Urban legends could be really fun to scare off your buddies during a camping trip or to learn about your local stories and folklore. The one thing, however, is for sure that Phil Collins doesn’t particularly enjoy them.
When ‘urban legends’ surrounded his biggest solo hit, Collins wasn’t happy at all. The singer even complained numerous times about all the false information overshadowing the true meaning behind his hit song, criticizing the fuss created over misleading stories. Still, as Collins’ fuss won’t get in the way of our storytime, let’s get into what bothered the rocker so much.
Well, the legend had it that Phil had witnessed a drowning incident, though it wasn’t this simple. The singer, allegedly, actually had witnessed someone standing over a drowning victim, not lending a hand although they were close enough to help. And, upon seeing the tragic incident and the ‘cruel’ stranger, Collins had decided to write ‘In the Air Tonight.’
However, this story of Phil witnessing a drowning incident got out of control so much, that, it made its way to the rocker, who, in most interviews had to clarify how ‘In the Air Tonight’ wasn’t dedicated to an imaginary incident. The singer eventually became so sick of the rumors that he decided to dismiss all the ‘urban legends’ altogether by speaking about the song’s real meaning to BBC, saying:
“I don’t know what this song is about. When I was writing this I was going through a divorce. And the only thing I can say about it is that it’s obviously in anger. It’s the angry side or the bitter side of a separation.”
He continued by criticizing the made-up ‘drowning’ story:
“So what makes it even more comical is when I hear these stories which started many years ago, particularly in America, of someone come up to me and say, ‘Did you really see someone drowning?’ I said, ‘No, wrong.’”
Collins then admitted how frustrating he found these ‘urban legends’ spreading, as he especially targeted his audience in the U.S.A.:
“And then every time I go back to America the story gets Chinese whispers, it gets more and more elaborate. It’s so frustrating, ’cause this is one song out of all the songs probably that I’ve ever written that I really don’t know what it’s about, you know?”
So, if you’re an American fan admiring Collins and if you’ll get the chance to meet him one day, it might be wise for me to advise you not to ask the rocker about a certain drowning incident, since, you know, he hates it. Still, that doesn’t mean, you’re forbidden to ask, as America is the land of the free, right?
