The Phil Collins Song About His Regrets

Along with his unmatchable works and performances as Genesis’ drummer and singer for years, Phil Collins has been pursuing a very successful and prolific career as a solo artist, especially during the band’s hiatus and his decision to leave Genesis. Even though reunited with the band members, Collins continued to work on his works, contributing significantly to his longtime popularity and commercial success in the industry.

Collins released his iconic debut solo album ‘Face Value’ on February 13, 1981, which got critical acclaim with its well-crafted sounds and lyrics and hit the charts worldwide. The singer and drummer proved that he could have influenced many young generations of musicians without Genesis. In addition, he decided to change his writing and composing style in one of his later works, so let’s learn more details about it.

Which Song Portrays Phil Collins’ Personal Experiences?

Phil Collins dropped his fourth solo studio album ‘…But Seriously’ on November 7, 1989, this record was different from the previous dance-oriented album ‘No Jacket Required.’ The Genesis legend wanted to draw attention to more serious topics such as socio-economic and political issues, personal problems, and life experiences. This dramatic change made his longtime fans admire the work of art more and more.

Moreover, a track from the famous album ‘All Of My Life’ reflect Collins’ longtime and neverending journey of searching for meaning, being sorry, and remorseful about different things. Therefore, the song will always have a special place in the fans’ hearts, especially those that went through and are still going through these challenging times.

In his ‘A Life Less Ordinary’ documentary, the Genesis icon shared the meanings behind his classic song ‘All Of My Life,’ saying that it’s a song of regret and feeling sorry for things a person should or shouldn’t have done. Also, Collins attention to the last verse: ‘All of my life there have been regrets /That I didn’t do all I could/ Playing records upstairs while he watched TV/ I didn’t spend the time I should/And it’s a memory I will live with all of my life.’

Consequently, Phil Collins stated that it was about his father, Greville Philip Austin Collins, who was an insurance agent that passed away in 1972. Collins added that he could understand his father now, but death was always with us, and we could lose the important people in our lives at any time. Thus, the song can be a reminder to everyone that was focusing on different things other than beloved ones.

In Collins’ words, he said:

“The song is, ‘All of my life I’ve been this. I’ve been saying sorry for things that I shouldn’t have done.’ It’s a song about looking back and regret. The third, the last verse, is about my dad. I see Simon now; he’s doing his thing, and that’s what I was doing when I was his age. But now I know that we should pay attention because certain people won’t be there forever and are growing up without having a lot of contact with their brothers or sisters. We have to be reminded of that.”

You can listen to the song below.