Phil Collins – “In The Air Tonight” Live

I’ve Been Waiting For This Moment!

“In the Air Tonight” was written by Phil Collins for his debut solo studio “Face Value.” It was released on January 5, 1981 and instantly became a huge hit. It has remained as one of Collins’ best known songs and its music video also received heavy airplay on MTV.

• Number 2 in the UK Singles Chart
• Number 19 in the US Billboard Hot 100
• Received gold certification from the RIAA

This was basically about Collins’ anger and the lingering tension in his family after his divorce with his then-wife Andrea. The song has a macabre theme with a pretty dark monologue and remains as a staple in classic rock radio stations. It’s the track most associated with Collins and his solo career.

In an interview with Mix magazine, Collins explained that he wrote this song after returning from a tour. Said Collins: “I remember the first principle I had for making my record was that I would get a voice down very quickly so everything else would fit to the voice. The lyrics you hear for ‘In the Air Tonight,’ I just sang. I opened my mouth and they came out. I never wrote anything down and then afterward, I listened to it and wrote them down.”

Eminem made a reference to this when he released his 2000 hit “Stan.”