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"Easy Lover"
Front cover of UK 7-inch single
Single by Philip Bailey and Phil Collins
from the album Chinese Wall
B-side"Woman"
Released6 November 1984 (US)
21 February 1985 (UK) [1]
Recorded1984
Genre
Length4:54 (single version)
5:03 (album version)
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Phil Collins
Philip Bailey singles chronology
"Photogenic Memory"
(1984)
"Easy Lover"
(1984)
" Walking on the Chinese Wall"
(1984)
Phil Collins singles chronology
" Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)"
(1984)
"Easy Lover"
(1984)
" Sussudio"
(1985)
Music video
"Easy Lover" on YouTube

"Easy Lover" is a song performed by Philip Bailey of the band Earth, Wind & Fire and Phil Collins of the band Genesis, jointly written and composed by Bailey, Collins, and Nathan East. The song appears on Bailey's solo album, Chinese Wall. Collins has performed the song in his live concerts, and it appears on both his 1990 album, Serious Hits... Live!, and his 1998 compilation album, ...Hits. It is Bailey's only US Top 40 hit as a solo artist.

The song was a No. 1 hit in several countries, including Canada, the Netherlands, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. In the U.S., it spent 23 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including 7 weeks in the Top 10, and peaked at No. 2 the weeks of 2 February 1985 and 9 February 1985, behind the chart-topping " I Want to Know What Love Is" by Foreigner. In the UK Singles Chart, it reached No. 1, staying there for four weeks. [3] The single sold over a million copies in the U.S. and was certified gold, [4] as the RIAA requirement for a platinum single disc was not lowered to one million units until 1989. [5] In addition, "Easy Lover" has been certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and Music Canada.

"Easy Lover" won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Overall Performance in a Video in 1985 and was Grammy Award nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals in 1986. [6] [7]

Background

In 1984, Phil Collins was hired as the producer for Philip Bailey's solo album, Chinese Wall. According to Collins, Bailey approached him at the end of the sessions for the album and asked him to write a song together. In "Phil Collins: My Life in 15 Songs", a 2016 interview he gave to Rolling Stone magazine, Collins said of the song: "So we just started having a jam one night, and went round and round and turned it into a verse and a chorus. We recorded it that night so we wouldn't forget it. That song doesn't sound like any particular era. It's just fantastic." [8] According to the official sheet music, the song is in the key of F minor and has a tempo of 105 BPM, though the studio recording has a tempo of 130 BPM. [9]

Music video

The song's music video, filmed at Etward Studios, London, England, apparently humorously depicts the making of a music video. It was produced by Paul Flattery and directed by Jim Yukich. [10]

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "Easy Lover"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada ( Music Canada) [52] Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom ( BPI) [53] Platinum 600,000
United States ( RIAA) [54] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "BPI certifications".
  2. ^ Breihan, Tom (25 September 2020). "The Number Ones: Phil Collins' "One More Night". Stereogum. Retrieved 30 July 2023. ..."Easy Lover," the first single from that album, was a duet from the two Phils. It became a yuppie-soul smash...
  3. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 447. ISBN  1-904994-10-5.
  4. ^ "Philip Bailey: Chinese Wall". riaa.com. RIAA.
  5. ^ "Rock Music, etc., Terms". spider.georgetowncollege.edu. Archived from the original on 18 May 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  6. ^ "MTV Video Music Awards History: Best Overall Performance". Rock On The Net. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
  7. ^ "Grammy Awards: Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Group or Duo". Rock On The Net. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
  8. ^ Greene, Andy (29 February 2016). "Phil Collins: My Life in 15 Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  9. ^ "Phil Collins "Easy Lover" Sheet Music in F Minor". Musicnotes.com. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  10. ^ "Video Track" (PDF). Billboard. 12 January 1985. p. 34.
  11. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992: 23 years of hit singles & albums from the top 100 charts. St Ives, N.S.W, Australia: Australian Chart Book. p. 71. ISBN  0-646-11917-6.
  12. ^ " Philip Bailey with Phil Collins – Easy Lover" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
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  14. ^ " Top RPM Singles: Issue 9577." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  15. ^ " Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 0495." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  16. ^ Lwin, Nanda (2000). Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Mississauga, Ontario: Music Data Canada.
  17. ^ "European Top 100 Singles". Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2, no. 10. 11 March 1985. p. 10. OCLC  29800226.
  18. ^ "European Airplay Top 50". Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2, no. 12. 25 March 1985. p. 2. OCLC  29800226.
  19. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Philip Bailey". Sisältää hitin – Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish) (2nd ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 24. ISBN  978-952-7460-01-6.
  20. ^ " Philip Bailey with Phil Collins – Easy Lover" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  21. ^ " The Irish Charts – Search Results – Easy Lover". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  22. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 5 June 2022. Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "Easy lover" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca".
  23. ^ " Nederlandse Top 40 – week 4, 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
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  26. ^ "SA Charts 1965–1989 (As presented on Springbok Radio/Radio Orion) – Acts B". The South African Rock Encyclopedia. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  27. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN  84-8048-639-2.
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  30. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
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  34. ^ "Phil Collins Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
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  36. ^ "Phil Collins Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  37. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending February 9, 1985". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 24 February 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  38. ^ "The Cash Box Top 100 Black Contemporary – Week ending March 2, 1985". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 4 June 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  39. ^ " Offiziellecharts.de – Philip Bailey with Phil Collins – Easy Lover" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  40. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1985 – Singles" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  41. ^ "RPM's Top 100 Singles of 1985". RPM. Vol. 43, no. 16. 28 December 1985. ISSN  0033-7064 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  42. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  43. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  44. ^ "Top Selling Singles of 1985". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  45. ^ "Top 100 Singles (January 5–December 28, 1985)". Music Week. 18 January 1986. p. 10. ISSN  0265-1548.
  46. ^ "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 1985". Billboard. Archived from the original on 3 October 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  47. ^ "1985 The Year in Music & Video – Top Dance Sales Singles/Albums". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 52. 28 December 1985. p. T-23. ISSN  0006-2510 – via Google Books.
  48. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1985". Billboard. Archived from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
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  50. ^ "The Cash Box Year-End Charts: 1985 – Top 50 Black Contemporary Singles". Cash Box. 28 December 1985. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
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  53. ^ "British single certifications – Philip Bailey & Phil Collins – Easy Lover". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  54. ^ "American single certifications – Philip Bailey – Easy Lover (Duet with Phil Collins)". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 30 November 2022.

External links