It picked me up, knocked me off my feet…I’ve got no way to explain…
Wow, Monday sounds depressing!
We’ve made it to the final week of January. It’s what, the fifteenth week of the month, right?
I’ve never understood why January seems to be the longest month. The rest of the year goes by too quickly, but January sticks around, makes itself known, and overstays its welcome. Before it finally does go, it leaves your fridge and freezer open and makes your house cold.
February, on the other hand, leaves in 28 days (29 days ever four years) and sends in the month that tries to convince you that spring is coming soon.
You hope. March is built on false promises – it snowed in March twice last year, once on the first day of spring.
Today’s song is not about the depressing state of the month of January, it is about the end of a relationship. I know nothing about that at present, but it is something I’ve experienced. Thankfully, not on the level where I was living with them and had to move out. It was a little more cut and dry – it ended, I unfriended them on Facebook, and life went on like normal. Ok, that was the end of my last relationship. Trust me, by the time it ended, I was relieved. I can’t say that about the subject in today’s song – I’d equate that more to the relationship before that one, where I didn’t date for three years , had no luck for a year, and then wound up in the relationship I had almost no trouble walking away from.
“Everyday” is a song from Phil Collins’ 1994 album Both Sides, the second single released from his fifth solo album.
In the music video, Collins sings while walking around an apartment with covered furniture, obviously in a state of moving out. The song laments about the end of the relationship and where it could have gone wrong. The single was recorded between 1990 and 1992, and released in February 1994.
It’s still a nice song, even knowing what the song is about. Click play and see what I mean!
Collins’ label (Atlantic in the United States, Virgin in the United Kingdom) urged the release of another single from his album, Both Sides, after the disappointing chart performance of the first single released from the album, “Both Sides of the Story.” “Everyday” peaked only slightly higher than the previous release did – #24 on the Billboard Hot 100 (compared to “Both Sides of the Story” peaking at #25 on the same chart), and was #86 (out of 100) for the year ending 1994. However, in Canada, “Everyday” peaked at #1 on the RPM Canada Adult Contemporary Chart on April 18, 1994, staying in the top three for ten weeks.
Atlantic/Virgin did not promote the “Everyday” heavily, and the video received some airplay on MTV and VH1 (yeah, remember the days of Phil Collins songs having airtime on MTV?). Collins performed the song live only during his 1994 tour, which makes this probably one of his lesser-known singles if you’re a casual Collins listener. As for myself, I remember this song, but not necessarily the music video. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it, but wow, it is depressing. That apartment is beautiful too!
I’m not sure what my appeal is with these types of songs – I love good love songs, but these breakup songs just resonate for some reason. I’m not saying I can relate to them (I mean, I’ve been in relationships that have ended, but not the way songs depict them), but something just strikes me about them. Perhaps because there are breakup songs equal in beauty to anything about the beginning of a relationship.
At least I’m not saying I relate to country music. That’s a whole unexplored section of music I don’t want to relate to.
As for Phil Collins, his second marriage ended a few years later, and he left Genesis (who he’d been with since on and off since 1970) in 1996. He returned in 2007 for their “Turn It On Again” tour. He enjoyed retirement for a few years before releasing an autobiography and heading out on a two-year tour that will end in June 2019.
Appropriately enough, his tour is called “Not Dead Yet.” We’re glad he’s still alive and singing about it!
Gives us all something to aspire for as January moves into its final days!
Until next week (January will not be returning until next year), have a great Monday, and enjoy the music!
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