That's How I Feel (B-side)" 
8."You've Been in Love (That Little Bit Too Long) (B-side)" 
9."Another Day in Paradise (demo)" 
10."That's Just the Way It Is (demo)" 
11."I Wish It Would Rain Down (demo)" 
12."Hang in Long Enough (demo)" 
13."Do You Remember? (demo)" 

Working titles

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

B-sides

  1. "That'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

Production

  • Produced and Mixed by Phil Collins and Hugh Padgham
  • Engineered by Hugh Padgham
  • Assisted by Ed Goodreau (Los Angeles) and Simon Osbourne
  • Horns arranged by Tom Tom 84
  • Music Preparation by Maurice Spears
  • Photography by Trevor Key

Chart performance

Chart (1989) Peak
position 		Total
weeks
Australian Albums Chart[7] 1 45
Austrian Albums Chart[8] 1 44
Canadian Albums Chart[9] 1 66
Dutch Albums Chart[10] 1 77
Finnish Albums Chart[11] 1
German Albums Chart[12] 1 79
New Zealand Albums Chart[13] 1 63
Norwegian Albums Chart[14] 1 27
Spanish Albums Chart[15] 1 52
Swedish Albums Chart[16] 1 14
Swiss Albums Chart[17] 1 51
UK Albums Chart[18] 1 71
US Billboard 200[19] 1 90

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[20] 3× Platinum 180,000^
Australia (ARIA)[21] 5× Platinum 350,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[22] Platinum 50,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[23] Gold 100,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[24] 7× Platinum 700,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[25] Platinum 74,715[25]
France (SNEP)[27] Diamond 1,711,100[26]
Germany (BVMI)[28] 6× Platinum 3,000,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[29] Platinum 15,000*
Italy (FIMI)[30] 3× Platinum 300,000*
Japan (RIAJ)[31] Platinum 200,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[32] 2× Platinum 200,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[33] Platinum 15,000^
Portugal (AFP)[34] 2× Platinum 80,000^
Sweden (GLF)[35] Gold 50,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[36] 7× Platinum 700,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[37] 5× Platinum 250,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[38] 9× Platinum 2,700,000^
United States (RIAA)[39] 4× Platinum 4,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Singles

In the UK and the US, ...But Seriously contained five Top 40 singles. 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)[6]
  • "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" all reached 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. ^ a b "BPI > Certified Awards > Search results for Phil Collins (page 1)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  2. ^ Geoff Orens. "...But Seriously". allmusic. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
  3. ^ J.D. Considine (11 January 1990). "But Seriously". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 June 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ "Hang In Long Enough: "…But Seriously," Revised "Going Back" Complete Phil Collins Reissue Campaign". Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  5. ^ "Phil Collins - Take A Look At Me Now". Genesis News. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  6. ^ a b Dean, Maury (2003). Rock N' Roll Gold Rush. Algora. p. 60. ISBN 0-87586-207-1.
  7. ^ Steffen Hung. "Australian charts portal". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  8. ^ Steffen Hung. "Austria Top 40 – Hitparade Österreich". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  9. ^ "Bienvenue au site Web BIBLIOTHÈQUE ET ARCHIVES CANADA | Welcome to the LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA website". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  10. ^ Steffen Hung. "Phil Collins – ...But Seriously". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  11. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 263. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  12. ^ "Charts-Surfer". Charts-surfer.de. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  13. ^ Steffen Hung. "New Zealand charts portal". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  14. ^ Steffen Hung (15 June 2006). "Norwegian charts portal". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  15. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  16. ^ Steffen Hung (3 February 2012). "Swedish Charts Portal". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  17. ^ Steffen Hung. "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade und Music Community". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  18. ^ "UK Singles & Albums Chart Archive". Chart Stats. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  19. ^ "Music News, Reviews, Articles, Information, News Online & Free Music". Billboard. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  20. ^ "Discos de oro y platino" (in Spanish). Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  21. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  22. ^ "Austrian album certifications – Phil Collins – But Seriously ..." (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  23. ^ "Brazilian album certifications – Phil Collins – But Seriously" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  24. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Phil Collins – ...But Seriously". Music Canada. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  25. ^ a b "Phil Collins" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  26. ^ "Les Albums Diamant :" (in French). Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  27. ^ "French album certifications – Phil Collins – But Seriously" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  28. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Phil Collins; 'But Seriously')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  29. ^ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1990". IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  30. ^ "Italian album certifications – Phil Collins – ...But Seriously" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 25 July 2012. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "...But Seriously" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
  31. ^ "Japanese album certifications – Phil Collins – ...But Seriously" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  32. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Phil Collins – But Seriously" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 5 October 2012. Enter But Seriously in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  33. ^ THE FIELD id (chart number) MUST BE PROVIDED for NEW ZEALAND CERTIFICATION.
  34. ^ "Portuguese album certifications – Phil Collins – ... But Seriously" (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved 5 October 2012.id MUST BE PROVIDED for Portuguese CERTIFICATION.
  35. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  36. ^ "Spanish album certifications – Phil Collins – ... But Seriously". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  37. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('... But Seriously')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  38. ^ "British album certifications – Phil Collins – But Seriously". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 5 October 2012. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type But Seriously in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  39. ^ "American album certifications – Phil Collins – But Seriously". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  40. ^ "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 – 23 March 1990 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album
2–17 December 1989 		Succeeded by

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