Music / …But Seriously

The signs are getting clearer
Clearer than you need
^{2016 reissue cover} 

There are things we won't recall
And feelings we'll never find
It's taken so long to see it
Cause we never seemed to have the time
There was always something more important to do
More important to say
But "I love you" wasn't one of those things
And now it's too late.

— "Do You Remember?"

…But Seriously is the fourth solo studio album recorded by singer/songwriter/drummer and Genesis lead singer Phil Collins. It was released through Atlantic Records in the United States on 6 November 1989, and through Virgin Records in the United Kingdom on 20 November 1989.

Following the tour to promote the latest album for Genesis, Invisible Touch, even Phil knew he was oversaturated in the market. He took a moment to try his hand at acting, starring in the 1988 film Buster, a Rom Com based on The Great Train Robbery.

For that film, he recorded two songs: "Two Hearts", and "A Groovy Kind of Love".

Both were #1 in the United States. The latter also hit #1 in the United Kingdom.

If he wanted to avoid oversaturation, he failed. Not only that, but fans were starting to think he was becoming too soft as a recording artist.

When he returned to the recording studio in 1989, Phil sought to tackle some serious issues with his songs. Some of the material dated back to the 1970s. His Protest Songs ran the gamut, shining lights on homelessness, Apartheid in South Africa, even The Troubles.

His less political songs from this album would dabble in soul and gospel influence.

Despite its late release, it was the third-best-selling album of 1989 in the United Kingdom, ultimately going nine-times Platinum; it debuted at #1 there, and stayed at the top of the charts for 13 straight weeks throughout the Christmas season. It went quadruple-Platinum in the United States. In fact, it was #1 virtually everywhere. In Germany, …But Seriously remains the second-highest-selling album of all time, and the highest-selling album by a non-German singer.

Six singles were released from the album: "Another Day in Paradise", "I Wish It Would Rain Down", "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven", "That's Just the Way It Is", "Hang in Long Enough", and "Do You Remember?" He scored five hits each in the UK and US, with "Another Day in Paradise" being the biggest of them; hitting #1 in the US, and #2 in the UK.^note On the Billboard Hot 100, "Another Day in Paradise" was the last #1 song of The '80s, and the first #1 song of The '90s. It spent 4 weeks at that position; two in 1989, and two in 1990.

Phil went on a world tour to promote the album throughout 1990, playing 121 concerts over five legs. The concert in Berlin on 15 July 1990 was recorded and filmed for a live album and concert film.

Tracklist:

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" (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" (1:26)
11. "Father to Son" (3:28)
12. "Find a Way to My Heart" (6:08)

"I only wanted someone to trope"

• Face on the Cover: A colour photo of Collins looking at something off-screen with a subtle but serious expression while wearing a black shirt, viewed from an angle to his right over a black background. The 2016 remaster recreates the cover with an older Collins.
• Guest Star:
  • Eric Clapton provided guitar backing on "I Wish It Would Rain Down"
  • David Crosby provided backing vocals for "That's Just the Way It Is" and "Another Day in Paradise"
  • Steve Winwood played the Hammond organ on "All of My Life"
• Progressive Rock: Went back to his roots for "Colours".
• Re-Cut: The LP release of the album omits "Heat on the Street" and "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning", rearranging the remaining tracks to account for this. The 2016 remaster, meanwhile, uses the full CD tracklist across formats.
• Sand In My Eyes: The singer in "I Wish It Would Rain Down" wishes it would after finding out his ex-lover is over him.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: In the first verse of "Another Day in Paradise", someone does this when encountered by a homeless woman:
  He walks on, doesn't look back
  He pretends he can't hear her
  He starts to whistle as he crosses the street
  She's embarrassed to be there

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