Campaign to Induct Phil Collins into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

As noted by the title, in this post I will lay out the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Case for British singer and drummer Phil Collins. This article is biased in the most conventional meaning of bias. I recently finished a Collins’ memoir, Not Dead Yet, that was deeply touching in some areas while also riveting in other moments. Additionally, Collins’ solo career has played an important role in my childhood exposure to music. So yes I am partial in favor of Phil Collins, but this is an opinion piece after all.

I’ll begin by introducing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Established in 1983, the hall is located in Cleveland, Ohio, and houses some of the greatest musicians of all time. Every year a set committee votes in a handful of artists and groups based on the success of their careers. But the name of this institution is a little misleading. There are over 700 inductees, but these artists aren’t constrained by the traditional Rock and Roll genre. Michael Jackson, “King of Pop”; Aretha Franklin, “Queen of Soul”, and more recently rappers like Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G have been honored by the establishment. Some of these inductions have generated controversy and the voting process is now heavily scrutinized by critics. The fact of the matter is that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a pantheon for all singers in genres closely related to Rock. Pop, Rap, HipHop, R&B, and Soul are just a few genres that would match the criteria. However, a country singer like Tim McGraw and a jazz singer like Francis Albert, who you probably know as Frank Sinatra, would not make the cut.

Proceeding to Phil Collins. If you’ve ever closely studied the list of performers in the HOF, you may have come across Phil Collins. Yes, his name is already etched in Cleveland. However, it’s tied to the famous 80s British rock band Genesis and their other members: Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Steve Hackett, and Mike Rutherford. As a solo artist, Phil Collins has not yet met the standards of the voting committee. But there are a countless number of artists that have been inducted twice: Harrison, Lennon, and McCartney of The Beatles; Paul Simon from Simon and Garfunkel; and Phil Collins’ fellow bandmate and former Genesis frontman Peter Gabriel. With the admission of the latter, Peter Gabriel, the exclusion of Collins provides Generation Xers a perfect narrative. For years, music critics and die-hard Genesis fans have debated whether Gabriel-led Genesis produced better moments than Collins-led Genesis. Luckily for you, I don’t care to sort out this moot point as I am not a professional music critic and I seldom fill my days listening to the cult-like music of Genesis. Nevertheless, it’s intriguing that this conversation can be carried over to the solo careers of both artists. I’d assert that if Gabriel can secure a place in the RRHOF, Collins is worthy of the honor as well.

What tends to give Gabriel the edge in this matter is his image. With his flamboyant personality and willingness to veer from the norm, Peter Gabriel redefined the term “eccentric” on a musical stage. It’s akin to the presence that Freddie Mercury tapped into every time he performed, but obviously, there are profound disparities between the quality of Queen’s anthems and Gabriel’s pieces. This helps to clarify why Gabriel is considered a cultural icon in British music history, but from a purely aural standpoint his solo career was inferior to Collins and that should be the first benchmark in Collins’ R&R resume.

The main concern experts have with Phil Collins’ solo career is longevity. The '80s were exceptional to Collins (more to come on that later). However, critics pick nits with his work in the '90s and the 21st century. In the last thirty years, he’s released four albums and neither has picked up the critical or commercial success that was ever-present in his prior works. There is one caveat that is significant and should be noted. Collins was selected to write and perform the music for the 1999 Disney film Tarzan. Tarzan is consistently honored in Top Ten Disney Movie Soundtrack lists. The most successful song from the film is “You’ll Be in My Heart”, a pop-rock blend, and the track awarded Collins the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Original Song. There are upward of 150 Disney Animated Features, yet only 14 of these flicks have produced an Oscar winner in the Best Original Song category. Collins is part of an extremely exclusive group.

But other than his success with Tarzan, I cannot defend the overbearing holes in the second half of his career. I will question, however, that since when does quantity override quality? Many singers have had their careers cut short due to a tragic, premature death (Whitney Houston, Jimi Hendrix, and Elvis are just a few). These musicians are all in the RRHOF. This is not to draw a comparison between their circumstances and Collins’ situation nor to compare their musical careers because if so, Phil Collins does not stand a shot. Instead, I’m trying to make a point about how a musical career should be assessed. A singers’ legacy should rise and fall with the work they produced during their prime. A musician’s prime tends to be between the ages of 20 and 40. Most singers aren’t creating groundbreaking albums or singles in their mid-life. Despite her early death, Whitney Houston is a good case study. In her musical prime she released five studio albums; the last one, One Wish, was in 2003 and she was 40 at the time. Houston passed away in 2012, but from '03 to '12, she only wrote one album in 2009. It goes to tell you that longevity cannot be a major factor for the R&R because 90% of artists start fading in their mid-40s to 50s. Even if they can claim high ratings, it’s mostly generated from name branding, not musical prowess.

People like the young, fresh, and rising artists. That’s why they loved Collins in the '80s. Let’s look at some numbers that back up Collins’ prolific work.

Seven. The number of Billboard #1 singles Collins had in the '80s. To put that number into perspective, the pop legend Michael Jackson was the only artist to have more #1 songs in the decade. Two other artists also had seven #1 hits and they are Madonna and Whitney Houston. So what do Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Whitney Houston all have in common? They’re in the RRHOF.

The second significant number is Eight. The number of Billboard #1 songs Collins had in the '80s. Wait. Didn’t I say the same exact thing a few sentences earlier? Pretty much, but I did substitute the word “singles” for “songs”. Genesis and their lead-singer Phil Collins released the track “Invisible Touch” which topped American charts in the summer of 1986. But I’m not shedding light on the number eight just to give Collins’ résumé a petty bonus. Rather I want to highlight an extraordinary occurrence in Rock history. There are very few artists that have managed active membership in a band and kept up a touring solo career simultaneously. Other than Phil Collins, George Michael is the only name that comes to mind. It is immensely difficult to grapple with two musical ventures that can be equally mentally, emotionally, and physically taxing. Most musicians already have to balance time spent on tour, time spent in studio, and of course family time. For Collins, the pressure of upholding this balance was doubled. Yet despite those stresses, he penned and participated in some of the most memorable tunes of the '80s. It speaks to not only his efficient songwriting skills but also an impeccable mental resilience that very few could have.

Twenty-Six. In the 1980s, Phil Collins had twenty-six songs that peaked in the Billboard Top 40; a number that no other artist of the decade could match. This shouldn’t be of much surprise. His workload was a rarity. Genesis released four albums and Collins delivered four more of his own. Using conventional wisdom, it’s evident why Collins had so many hits.

And finally 12,000,000+. The number of copies that Collins’ most significant album No Jacket Required, released in 1985, sold in the United States. It ranks as a Top 50 best-selling album in the history of American music sales. To put an end to this conversation, let’s just say that the monetary success of No Jacket Required, in America, matched one of the most iconic albums from the greatest band that stepped foot on this planet. If you don’t get the reference, just envision four men crossing a road fondly remembered as Abbey.

There isn’t much more I can say to validate the merit of Phil Collins’ music. Collins was a master of soft rock. The '80s would be remembered far differently without his presence on the music scene. I hope I’ve convinced you that he deserves greater recognition by the RRHOF. But even if this article hasn’t conveyed that message for you, hopefully, you feel a little more encouraged to give a listen to his music. Directly below is a list of my top ten Phil Collins’ tunes. Have fun!

1. “In the Air Tonight” (Legendary drum-fill right before the final chorus)

2. “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)”

3. “A Groovy Kind of Love”

4. “Do You Remember”

5. “One More Night”

6. “Another Day in Paradise”

7. “Everyday”

8. “Can’t Turn Back the Years”

9. “Sussudio”

10. “You’ll be in My Heart”