Customer Reviews

I Missed Again

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Is this a happy or a sad song? Well, the lyrics are quite clearly negative. The song is one of a few from the Face Value release and other contemporaneous Collins efforts that explore, almost exclusively sadly/negatively, the end of Collins' marriage. This one is about abandonment, doubt, lack of communication, and that horrible, needy, irrational hope for redemption and reconciliation which comes with a breakup.

But the music is pumping, moving, energetic, funky and upbeat, a long way away from down and alone. The bass line is simple and sparse, to my mind hearkening back to 60s Motown. And the horn arrangement and its melodic punctuation is strong and emphatic, not hesitant, retreating or doubtful.

An analyst might say that Collins' conscious mind is preoccupied with the marital failure and his thoughts of responsibility and blame, while his unconscious mind--the id, if you will--coming through as the musical arrangement, is telling us what is really going on, that there is a confident and powerful entity emerging, ready to make things happen.

It did well in the US, charting to #19 on the Billboard chart. While I'm not really that big a general Collins fan, I still keep this one on my music player, and both this and No Reply At All are on my list of bass accompaniment songs.

Bottom line: this is a happy sad song, emotional gold showing through the muck. It's pumping rhythm and horn backup make this a longtime favorite of mine.

PS: The original video for this song is just plain awful. Lame air band moves, with barely even a change of wardrobe, about as low-budget as you can get.