Phil Collins – Another Day In Paradise

The Wealthy Rock Star Who Walked Past And Kept Walking

Released on October 23, 1989 in the UK and October 1989 in the US as the lead single from …But Seriously, “Another Day in Paradise” became Phil Collins’ seventh and final solo number one on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching the summit on December 23, 1989. The track spent four weeks at number one, making it both the final number one of the 1980s and the first number one of the 1990s, an extraordinary distinction for a song about homelessness that departed sharply from Collins’ previous dance-pop material. In the UK, it peaked at number two in November, kept from the top spot by Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers’ “Let’s Party.” What made the song particularly controversial was Collins’ own admission that he’d written it after walking straight past a homeless woman who’d asked for his help, making him complicit in the very indifference he was now condemning from a position of extraordinary wealth.

The single entered the Hot 100 at number forty-three on November 4, 1989 and climbed steadily through the Christmas season before hitting number one seven weeks later. It spent fourteen weeks in the top forty and became the eighth bestselling single of 1990 in the United States. In Canada, the track reached number one and topped the Adult Contemporary chart for six weeks. The song hit number one in Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Norway, Ireland, and the Netherlands, while reaching the top five in Belgium, France, Sweden, and Australia. Collins was competing against Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 and New Kids on the Block’s dominance of American pop radio, yet managed to find space for a socially conscious ballad that divided critics and audiences alike. The …But Seriously album peaked at number one in both the UK and US, spending fifteen non-consecutive weeks atop the British chart and four weeks at number one in America, eventually selling over fifteen million copies worldwide.

Collins wrote “Another Day in Paradise” under the working title “Homeless” after several encounters with unhoused individuals that left him deeply uncomfortable. He cited seeing a woman with two kids asking for financial assistance in Washington, witnessing people sleeping on outdoor heating grates after one of his concerts, and finding the contrast of homelessness within viewing distance of Capitol Hill to be an extraordinary contradiction. The song’s title borrowed from Genesis’ “Man on the Corner,” another track about homelessness from their 1981 album Abacab. Collins sang from a third-person perspective, observing a man crossing the street to ignore a homeless woman calling out for help. The man whistles and pretends he doesn’t hear her, a moment of moral cowardice Collins admitted experiencing himself. The chorus drew a religious allusion, noting it’s just another day for you and me in paradise, while Collins appealed directly to God asking if there was nothing more anybody could do.

Recording sessions for …But Seriously took place between April and October 1989 at The Farm in Chiddingfold, Surrey and A&M Studios in Los Angeles, California. Collins co-produced with Hugh Padgham, his longtime engineer who’d worked on all his previous solo albums and Genesis records throughout the decade. Collins played keyboards and drums himself, programming the drum machines and creating the stripped-down, haunting arrangement that gave the song its somber tone. Argentine-born guitarist Dominic Miller provided guitar work, while legendary bassist Leland Sklar handled bass duties. Collins sang lead vocals and some backing harmonies himself, but brought in David Crosby to provide additional backing vocals. Bringing in Crosby was deliberate, Collins wanted to evoke the protest-folk era of the late sixties and early seventies, even though this wasn’t really a protest song. The single version used a shorter intro than the album cut, trimming the opening for radio play.

…But Seriously was Collins’ fourth solo studio album, released on November 20, 1989 by Virgin Records in the UK and Atlantic Records in the US. The title reflected Collins’ recognition that people were getting tired of his ubiquitous presence, having told Musician magazine he’d become a little more trivialized than I wanted to be. After the massive success of 1985’s No Jacket Required and continued exposure through Genesis, the Buster soundtrack, and production work, Collins wanted to address more mature lyrical themes including socio-economic and political issues. The album spawned five more singles including “I Wish It Would Rain Down” featuring Eric Clapton on guitar, which peaked at number three, plus “Something Happened on the Way to Heaven” and “Do You Remember?” which both reached number four. The album became the bestselling album of 1990 in the UK and ranked second in the US behind Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814.

The song provoked immediate and lasting controversy. Singer-songwriter Billy Bragg negatively compared Collins to the Clash in a 2000 interview, stating that writing a song about the homeless without backing it up with action was exploitation. Music critics were merciless, with Blender calling it the worst song ever about homelessness and Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian comparing it unfavorably to Sporty Spice’s “If That Were Me.” Andrew Collins described it as a bland redress for homelessness in the New Statesman, while BBC critic David Sheppard called the lyrics cringe-worthy in 2010. Collins defended himself by noting he saw the same things everyone else saw when driving down the street, arguing that having money didn’t make him out of touch with reality. Jamie Wales of Gigwise later revealed that Collins collected money for homeless charities from fans who attended his concerts and then donated double the total takings out of his own money, though this defense didn’t satisfy critics who noted Collins moved to Switzerland in 2013, a country with far less punishing tax rates for the super wealthy.

German dance act Jam Tronik covered the song less than six months after Collins’ original release, reaching number nineteen on the UK Singles Chart in April 1990 with a version that sampled the drum loop from Raze’s “Break 4 Love.” In 2001, siblings Brandy and Ray J recorded the most successful cover for the Phil Collins tribute album Urban Renewal, produced by Guy Roche. Their version became a top ten success across Europe and Australia, reaching number five in the UK and earning gold certifications in Australia, France, Germany, and Switzerland. The Brandy and Ray J version was included on the European edition of Brandy’s 2002 album Full Moon, with a video showing a homeless woman being chastised by various people while the siblings photograph each incident. Reggae legend Dennis Brown released a pleasant version in 1992, while Casa and Nova’s 2016 EDM cover was nominated for a Hollywood Music in Media Award.

At the 33rd Annual Grammy Awards in February 1991, “Another Day in Paradise” won Record of the Year for Collins and Padgham, Collins’ only career win in that category. The song was also nominated for Song of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Performance Male, and Best Music Video Short Form, while …But Seriously received nominations for Album of the Year and Producer of the Year. The track won British Single at the 1990 Brit Awards, where Collins also took home British Male Artist. Collins and Crosby performed the song at the 1991 Grammy Awards ceremony, a performance that was released on the 1994 album Grammy’s Greatest Moments Volume I. In 2009, Billboard ranked Collins’ version eighty-sixth on their Greatest Songs of All Time list. The song remains Collins’ most divisive work, proof that sometimes the wealthy can see the problem clearly enough to write about it but still get accused of hypocrisy for not doing more, even when they’re actively donating to homeless charities and doubling fan contributions out of their own pocket.