The band Genesis will likely go down in history as one of the more successful rock bands of all time. The group was started with Peter Gabriel as the lead singer, before Phil Collins, Genesis’s drummer and somewhat reluctant lead singer, took over as the lead singer following Gabriel’s exit.
By the early 1980s, Genesis became a mainstay on the radio. They released a wide variety of songs, including these three uptempo hits, which still make me want to dance today.
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“Invisible Touch”
Genesis actually released “Invisible Touch” twice. The song first came out in 1986 as the title track of a record that was released that same year.
In 1992, a live version of “Invisible Touch” was also released, as part of The Way We Walk, Volume One: The Shorts.
A No. 1 single, “Invisible Touch” Collins and fellow band members Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford are the writers of the song. The chorus says, “She seems to have an invisible touch, yeah / She reaches in and grabs right hold of your heart / She seems to have an invisible touch, yeah / It takes control and slowly tears you apart.”
“Invisible Touch” is Genesis’s first single to reach the top of the charts in the United States.
“I Can’t Dance”
Perhaps ironically, there may not be a better Genesis song for the dance floor than “I Can’t Dance”. On their We Can’t Dance record, Collins, Banks, and Rutherford are also the writers of this fun tune.
The upbeat song says, “I can’t dance, I can’t talk / Only thing about me is the way I walk / I can’t dance, I can’t sing / I’m just standing here selling everything.”
“I Can’t Dance” was partially inspired by a commercial for blue jeans. Genesis received their final Grammy nomination for “I Can’t Dance”.
“Abacab”
“Abacab” is the title track of a record that came out in 1981. A Top 40 single, Collins, Banks, and Rutherford are also the writers of this unique song.
The chorus of “Abacab” says, “(When they do it) you’re never there / (When they show it) you stop and stare / (Abacab) isn’t anywhere / (Abacab) doesn’t really care.”
The title refers to the chord structure. Although “Abacab” became a hit for Genesis, Collins later admits that it isn’t his favorite song to sing. It’s why Collins scratched it from their setlist for their 2007 tour. “
“That happened with ‘Abacab,’ which I’m sure everyone expects us to do,” Collins shares, recalling their tour rehearsal. “Halfway through the first verse, I said, ‘I don’t really want to sing this. I don’t know what it’s about.’”
Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images
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