Misunderstanding (Genesis song)
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| “Misunderstanding” | |||||
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| Single by Genesis from the album Duke |
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| Released | 1980 | ||||
| Recorded | October-December 1979 | ||||
| Genre | Pop rock | ||||
| Label | Charisma/Virgin (UK) Atlantic Records (US) |
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| Writer(s) | Phil Collins | ||||
| Producer | David Hentschel and Genesis | ||||
| Genesis singles chronology | |||||
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| Duke track listing | |||||
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"Misunderstanding" is a song by British band Genesis, released on their 1980 album Duke. It reached #14 in the U.S. and #42 in the UK.
Although not a part of the "Duke Suite" which included album tracks "Behind the Lines," "Duchess," "Guide Vocal," "Turn It On Again," "Duke's Travels," and "Duke's End," "Misunderstanding" became famous in its own right, gaining FM airplay upon release and strengthening Genesis' commercial standing. Originally written by Phil Collins during the production of his debut solo album Face Value, the song ended up being donated (along with "Please Don't Ask") for Duke.
The song's main riff is identical, even in the same key, from the chorus of the song "Hot Fun in the Summertime" by Sly and the Family Stone and also bears a similarity (both musically & lyrically) to "Fool in the Rain" by Led Zeppelin. Also, the inspiration musically according to Phil Collins (on both the DVD that comes with the 2007 re-issue of Duke and an episode of the US radio show In the Studio with Redbeard (which devoted one episode to the making of both Duke and its followup Abacab) it came from The Beach Boys song "Sail On Sailor" and Toto's "Hold the Line" and Joe Walsh's "Rocky Mountain Way".
The lyrics are about a man who has a case of miscommunication with his companion, and shows up for a date only for no one to come. After going different places and failed phone calls, he decides to go to her house, only to find another man leaving. Much of the lyrics were inspired by the divorce Collins was going through at the time [1].
A music video was made for the song, featuring Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford playing their instruments on the back of a truck, with Phil Collins driving a 1950s model Ford convertible making stops at various locations around Los Angeles (known because the Capitol Records Tower can be seen in the background and street signs for Hollywood Boulevard are present) looking for his girlfriend.
The song was featured on the US leg of the Duke Tour of 1980 (the only song on the album included that was not part of the "Duke Suite"), and was also featured on tours to promote future albums Abacab and Genesis. Despite its commercial success, it was dropped from the setlists of all the later tours, however a verse was sung sometimes in the We Can't Dance Tour's "Old Medley." Phil Collins also played the song in its entirety with a horn section in America during his First Final Farewell Tour in 2004.
