Thanks for this, Pe! I never knew much about the song, and mainly, how it came together! In '84, I was in my first full year back at college (at 29!) to start a new career. I'm sure I heard it at the time (loving Genesis & EWF, both, since the early '70s).
When I was doing karaoke, virtually nightly, a dozen years ago, I used to duet with another singer on "Easy Lover" at one place in particular. My partner? A gal. Her part? The Collins part! Yep, I had serious falsetto game, thankyouverymuch! A really fun song to sing! Thanks again!
You keep surprising me, Brad 😁 That said, it must be a great song for karaoke because it has so much energy. Thanks for reading and for taking the time to react!
I'll DM you a video from about a decade ago....One of my karaoke mates (Danny) was in the Austin Gay Men's Chorus, and they were doing a cabaret show where Danny and 2 others were doing a break-out quartet piece....an Association medley ("Windy," "Everything That Touches You," and 2-3 others). Having heard me, of course (on many songs in karaoke), he knew I could handle the high falsetto part of the medley harmony arrangement.
So, with no strings attached (I didn't have to join the Chorus), I rehearsed with the quartet, and we did the cabaret, and it was a blast! I ended up as a Tenor 2 in the Chorus for the next 5 years (until the plandemic, of course). Watch your DMs for the video!
I loved this song as a kid and owned the 45. Not surprised it was a hit in so many formats, it really does seem to have a degree of universality across genres
It’s indeed one of those songs that could cross boundaries effortlessly. The surprising part of the story is that it was almost an accident rather than something that was planned. 😁 Thanks for reading, Mark! Really appreciate it.
There are few artists who made a more successful transition from the 70s into the 80s than Collins; he certainly played a blinder while many of his contemporaries from the seventies were struggling. I grew up with Collins' era Genesis and still listen to those albums, but have always had a tough time with the 80s material, even In The Air Tonight. I do like the title track of the Chinese Wall album though, but that's got a lot to do with Philip Bailey.
It's notable how prominent that CD logo is on the cover of Chinese Wall. Although Brothers In Arms didn't put the new format on the map until the following year, 1985, it was clear the market was already shifting heavily in favour of adult orientated pop.
To conclude, a few 80s rock tracks for the dancefloor:
Pat Benatar Love is a Battlefield (Extended)
Siouxsie and the Banshees Wheels on Fire (Incendiary Mix)
Sisters of Mercy This Corrosion (12")
Echo and the Bunnymen Never Stop (Discotheque)
Stranglers Skin Deep (Extended)
Billy Idol White Wedding (Parts 1 & 2) (Shotgun Mix)
Depeche Mode Get the Balance Right (Combination Mix) (Their 1st 12" specially mixed for the dancefloor)
It's Immaterial Driving Away from Home (Wicked Weather for Walking)
I kinda liked Collins’ first three albums. But then again, for me he was almost a “new artist” because I wasn’t yet acquainted with the earlier Genesis by then. 😁
I don’t know if Chinese Wall was already being so prominently marketed on CD upon its original release, Paul. I know I bought the vinyl when it came out, so the photo could be of a later re-release from the CD era.
Great list! Some of these will definitely be getting their own episode further down the line.
What a fantastic record and what brilliant job you did uncovering the story. I’m a big EWF fan but I haven’t really followed any of their solo careers. This collab between one of their staple voices and Phil Collins is too hot to resist!
I think the reason why you hadn’t followed their solo ventures is that they simply weren’t on the same level. Apart from Bailey’s second album with Easy Lover, the rest of his solo repertoire is a bit bland. Not bad, but not great either. And Maurice White’s first and, luckily, only solo album was... not really good. 😁
Reading Bailey’s biography made me understand that their biggest problem was that, by the turn of the decade, Maurice White had thrown out so much of what had made Earth, Wind & Fire great in the first place. Had he stayed the course a little more, I think they could have had much more success in the eighties.
I actually quite liked Electric Universe when it was released. I loved the first single, Magnetic, but it was so not EW&F.
Anyway, being a successful artist also means being able to make the right decisions about direction. Thanks for all the support, Andy! Much appreciated.
I would also think that the ubiquitousness of the music video on MTV was a big help as well. I remember seeing it there first. And it really did seem to touch so many genres all at once without calling attention to any of them. It was just a great pop song. Possibly the lyrics would not hold up to scrutiny today, but that’s minor quibbling.
As always, a wonderful deep dive into a great song. I couldn’t remember if Genesis’ Abacab was before this one. And I’m too lazy to look it up, but I’m guessing by the use of the Fenix horns that this followed No Reply At All.
The video was indeed exactly the sort of thing that did well on MTV. Abacab was three years earlier 😁, but No Reply at All was indeed already with the Phenix Horns. Maurice White had “cut them loose” in the early eighties. I’ll explain a bit more about that in the first of the Earth, Wind & Fire episodes somewhere down the line. I still have to decide which song to choose 😁
So I guess Genesis were among the first bands to engage them after that. I think Phil Collins was the driving force behind it.
During my research I came across your article, Steve, but whenever I find a Substack piece about the song I’m researching, I deliberately don’t read it because I don’t want it to influence my own writing. I’ll definitely go back to yours in one of the coming weeks.
Thanks for reading and reacting! Have a great weekend!
I remember buying the album because of Easy Lover. But when I started researching this one, I was surprised by just how big it was back then. It’s one of those songs I had almost completely forgotten about, which probably explains the impression it made when I came across it again in one of my playlists.
Thanks for reading and reacting, Dan! Have a great weekend!
Absolute banger. Could be a hit in any format!
I agree 😁 Thanks Ken. Have a great weekend
You too! 🫡
Thanks for this, Pe! I never knew much about the song, and mainly, how it came together! In '84, I was in my first full year back at college (at 29!) to start a new career. I'm sure I heard it at the time (loving Genesis & EWF, both, since the early '70s).
When I was doing karaoke, virtually nightly, a dozen years ago, I used to duet with another singer on "Easy Lover" at one place in particular. My partner? A gal. Her part? The Collins part! Yep, I had serious falsetto game, thankyouverymuch! A really fun song to sing! Thanks again!
You keep surprising me, Brad 😁 That said, it must be a great song for karaoke because it has so much energy. Thanks for reading and for taking the time to react!
I'll DM you a video from about a decade ago....One of my karaoke mates (Danny) was in the Austin Gay Men's Chorus, and they were doing a cabaret show where Danny and 2 others were doing a break-out quartet piece....an Association medley ("Windy," "Everything That Touches You," and 2-3 others). Having heard me, of course (on many songs in karaoke), he knew I could handle the high falsetto part of the medley harmony arrangement.
So, with no strings attached (I didn't have to join the Chorus), I rehearsed with the quartet, and we did the cabaret, and it was a blast! I ended up as a Tenor 2 in the Chorus for the next 5 years (until the plandemic, of course). Watch your DMs for the video!
Answered the DM, but I'm really impressed Brad! Thanks for sharing
Glad you enjoyed! And, thanks!
Cool story. Love this song. Seemed like the ultimate buddy duo to me when I was kid watching the video. I gotta Phillips book now.
👍 The book is very accessible and a really enjoyable read, Chad. And you get a lot of first-hand information about Earth, Wind & Fire!
I loved this song as a kid and owned the 45. Not surprised it was a hit in so many formats, it really does seem to have a degree of universality across genres
It’s indeed one of those songs that could cross boundaries effortlessly. The surprising part of the story is that it was almost an accident rather than something that was planned. 😁 Thanks for reading, Mark! Really appreciate it.
There are few artists who made a more successful transition from the 70s into the 80s than Collins; he certainly played a blinder while many of his contemporaries from the seventies were struggling. I grew up with Collins' era Genesis and still listen to those albums, but have always had a tough time with the 80s material, even In The Air Tonight. I do like the title track of the Chinese Wall album though, but that's got a lot to do with Philip Bailey.
It's notable how prominent that CD logo is on the cover of Chinese Wall. Although Brothers In Arms didn't put the new format on the map until the following year, 1985, it was clear the market was already shifting heavily in favour of adult orientated pop.
To conclude, a few 80s rock tracks for the dancefloor:
Pat Benatar Love is a Battlefield (Extended)
Siouxsie and the Banshees Wheels on Fire (Incendiary Mix)
Sisters of Mercy This Corrosion (12")
Echo and the Bunnymen Never Stop (Discotheque)
Stranglers Skin Deep (Extended)
Billy Idol White Wedding (Parts 1 & 2) (Shotgun Mix)
Depeche Mode Get the Balance Right (Combination Mix) (Their 1st 12" specially mixed for the dancefloor)
It's Immaterial Driving Away from Home (Wicked Weather for Walking)
I kinda liked Collins’ first three albums. But then again, for me he was almost a “new artist” because I wasn’t yet acquainted with the earlier Genesis by then. 😁
I don’t know if Chinese Wall was already being so prominently marketed on CD upon its original release, Paul. I know I bought the vinyl when it came out, so the photo could be of a later re-release from the CD era.
Great list! Some of these will definitely be getting their own episode further down the line.
What a fantastic record and what brilliant job you did uncovering the story. I’m a big EWF fan but I haven’t really followed any of their solo careers. This collab between one of their staple voices and Phil Collins is too hot to resist!
I think the reason why you hadn’t followed their solo ventures is that they simply weren’t on the same level. Apart from Bailey’s second album with Easy Lover, the rest of his solo repertoire is a bit bland. Not bad, but not great either. And Maurice White’s first and, luckily, only solo album was... not really good. 😁
Reading Bailey’s biography made me understand that their biggest problem was that, by the turn of the decade, Maurice White had thrown out so much of what had made Earth, Wind & Fire great in the first place. Had he stayed the course a little more, I think they could have had much more success in the eighties.
I actually quite liked Electric Universe when it was released. I loved the first single, Magnetic, but it was so not EW&F.
Anyway, being a successful artist also means being able to make the right decisions about direction. Thanks for all the support, Andy! Much appreciated.
I would also think that the ubiquitousness of the music video on MTV was a big help as well. I remember seeing it there first. And it really did seem to touch so many genres all at once without calling attention to any of them. It was just a great pop song. Possibly the lyrics would not hold up to scrutiny today, but that’s minor quibbling.
As always, a wonderful deep dive into a great song. I couldn’t remember if Genesis’ Abacab was before this one. And I’m too lazy to look it up, but I’m guessing by the use of the Fenix horns that this followed No Reply At All.
The video was indeed exactly the sort of thing that did well on MTV. Abacab was three years earlier 😁, but No Reply at All was indeed already with the Phenix Horns. Maurice White had “cut them loose” in the early eighties. I’ll explain a bit more about that in the first of the Earth, Wind & Fire episodes somewhere down the line. I still have to decide which song to choose 😁
So I guess Genesis were among the first bands to engage them after that. I think Phil Collins was the driving force behind it.
During my research I came across your article, Steve, but whenever I find a Substack piece about the song I’m researching, I deliberately don’t read it because I don’t want it to influence my own writing. I’ll definitely go back to yours in one of the coming weeks.
Thanks for reading and reacting! Have a great weekend!
Great song! I was a senior in college when it came out. I listened to it constantly in the apartment I shared with a friend.
I remember buying the album because of Easy Lover. But when I started researching this one, I was surprised by just how big it was back then. It’s one of those songs I had almost completely forgotten about, which probably explains the impression it made when I came across it again in one of my playlists.
Thanks for reading and reacting, Dan! Have a great weekend!