Dance into the Light, released in 1996, was the sixth studio album that Phil Collins released as a solo artist as well as the first single from that album. After the disappointing sales of his prior album, the emotional Both Sides, Phil Collins returned with his most upbeat album since 1985's No Jacket Required. With the notable exception of "Just Another Story", perhaps Collins's most depressing song as a solo artist, the album contained numerous up-tempo tracks including the Beatles-inspired "It's In Your Eyes", "Wear My Hat", and the album's title track.

However, sales were again disappointing, and despite hitting #21 on the Billboard 200, the album became Collins' poorest selling album to date (it is now his second-poorest selling studio album next to 2002's Testify). Dance Into the Light only went Gold in the US, selling 850,000 copies and missing Platinum status by 150,000 copies. The album was also Collins' first to not contain any American Top 40 hits, with the title track only reaching #45 (although it cracked the Top 10 in the UK). Collins would not chart again with an American Top 40 single until 1999's "You'll Be in My Heart", the main single from Disney's animated feature, Tarzan.

Notably, the track "Dance Into the Light" was the only song from the album to appear on Collins's "Hits" collection.

Despite the poor sales of the album, Collins's subsequent tour in support of the album -- titled a Trip into the Light -- was one of the highest performing tours of the year, regularly selling out arenas.

Tracks

1. "Dance Into The Light"
2. "That`s What You Said"
3. "Lorenzo"
4. "Just Another Story"
5. "Love Police"
6. "Wear My Hat"
7. "It`s In Your Eyes"
8. "Oughta Know By Now"
9. "Take Me Down"
10. "The Same Moon"
11. "River So Wide"
12. "No Matter Who"
13. "The Times They Are A-Changin`"

Trivia

• Actor Danny Devito appeared in the video for "Wear My Hat".
• "Lorenzo" was written originally as a poem by Michaela Odone, the mother of Lorenzo Odone, the child who was the topic of the film "Lorenzo's Oil". According to a tribute page to her on the Myelin Project webpage ^*, Michaela wrote it and sent it to Collins in the mid 90s; Collins wrote back asking her not to send it to anyone else, because he wanted to put music to the words.
• The album cover was Phil Collins's first and only studio album to not be a profile of his face.
• "The Times They Are A-Changin'" is a remake of the Bob Dylan song of the same name.
• The liner notes Collins make reference he does not use a drum machine on this albun, this was to many fan complaints that Both Sides was mostly backed by a drum machine.

External links

• The Official Phil Collins Website

Phil Collins albums | 1996 albums | Atlantic Records albums

Dance into the Light