"Misunderstanding" by Genesis

Song#:  0186
Date:  05/24/1980
Debut:  80
Peak:  14
Weeks:  18
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  Genesis was formed in 1967 with Peter Gabriel at the helm. During this era, the band was in total prog rock mode with thematic albums and stage shows of high theatrics and costumes. By the time 1974's massive double-LP "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" was finished, Gabriel was done and left the group for a solo career. The group then held auditions for a new lead singer, but ultimately they decided the group's drummer, Phil Collins, could do the job. And so the Collins era began and their sound started to move away from prog rock into more mainstream territory. It began to pay off with their 1980 album "Duke" and this lead single. It would still be a few years before they became massive hit-making stars, but even by this time, fans of Genesis were divided into two camps - the prog-rock Gabriel years and the hit-heavy Collins years.

ReduxReview:  I have to admit that I tend toward the Collins years. Mainly because I grew up on it and that was what I knew as "Genesis." I didn't really discover the earlier years until much later. I do like a lot of the Gabriel-led stuff, but since I'm more of a pop person than a prog-rock person, the later Genesis just suits me better. I'm pretty sure this was the first Genesis song I ever heard. I remember liking it and thought the singer's voice was kind of unusual. And I liked the "woo-woo-woo-woo-woo's."

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) Harking back to their earlier prog-rock days, "Duke" was supposed to have a song suite that told the story of a character named "Albert." But the band split up the songs on the LP fearing that it may seem similar to a well-known Gabriel-era 23-minute song suite, "Supper's Ready" from 1972's "Foxtrot" album.  2) Collins took a break from Genesis and wrote some songs on his own. "Misunderstanding" and "Please Don't Ask" are two songs from the bunch that the group chose to record for "Duke." Several of the other songs Collins wrote ended up on his solo debut "Face Value."

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