Sussudio: would've it been accepted if anyone but Phil Collins had sung it?

Shudappa you face - Joe Dolce
I've Never Been To me - Charlene
Dadada - Trio
Pop Music - M
Shoop Shoop Diddywop Cumma cumma wang dang - Monte video and the cassettes
she bangs - Ricky Martin
barbie girl - aqua
Baby - Justin Beiber
Stupid Hoe - Nicki Minaj
and a hundred others

I mean if you don't like it, that is cool but you would have to admit that it is either complete hatred of Phil Collins or Hyperbole to suggest it is one of the worst songs ever made

 

Like I said, I'm a Collins fan but not a fan of Sussudio.

That said, as I recall, a large part of the "Phil Collins backlash" came from media outlets which included late night talk show hosts, morning radio hosts, standup comics, and shows like SNL and Fridays. It wasn't so much the fans put off by Collins, it was a perception largely manufactured by idiots who fancied themselves the tastemakers. And a lot of people listen to clowns like that and let them influence what they watch, read, and listen to. And of course rags like Rolling Stone. And people still let these jokers influence them.

 

Please stop it.

 

im not a fan of it really. its ok but too busy with the synths or something. I like a lot of Phil Collins stuff......I even bought a Phil Collins songbook so I could serenade friends with my versions (luckily no youtube existed to shame me with that) but I also like one maybe two of those songs above (so what the hell do I know )

 

I think that the criticism comes more from this forum then in general for Collins. There isn't huge backlash anywhere else except here where many are Genesis fans, many don't like pop and many don't like 80's sounds. Those go against Phil and his personality didn't turn anyone off. People ate up those funny videos including me growing up and I had no problem with his songs production. I thought he went pop and I am okay with pop - a lot of rock fans just have an anti-pop bias and with Collins crossing over hurting their feelings maybe. LOL

 

If you like it, you'll enjoy the episode of the podcast BEYOND YACHT ROCK that's all about it:
Sussudio

 

Four of my favourite 80's singles! Agree though on the Joe Dolce song

 

There's nothing wrong with the song. It has a great groove. It has a great hook. It's just not one of his best songs by Collins' standard, in my opinion. Vocally, he delivers it, an excellent vocal.

 

Phil was a workaholic and got overexposed. He even admits to the fact that he can imagine people were sick of seeing him pop up everywhere. Genesis, solo, producing, guest drum spots, touring with everyone, on live aid twice in the UK and USA ... I mean the mid eighties Phil was everywhere, and some people resented that

 

Doo wah diddy diddy dum, diddy dum, bob bob bob bob Barbara Ann- why don't you all just fff-fff-fade away! LOL

Plenty of silly worded songs like "MMM Bop", "Bip Bop", "Sookie Sookie", "In a Gadda Da Vida". Music can get weird sometimes.

 

Me too

 

I think a lot of the backlash at the time had to do with the perception that Collins was just knocking out these massive hit songs by going through the motions - particularly the back to back singles Don't Lose My Number and Sussudio.

He said at the time that both lyrics were improvised in the studio and he wasn't even sure what they meant. Throw in the fact that Number owes a great deal lyrically to Steely Dan and Sussudio owes a great deal musically to Prince and you can see why people may have thought Phil was just painting by numbers.

 

Too much Phil too fast...…….not only was he churning out hit after hit from his solo material during the 80's, he was also still making albums with Genesis. The man was literally everywhere...…..top 40 radio, classic rock radio, MTV, VH1, his music was plastered at every record store. My friend and I used to listen to American Top 40 (Casey Kasem) while shooting hoops. I remember one particular show Mr. Collins had like 4 or 5 different songs in the top 40 for the week!

 

Phil was way overexposed. I remember his first misstep: Groovy Kind of Love from the movie Buster. He'd had a string of hit singles and when that came out I knew he was phoning it in and that he was on the downhill slide.

 

And this is exactly the garbage that the topic refers to.

 

The BS against Phil is actually deeper than just journalists. It's almost ingrained in the brains of cretins who are of a certain age and think its still trendy because the NME told them it was in 1986

I met a guy who was in his 50's...an amateur drummer (i don't think he's gonna make it). The first words he spoke when I mentioned Phil Collins was "yeah he's a hack".

Yeah mate, Phil is the hack...

 

I like it, it's very catchy and Phil's vocals are pretty good. But a smoother voice may have suited it well, e.g. Luther Vandross or even a more rough edge a la Teddy Pendergrass... Great horn arrangement too.

 

A good bit of it did come from progressive fans. They weren't too obliging with horns in Genesis, but at least Tony Banks could add something into the harmony, as on "No Reply at All."

Impartial to all that, personally, as there is some solo Phil that still appeals. "Sussudio" and the mid 80's 11th grade prom theme, "One More Night" are not among them. OTOH, old mate, Peter Gabriel is along for the ride on "Take Me Home."

To answer the original query, without researching, there have to be plenty examples of silly tracks spiraling in popularity by major artists. Probably nobody else could have pulled this one off though.

 

Phil is easy to criticize, he went from doing "serious" music (prog, fusion) to "selling out", and going total soft rock in the 80's. That said, I really enjoy a lot of the stuff people pan him for. I think part of what makes him an easy target is that he's hardly what you'd expect when you think of the stereotypical popstar, particularly in terms of the look. But Phil is definitely unfairly criticized, particularly when compared to some of the dreck other lesser musicians were putting out back then, and a lot of those 80's tunes people panned back in the day are memorable and still in the public consciousness all these years later. To say nothing of the fact that Phil had a solid voice and is/was one of the most talented drummers in rock history.

 

I agree with you here completely except for the selling out part.
Phil wasn't writing songs until the eighties, and he naturally gravitated to the kind of music he made.
Sure in Genesis he was a great drummer, arranger and singer but he was arranging their music not his. When he did the solo stuff he did his music, which came from sixties r&b, Motown and soul stuff ... So I don't think he was selling out, more just expressing what he liked.

 

I love Phil as much as the next guy and think he gets a bad rap. Even Bono made fun of him on national TV one time. I'll defend most of his music, and IMO he is the most important member of Genesis the entire time he's in the band. (Though Tony is the heart and soul.)

But, some of his stuff, to many people, myself included, is genuinely hacky. (Same with Mike, BTW.) And the people who think that haven't been brainwashed by the media or whatever. It was a genuine feeling that they thought the music sucked.

He also developed a carnival barker-like persona that, as the 1980s wore on, became increasingly grating. Phil has said when he watches clips of himself from that period, he can't believe how obnoxious he was.

Sussudio does sound very, very similar to 1999. Drum beat. Synth riff. Synth sound. It's not garbage to make that observation.

 

I love this one.....go ahead and mock, its a great song

 

I liked Face Value when it came out, and I liked the Duke and Abacab albums. But I think the massive success of No Jacket put me off Phil. It's not a bad album but the songs and videos were on ALL THE TIME. I just didn't want to hear him anymore.
Having said that, the talent can't be denied. Great drummer, songwriter, vocalist. And I always thought he seemed like a good guy.

 

I agree

 

Great song