Easy Lover
"Easy Lover" | |
---|---|
Song | |
B-side | "Woman" |
"Easy Lover" is a hit song performed by Philip Bailey and Phil Collins and written 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 his 1990 album Serious Hits... Live!, as well as his 1998 compilation album, ...Hits.
The song was a No. 1 hit in several countries worldwide, including Canada, the Netherlands, Ireland, Japan and the United Kingdom. In the U.S. it reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, kept out of the top spot for two weeks by "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 was certified gold in the UK.[1] The single sold over a million copies in the U.S. and was certified gold, as the RIAA requirement for a platinum single disc was not lowered to 1 million units until 1989. In addition, "Easy Lover" has been certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry for sales of over 400,000 in the UK and platinum in Canada by Music Canada.[3][4][5][6]
"Easy Lover" won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Overall Performance in a Video in 1985 and was Grammy nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals in 1986.[7][8]
The lighthearted video for the song was filmed in London, England and is a music video about the making of a music video.
Electric Six covered the song on their cover album Mimicry and Memories (2015).[9]
Background
In 1984 Phil Collins was hired as the producer for Chinese Wall. According to Phil Collins, he was approached by Philip Bailey at the end of the sessions for the album, who asked him to write a song together. In a 2016 interview 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."[10]
Chart performance
Weekly singles charts
Chart (1984-86) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report)[11] | 74 |
Austrian Singles Chart | 18 |
Canada (The Record)[12] | 1 |
Dutch Top 40[13] | 1 |
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] | 5 |
French Singles Chart | 14 |
German Singles Chart | 5 |
Irish Singles Chart | 1 |
Italy (FIMI)[15] | 18 |
Oricon Japanese Weekly Singles Chart | 19 |
Oricon Japanese International Chart | 1 |
New Zealand Top 50 [16] | 2 |
Spain (AFYVE)[17] | 11 |
Swedish Singles Chart | 10 |
Swiss Singles Chart | 8 |
UK Singles Chart | 1 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[18] | 2 |
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 15 |
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 5 |
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 3 |
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 [19] | 1 |
Year-end charts
Chart (1985) | Rank |
---|---|
Canada [20] | 4 |
New Zealand [21] | 42 |
UK [22] | 7 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [23] | 12 |
US Cash Box [24] | 7 |
Personnel
- Philip Bailey - vocals
- Phil Collins - vocals, drums
- Daryl Stuermer - guitars
- Nathan East - bass
- Lesette Wilson - keyboards
References
- ^ a b "BPI > Certified Awards > Search results for Phil Collins (page 3)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2016-02-16.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 447. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - March 29, 2014". RIAA. Retrieved 2014-03-29.
- ^ "Rock Music, etc., Terms". spider.georgetowncollege.edu. Retrieved 2009-03-23.
- ^ [1] Archived 2012-01-06 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Music Canada : Gold Platinum Database". Musiccanada.com. Retrieved 2014-03-29.
- ^ "MTV Video Music Awards History: Best Overall Performance". Rock On The Net. Retrieved 2014-03-29.
- ^ "Grammy Awards: Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Group or Duo". Rock On The Net. Retrieved 2014-03-29.
- ^ "Final track listing for Mimicry and Memories". Retrieved 29 March 2015.
- ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/phil-collins-my-life-in-15-songs-20160229
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 71. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. the Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid 1983 and 19 June 1988.
- ^ Lwin, Nanda. Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide (2000). Mississauga, Ont.: Music Data Canada
- ^ "De Nederlandse Top 40, week 4, 1985". Retrieved 2008-03-01.
- ^ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
- ^ "Hit Parade Italia - Indice per Interprete: C". Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
- ^ http://charts.org.nz/weekchart.asp?cat=s&year=1985&date=19850324
- ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- ^ [Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2002]
- ^ http://50.6.195.142/archives/80s_files/19850209.html
- ^ http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.0619&type=1&interval=50&PHPSESSID=hfqghgi7qo83i9lhvl8q3orfj0
- ^ http://nztop40.co.nz/chart/?chart=3874
- ^ http://www.uk-charts.top-source.info/top-100-1985.shtml
- ^ http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1985.htm
- ^ http://50.6.195.142/archives/80s_files/1985YESP.html
External links
- Video on VH1 Classic
- 1984 singles
- 1985 singles
- Phil Collins songs
- Dutch Top 40 number-one singles
- UK Singles Chart number-one singles
- Oricon International Singles Chart number-one singles
- Vocal duets
- Songs written by Phil Collins
- WrestleMania themes
- RPM Top Singles number-one singles
- Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
- Song recordings produced by Phil Collins
- 1984 songs
- Columbia Records singles
- Songs written by Philip Bailey