Emily Mixtape Blog

I chose “In the air tonight” by Phil Collins as the song of choice for this assignment. This song is one of the most heard of songs worldwide. The reason why this song is so famous isn’t because of the lyrics, but because of the sow beat that introduces the song before any lyric can be heard. When I first heard this song, I remember automatically knowing what kind of song this was going to be based solely on the rhythm of the song. When I mentioned earlier that the beat introduces the song before any lyric is heard is because the beat is slow, you just understand that this is going to be a sentimental song. Those were my initials thoughts on the song. The lyrics to the song match the rhythm of the song perfectly with his monotone voice and the slow rhythm of beat. Throughout the song however, the drums are introduced when he goes off from his monotone voice to a higher pitch voice while he sings the chorus of the song. This is what makes it so memorable.

The songs most popular and catchy lyric is the actual chorus. The chorus is what most people think about when they think of Phil Collins himself in fact, I would say this is the most known piece of music made by Phil Collins. The song has reached “urban legend” status because the lyrics in his song weren’t at all true; for example, the most famous line he says” if you told me you were drowning, I would not lend a hand” which describes an event that never happened to him in his life. An interesting fact I learned about when Phil Collins was in an interview and he was asked about the lyrics and what it really meant. Collins said “I don’t recognize what this music is about” until he mentioned he wrote this song when he was going through a divorce with his wife, it was an angry and sad time in his life. The drumbeat rhythm in the middle of the song came into his mind out of the blue at a time he was bored. The music video also goes with the rhythm and the lyrics of the song with the white and black colors in the background and only his face showing up in white and black also for most of the video. What else makes “In the air tonight” a great song is because of awesome it made my childhood. I remember being a child, air drumming this song and making a mess with pots and pans just to act like I was part of a concert. For music to help imbed memories and reenact certain parts of your life is an amazing thing. That shows you the power of music, especially if you really find a love for the song itself.

2 thoughts on “Emily Mixtape Blog”

  1. Nice analysis of how the rhythm, lyrics, mood, and sound of this song worked to create a huge 80s hit and impacted your life. (Ps. let’s hear it for 80s gated-reverb drums.)

  2. The lead up to that drum solo makes it all the more sweet. I love how inspired you felt to play along with this as a child. I didn’t know the subtext of the divorce was in this song. Thanks to you I hear it differently now.

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