Phil Collins' Best Song From Each Of His Solo Albums

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In this article, we look at Phil Collins’ solo albums as we attempt to choose our favorite songs from each album. Phil Collins is one of the most productive musical artists in classic rock history. Not many artists can transition from being a member of one of the most acclaimed progressive rock bands of all time to becoming an international pop star. His time with Genesis spanned the early Peter Gabriel/Steve Hackett years and the later period when Collins became lead singer and the band gradually shifted toward a more pop-oriented sound. “In the Air Tonight” was already a worldwide hit in 1981 and gained another burst of cultural prominence when it was featured in the Miami Vice pilot in 1984.

Phil Collins has released eight solo studio albums in his career. Our favorites will always be his first four. Nonetheless, in this article, we choose our favorite song from each one of his eight solo albums.

Face Value – “In the Air Tonight”

Well, there couldn’t be any other pick from this album besides “In the Air Tonight.” The challenger was definitely “I Missed Again,” but in the end, the favorite was just too strong to knock out. “In the Air Tonight” was released in 1981 and achieved significant chart success worldwide. It peaked at number two in the United Kingdom and Canada, number three in Australia, and number one in Austria, West Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland. In the United States, it peaked at number nineteen.

Hello, I Must Be Going! – “Like China”

On Phil Collins’ second album, Hello, I Must Be Going!, a long shot takes first place. The biggest hit was “You Can’t Hurry Love,” which peaked at number one in the United Kingdom and number ten on the US Billboard Hot 100. Nonetheless, despite not even being released as a single, “Like China” was by far our favorite song on this album. It’s a great song that Phil Collins makes even better with his angry, almost punk-like vocal.

No Jacket Required – “Don’t Lose My Number”

In between the two albums Hello, I Must Be Going! and No Jacket Required, Phil Collins released the soundtrack single “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now),” which went to number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, and a duet called “Easy Lover” with Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire that went to number two. The man was on fire. He then released No Jacket Required and wound up with two more number one singles with the album’s big hits “Sussudio” and “One More Night.” Despite all those number ones and twos, our favorite track from No Jacket Required was the album’s third single release, “Don’t Lose My Number.”

…But Seriously – “Something Happened on the Way to Heaven”

Phil Collins kept the hits coming on his fourth solo studio album …But Seriously. Six singles were released from the album, with the first one, “Another Day in Paradise,” going once again straight to number one. Furthermore, between albums, Phil Collins was giving the Beatles a run for their money in number one singles when he celebrated two more number ones on the Billboard Hot 100 with the song “Separate Lives” with Marilyn Martin from the White Nights soundtrack and “A Groovy Kind of Love” from the Buster soundtrack. While our pick “Something Happened on the Way to Heaven” never made it to number one, it still placed pretty high on the charts, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. This was such a cool song with a killer groove and a captivating melody.

Both Sides – “We Wait and We Wonder”

All big-time runs come to an end, and with Phil Collins’ Both Sides album, the streak of number one singles was halted. In fact, nothing even broke the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was released in 1993, when grunge music had changed the musical landscape dramatically. Our pick here goes to the album’s third and final single, “We Wait and We Wonder.” We liked the Celtic vibe on this one.

Dance into the Light – “Wear My Hat”

With the next three albums, it started to become a little tougher to pick our favorites. These are albums that haven’t gotten a lot of spins in our CD player. Sales also began to drop pretty steadily for Phil as his hit-making days were behind him. Still, a man with a catalog and career as fabulous as his could still sell out concerts. The pick here is “Wear My Hat.”

Testify – “Wake Up Call”

Album sales continued to be poor for Phil Collins, fueled by a lack of successful singles. In the old days, if one didn’t have a hit, it really affected album sales. That’s when people used to actually buy albums. Nonetheless, “Wake Up Call” is a really cool, grooving song with a somewhat haunting melody that reminds us of some of his older stuff.

Going Back – “Going Back”

We close out this article with Phil Collins’ most recent solo studio album. Interestingly, there are no originals on this one, as the album is a tribute to the music that Phil Collins grew up with. The album cover depicts a very young Phil Collins behind the drums. Out of all the remakes done on this album, we felt Phil Collins did his best work with the Gerry Goffin and Carole King song “Going Back.”