In the 1980s, Phil Collins was one of the biggest names in music. He wasn’t just the drummer and singer for the legendary band Genesis — he was also a solo superstar who could sell out stadiums all by himself. With hits like In the Air Tonight and Against All Odds, Collins became a household name. But even with all his success, something inside him wasn’t sitting right. And surprisingly, one Genesis song — “Burning Rope” — played a big part in his decision to leave the band.
Balancing Two Careers
After lead singer Peter Gabriel left Genesis in the mid-1970s, Collins took over on vocals. It was a big change, but it worked. The band continued to release albums and tour the world, while Collins also built an incredible solo career. For years, he managed to balance both — performing with Genesis and working on his own music.
But being in a band like Genesis wasn’t always easy. The group was made up of strong personalities and talented songwriters — mainly Collins, keyboardist Tony Banks, and guitarist Mike Rutherford. They made decisions together, which meant Collins didn’t always get his way. Over time, he started to feel creatively trapped.
The Problem with “Burning Rope”
The breaking point came from a song called “Burning Rope”, released in 1978 on the album …And Then There Were Three…. The song was written mainly by Tony Banks, and while some fans loved it, Collins didn’t. Years later, in a 1997 interview with Modern Drummer magazine, he admitted that songs like “Burning Rope” made him want to leave the band.
He said, “It’s a cruel thing to say, but it’s a song like this that made me leave Genesis.” He explained that the song felt old-fashioned and out of touch with modern music. “To me, this song is a period piece. It doesn’t make it in the twentieth century,” he said. Collins even joked that Tony Banks might never talk to him again after reading those comments.
Collins also mentioned that when he didn’t like some of the band’s songs, he would try to make the drumming more interesting to keep himself engaged. That, he said, was the case with “Burning Rope.” The band only played the song live in 1978, and then it disappeared from their shows completely — which says a lot about how he felt about it.
Leaving Genesis Behind
Although “Burning Rope” came out in 1978, Collins didn’t officially leave Genesis until 1996 — almost 20 years later. By then, his solo career had exploded, and his musical style had moved far away from Genesis’s progressive rock sound. He wanted to write and sing songs that were more personal and emotional, not long, complex tracks that didn’t inspire him anymore.
Collins didn’t leave in anger — he just felt it was time to move on. In his goodbye statement, he thanked his bandmates and wished them well. Genesis continued for a while without him, but there was no denying that the band was never quite the same.
A Respectful Goodbye
Phil Collins’s story shows that even when you’re at the top of your game, it’s okay to walk away if something no longer feels right. “Burning Rope” might just be one song, but it represented a creative direction that didn’t fit who he was anymore. In the end, Collins followed his own path — and that’s what made him one of the most respected artists in music history.