TotW 12/12/2022 - 12/18/2022: PHIL COLLINS - Another Day In Paradise

What is a millionaire musician with a social conscience and a massive audience supposed to sing about?

The virtues of riding around in a Rolls Royce, living in mansions, and rolling in money?

His intentions were good but by this point, the tide had started to turn against Phil and I think a lot of people had grown weary of his widespread multimedia presence and were finding any excuse to take him down a few notches.

I’m not a huge, huge fan of Phil’s solo work but I do like his first four albums and thought this was actually one of the better songs on But Seriously.

👆 second this. It's a catchy, well-crafted tune but the earnestness of the message was always going to result in a big backlash of cynicism. Add in the level of exposure - such as getting played in congress for American lawmakers - and you have a recipe for a whole lot of largely undeserved negativity.

15 points.

There is everything!

Melody, lyrics, meaning, voice.

Like a prayer!

It's a really good pop song. I genuinely don't think he expected the back lash he got from it. Bear in mind this is a man who wrote the lyrics for No son of mine because it fit the music rather than he felt strongly about the subject matter. Although I do think this was an attempt to sound very different to No jacket required.

I just did a quick read of the Wikipedia page about this song, particularly the part about all the criticism it's gotten. And, frankly, all those criticisms sound to me like a bunch of nonsense.

Musically, it's OK. I too was never a huge fan of PC solo but liked some of it. This one's got a hook and shows those pop sensibilities that earned him his popularity and stardom as a solo artist.

Lyrically, it's a perfectly decent subject to write/sing about. I don't much like his lyrics generally and this one has a certain lack of sophistication characteristic of a lot of his songs, but it gets the message across.

Human nature being what it is, there always have been and always will be those who criticise, snipe at and shoot down those who express concerns about issues. This is magnified when those voicing the concerns are high-profile and, heaven forbid, successful. It's an oversimplistic but common well-established trope to think that being famous/successful somehow means a person must be excluded from commenting on social issues. Much of the negative reaction to this track was simply that.

Also not a huge fan of Phil's solo work but this is a good song, it's a 13 from me.

Quote from Backdrifter

Musically, it's OK. I too was never a huge fan of PC solo but liked some of it. This one's got a hook and shows those pop sensibilities that earned him his popularity and stardom as a solo artist.

Lyrically, it's a perfectly decent subject to write/sing about. I don't much like his lyrics generally and this one has a certain lack of sophistication characteristic of a lot of his songs, but it gets the message across.

Human nature being what it is, there always have been and always will be those who criticise, snipe at and shoot down those who express concerns about issues. This is magnified when those voicing the concerns are high-profile and, heaven forbid, successful. It's an oversimplistic but common well-established trope to think that being famous/successful somehow means a person must be excluded from commenting on social issues. Much of the negative reaction to this track was simply that.

Unless you are Bruce Springsteen, in which case every single lyric you have written is treated as holy scripture.

Another Day In Paradise is one of those songs where if I am in the mood for it I think it's a masterpiece. If not I think of many songs I prefer, but I love David Crosby's backing vocals on this song.

14/15

One of his finest. Discussion about the lyrics and his own situation is not really my cup of tea. It's a great song!

Quote from FeelItComing

Unless you are Bruce Springsteen, in which case every single lyric you have written is treated as holy scripture.

😂

Yes he's somewhat over-venerated. He seems to be untouchable. I find him really dull.

It's a great track. One of those where you keep thinking "I have enough" - but then you enjoy it every time again and again. At least I do. 13pts.

I've been trying to get hold of Mulligan & O'Hare's deeply moving cover version of this but sadly haven't managed to track it down.

Quote from Witchwood

What is a millionaire musician with a social conscience and a massive audience supposed to sing about?

You understand more the message if you read the autobiography. This origins of this song came when he was on tour with ''Genesis'' in the ''Invisible Touch'' Tour, in a concert of Washington. Before the concert, when he arrived at the theater in taxi, he view the box outside the theater. He asked the question about the boxes outside and the taxi driver say, ''It's from homeless''. This image rest at this i and he was shocked by the differences of his life between the homeless. This image rest at his head and when he return at his home, he write this song inspired to that. After the released of this song, at all his concerts, he adding the buckets at the entry to his concerts, who he invited the public to donates for homeless charitys worldwide and he double the money collected with his own money. All the money give in all the homeless charities.

My favorite all time Phil song, a haunting and beautiful song about hard reality of homeless and a relevant message more then thirty years after his released.

It’s a good song. I’m also not a big Phil Solo fan but this song is part of the handful of his solo songs that I really like. 12 points.

It's a great track, but I am a bit tired of it (has been played on the radio a lot back then and it's also not the best song for a live set)

Still one of his best.

13/15