Song Analysis

I Can't Dance

I will analyze two songs by Genesis, the first of which is ‘I Can’t Dance’. It starts with a very powerful riff on the guitar. Phil Collins, wails out lyrics like “hot sun beating down, burning my feet just walking around”. These lyrics could imply that the dancer is under a scorching spotlight, not being able to dance. Unlike many other Genesis songs, their riff is very metallic sounding. Usually the band had an electronic, progressive experimental sound, but this song seems much more straightforward.

The history of the song tells about why it sounds so fun. Rutherford, the guitarist for the band had written a song called ‘Heavy A Flat’. During a recording session, Rutherford brought the song out, and Collins improvised ‘I Can’t Dance’. At first they turned the song down because it was too blues sounding and too simple. However, after they made the keyboard part, they felt it was a good song, and decided to record it.
I think that this is one of Genesis’s best songs, as it is very amusing to listen to, and unlike the title, makes you want to dance. The guitar riff in the song is very effective, and although by the end of Genesis, many of their songs were very slow, this is one of their last great songs.




In Too Deep

The next song I will analyze is ‘In Too Deep’. This song starts with the classic 80’s sounding electronics. After this, Collins comes in with a soft voice, singing lyrics like “All that time I was searching, with nowhere to run”, after this he sings a bit in falsetto. Then the chorus comes in with a slight change of pace, with a rising keyboard sound. Its as though the song is going to go full blast, but after this it goes back down to the slow, almost ska tempo. At the bridge, there is a keyboard solo that sounds like an old television show theme. At the end of the song, Collins keeps repeating “you know I want to, but I’m in too deep.”

Personally I find the song, although it is very slow, to be very entertaining. Collins brief stint of singing falsetto in the song, is the earliest I have heard this done. It is possible that singers such as Chris Martin, may have copied this style, as Coldplay’s style seems to be reminiscent of Genesis’s. I find songs like these are not liked for their musical talent, but for their lyrics, and since they are very emotional, this song becomes worthwhile to listen to.