I wish I could just make you turn around,
turn around and see me cry
There's so much I need to say to you,
so many reasons why
You're the only one who really knew me at all.
Against All Odds is a song written and performed by
musician Phil Collins. It was originally written in 1978 for the upcoming
Face Value album, but
Phil felt that the song didn't quite fit with the rest of the songs he had written for the release. It's a
piano piece and even though he liked it, he found it difficult to play, so he shelved the song and put it aside.
While Phil was touring in 1983 he was approached by the director of an upcoming movie who asked him if he'd be interested in composing some new music for the new film. Phil turned him down, explaining that he doesn't write new material while on tour. However, he did say that he had an unreleased song lying around that would fit the theme of the movie. The song was brought out of mothballs, rechristened Against All Odds (aka "Take A Look At Me Now") and went on to become a #1 single.
As mentioned above, Phil has difficulty playing the song on the piano. He didn't play it on the album recording, and he's only played it live in concert twice (note that's played the piano, not just performed the song. Phil has no problems singing the song and enjoys doing so): both at 1985's Live Aid sessions (one in Philadelphia and the other in London). At the London performance Phil's hand slipped from the piano keys at a crucial moment and he struck the wrong note, producing a horrific tone. In Philadelphia, however, the piece went off without a hitch. Phil remarked in 2002 that he was watching a BBC documentary about him and saw the clip of him making the crucial error in London, causing him to cringe in embarassment.
References:
http://www.followme.demon.nl
Phil Collins Live! radio concert, broadcast weekend of November 15, 2002
CST Approved