In the Air Tonight - wikipedia In the Air Tonight `` In the Air Tonight '' Single by Phil Collins from the album Face Value B - side `` The Roof is Leaking '' Released 9 January 1981 Format 7 - inch single 12 - inch single Recorded Townhouse Studios London, 1980 Genre Experimental pop soft rock Length 5 : 34 ( album version ) 4 : 57 ( single edit ) Label Virgin Atlantic Songwriter ( s ) Phil Collins Producer ( s ) Phil Collins Hugh Padgham Phil Collins singles chronology `` In the Air Tonight '' ( 1981 ) `` I Missed Again '' ( 1981 ) `` In the Air Tonight '' ( 1981 ) `` I Missed Again '' ( 1981 ) Separate Lives ( 1985 ) In the Air Tonight ( 1988 ) A Groovy Kind of Love ( 1988 ) You Touch My Heart ( 2005 ) In the Air Tonight ( 2007 ) ( Love Is Like a ) Heatwave ( 2010 ) Audio sample file help `` In the Air Tonight '' is the debut solo single by the English singer - songwriter and drummer Phil Collins. It was released as the lead single from Collins ' debut solo album, Face Value, in January 1981. Collins co-produced the single with Hugh Padgham, who became a frequent collaborator in the following years. The song was an instant hit, quickly climbing to No. 2 on the UK Singles chart but was held off the top spot by the posthumous release of John Lennon 's `` Woman ''. It was also an international hit, achieving top 10 status in Australia, New Zealand and several European territories, reaching No. 1 in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Sweden. It peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, and was later certified Gold by the RIAA, representing 500,000 copies sold. The song 's music video, directed by Stuart Orme, received heavy play on MTV when the new cable music video channel launched in August 1981. It remains one of Collins ' best - known hits, often cited as his signature song, and is especially famous for his climactic drum break towards the end, which has been described as `` the sleekest, most melodramatic drum break in history ''. Contents 1 Background and recording 1.1 Inspiration 1.2 Musical style 1.3 Drum sound 2 Urban legend 3 Music video 4 In popular culture 5 Sampling 6 Use in literature 7 Single and credits 7.1 UK and US single ( 1981 ) 7.2 12 '' German maxi - single ( 1981 ) 7.3 Japan CD single ( 1988 ) 7.4 German CD single ( 1990 ) 8 Charts and certifications 8.1 Weekly charts 8.2 Year - end charts 8.3 Certifications 9 Cover versions 10 References 11 External links Background and recording Inspiration Collins wrote the song amid the grief he felt after divorcing his first wife Andrea Bertorelli in 1980. In a 2016 interview, Collins said of the song 's lyrics : `` I wrote the lyrics spontaneously. I 'm not quite sure what the song is about, but there 's a lot of anger, a lot of despair and a lot of frustration. '' In a 1997 BBC Radio 2 documentary, the singer revealed that the divorce contributed to his 1979 hiatus from Genesis until the band regrouped in October of that year to record the album Duke. The lyrics of the song take the form of a dark monologue directed towards an unnamed person : Well if you told me you were drowning, I would not lend a hand I 've seen your face before, my friend, but I do n't know if you know who I am Well I was there and I saw what you did I saw it with my own two eyes So you can wipe off that grin I know where you 've been It 's all been a pack of lies Musical style The recording is notable for its atmospheric production and macabre theme. It has been described as being `` at the vanguard of experimental pop '' in 1981 and `` a rock oddity classic '', having been influenced by `` the unconventional studio predilections of Brian Eno and Peter Gabriel ''. Musically, the song consists of a series of ominous chords played by a Sequential Circuits Prophet - 5 over a simple drum machine pattern ( the Roland CR - 78 Disco - 2 pattern, plus some programming ) ; processed electric guitar sounds and vocoded vocals, an effect which is increased on key words to add additional atmosphere. The mood is one of restrained anger until the final chorus when an explosive burst of drums releases the musical tension, and the instrumentation builds to a thundering final chorus. Collins has described obtaining the drum machine specifically to deal with personal issues relating to his divorce through songwriting, telling Mix magazine : `` I had to start writing some of this music that was inside me. '' He improvised the lyrics during a songwriting session in the studio : `` I was just fooling around. I got these chords that I liked, so I turned the mic on and started singing. The lyrics you hear are what I wrote spontaneously. That frightens me a bit, but I 'm quite proud of the fact that I sang 99.9 percent of those lyrics spontaneously. '' Drum sound Musically, it 's an extraordinarily striking record, because almost nothing happens in it... It 's the drum sound in particular that 's amazing. You do n't hear it at all for the first two minutes of the song... then there 's that great doo - dom doo - dom doo - dom comes in, and the drums come in half way through the song, setting the template for all the Eighties drum songs after that. -- Stuart Maconie The means by which Collins attained the drum sound on this recording was long a source of mystery. The exact process was a result of serendipity : an unintended use of studio technology giving unexpectedly useful results. In this case, the Solid State Logic 4000 mixing board had a `` reverse talk - back '' circuit ( labeled on the board as `` Listen Mic '' ). Normal `` talkback '' is a button that the mixing engineer has to press in order to talk to the recording musicians ( the recording and the mixing parts of a studio are, otherwise, completely sonically isolated ). Reverse talkback is a circuit ( also button - activated ) for the engineer to listen to musicians in the studio. In order to compensate for sound level differences -- people can be close to the reverse talkback microphone or far off -- this circuit has a compressor on it, which minimizes the differences between loud and soft sounds. While recording `` Intruder '' for his ex-bandmate Peter Gabriel 's third solo album, at some point Collins started playing the drums while the reverse talkback was activated. Engineer Hugh Padgham was amazed at the sound achieved. Overnight, they rewired the board so that the reverse talkback could be recorded in a more formal manner. Later models of the SSL 4000 allowed the listen mic to be recorded with the touch of a button. When recording engineer Padgham was brought in to help develop Collins ' demos that would become Face Value they recreated the `` Intruder '' sound using the reverse talkback microphone as well as heavily compressed and gated ambient mics. Padgham continued working with Genesis for Abacab later in 1981 and the same technique ( generally referred to as gated reverb ) was used, and the powerful drum sound has become synonymous with later Genesis projects and Collins ' solo career ever since. The original single version of `` In the Air Tonight '' features extra drums that play underneath the song until the signature drum crash ( referred to by fans as the `` magic break '' ) appears. These were added at the suggestion of Atlantic Records head Ahmet Ertegun. In 2007, Collins wrote : Ahmet came down to the final mix in the cutting room in New York (... ) The drums do n't come in until the end but Ahmet did n't know that at this point, because on the demo the drums had n't come in at all ; it was only drum machine all the way. And he was saying, `` Where 's the down beat, where 's the backbeat ? '' I said, `` The drums come in in a minute. '' `` Yeah, you know that and I know that, but the kids do n't know that ; you 've got to put the drums on earlier. '' So we added some drums to the mix and put it out as a single. In 2007, Mike Gruss, former columnist for The Virginian - Pilot, referred to the song as a `` soft rock classic. '' Speaking about the song 's rapid ascension in the music charts, Collins wrote the following in 2007 : It was a surprise. The single came in at No. 36, I did Top of the Pops with Dave Lee Travis, and in one of the down moments he said, `` This record is going to be a top three. '' I did n't believe him, because it had been made so haphazardly, but the next week, there it was at No. 3. And then Mark Chapman shot John Lennon and that was that. Urban legend An urban legend has arisen around `` In the Air Tonight '', according to which the lyrics are based on a drowning incident in which someone who was close enough to save the victim did not help them, while Collins, who was too far away to help, looked on. Increasingly embellished variations on the legend emerged over time, with the stories often culminating in Collins singling out the guilty party while singing the song at a concert. Collins has denied all such stories ; he commented on the legends about the song in a BBC World Service interview : I do n't know what this song is about. When I was writing this I was going through a divorce. And the only thing I can say about it is that it 's obviously in anger. It 's the angry side, or the bitter side of a separation. So what makes it even more comical is when I hear these stories which started many years ago, particularly in America, of someone come up to me and say, `` Did you really see someone drowning ? '' I said, `` No, wrong ''. And then every time I go back to America the story gets Chinese whispers, it gets more and more elaborate. It 's so frustrating, ' cause this is one song out of all the songs probably that I 've ever written that I really do n't know what it 's about, you know ? The urban legend is referenced in the song `` Stan '' by Eminem. The reference is contained in the following lyrics : You know the song by Phil Collins, `` In the Air of the Night '' ( sic ) About that guy who coulda saved that other guy from drownin ' But did n't, then Phil saw it all, then at a show he found him ? Music video The music video animates the photograph of Collins 's face from the cover of the Face Value album, slowly fading in through the introduction until it fills the screen, singing the first chorus. The video then cuts to Collins sitting in an empty room at night. Twice a spectral figure appears in the window, but only the second time does Collins get up to look at it, then is shown walking to the one door of the room. Collins 's feet returns for the second chorus. He is then shown leaving the room and entering a hallway full of doors. The first one is locked, then the second opens and Collins sees himself looking at the window again, only now the spectre has turned into his own reflection. The third door is locked, but as the fourth one opens, the drum break sounds and the viewer is returned to Collins 's face again, this time in thermal coloring, which gradually reverts to black and white. Collins recedes into the darkness as the song repeats and fades. In 1983 the music video was released on the home video Phil Collins available on VHS and LaserDisc which received a Grammy nomination for Best Video, Short Form. In popular culture `` In the Air Tonight '' remains a popular selection on classic rock radio stations. It is the song most often associated with Collins ' solo career, and he has performed it at many events, including Live Aid, where he played the song on a piano on the same calendar day in both Philadelphia and London. He also performed the song at The Secret Policeman 's Ball, which was his first live performance as a solo artist. `` I remember doing ' In the Air Tonight ' at Live Aid, '' he recalled, `` and ( Pete ) Townshend saying, ' Are you going to do that fucking song again ? ' as it was the only one I ever played. '' `` In the Air Tonight '' has also been licensed extensively for use in films, television and advertisements for various products. The song was featured in two episodes of the hit BBC One 1980s - based drama series Ashes to Ashes. In an interview with SFX, series creator Matthew Graham discusses his editorial choices in using the iconic song and its referential value for the dramatic finale. He considered the piece ideal for his purpose, evoking the mood of the early - 1980s. In 1984 the song was featured in the pilot episode of U.S. television show Miami Vice ( `` Brother 's Keeper '' ), one of the first pop / rock songs to be featured as part of a television program in this manner. Its use in that scene was `` a moment that first signaled to audiences and critics that Miami Vice had something to offer that few other TV programs on the air in 1984 could match '', The A.V. Club wrote in 2012. It subsequently `` bubbled under '' the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 102 in late 1984 and appeared on the television soundtrack album released in 1985. On the heels of this successful merging of media, Collins became associated with the show ; other Collins tracks including `` Take Me Home '' were later featured, and Collins himself also acted in the second season episode `` Phil the Shill ''. This song was later used in the show 's fourth season episode `` A Bullet for Crockett '' for its car chase opening scene, a clear reference to the show 's pilot episode. A cover of `` In the Air Tonight '', performed by American metal band Nonpoint, also appeared in the 2006 film adaptation. The song was featured in the 2006 video game Grand Theft Auto : Vice City Stories on an in - game radio station, `` Emotion 98.3 ''. Collins was the first celebrity to appear as himself in Grand Theft Auto, during missions `` Kill Phil '', `` Kill Phil : Part 2 '' and `` In the Air Tonight '', where he performed the song on a concert stage. Cadbury used the song in their 2007 Gorilla advertising campaign for its Dairy Milk chocolate bar. Afterwards, the song reached No. 14 on the UK singles chart and No. 9 on the UK Download Chart. The advertisement also helped the song re-enter the New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart and went to No. 1, staying there for two weeks, beating its original 1981 No. 6 peak, and become his first chart topper song on the country. The single was finished also certified Platinum with sales of over 15,000 copies. This advert was so popular, it won the awards for the Best Ad of the Year, at New Zealands Fair - Go Ad Awards. It was also subsequently parodied in a spoof ad by Wonderbra. Contrary to popular belief, it was not Phil Collins performing in the gorilla suit but American actor Garon Michael. Sampling The song has been sampled by many artists, including Shaquille O'Neal in his song `` Edge of Night '', Nas in his song `` One Mic '', and Tupac Shakur on his tracks `` Starin ' Through My Rear View '' and `` Letter to the President ''. Other tracks which include samples of `` In the Air Tonight '' include DMX 's `` I Can Feel It '', Krayzie Bone 's `` Silent Warrior '', Joe Budden 's `` Rest in Peace ( In the Air ) '', Sean Kingston 's `` Can You Feel It '', Young Buck 's `` New York City '', Big Audio Dynamite 's `` Innocent Child '', Lil ' Kim 's `` In the Air Tonite '', Kesha 's `` Love Into the Light '', and Av LMKR 's `` In The Air ''. It was used in 2009 by Canadian rapper Roi Heenok in his song `` La Mama Coca. '' According to video game music composer David Wise, he sampled the percussion track of `` In the Air Tonight '' for `` Bayou Boogie '', a track in the 1995 SNES game Donkey Kong Country 2 : Diddy 's Kong Quest. It was also sampled by MiC LOWRY on their single `` Oh Lord ''. The song sampled by The Overall Ole in the song `` Gig Paty Gig ! ''. Use in literature U.S. author Mohja Kahf obtained permission to cite two lines from the song in her novel, The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf ( Perseus Books, 2006 ). When the novel 's protagonist, a young Syrian American woman named Khadra who is coming of age during the 1970s and 1980s in America, performs the Muslim ritual pilgrimage ( hajj ) to Mecca and views the Ka'ba for the first time, the author writes that : `` Khadra tried to keep the joyous talbiya ( ritual chant ) in her mind and on her tongue : Here I am, O my Lord, Here I am ! Labbaik, allahumma, labbaik ! But she kept getting it crossed with Phil Collins in her head crooning, ' I can feel it coming in the air tonight, Oh Lo - ord... I 've been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lo - ord... ' '' Single and credits VSK102 UK Single Release ( Martin H ) `` In the Air Tonight '' `` The Roof is Leaking Sleeve includes a black and white 12 page cartoon storyboard drawn by Collins ' brother Clive Collins. UK and U.S. single ( 1981 ) `` In the Air Tonight '' -- 4 : 57 Phil Collins -- Roland CR - 78 drum machine, vocals, drums, Prophet 5 synthesizer, Rhodes piano, Roland VP - 330 vocoder John Giblin -- bass Daryl Stuermer -- guitar L. Shankar -- violins `` The Roof is Leaking '' -- 3 : 36 Phil Collins -- piano, vocal Daryl Stuermer -- banjo Joe Partridge -- slide guitar A demo track for `` In the Air Tonight '' also appeared on the `` If Leaving Me Is Easy '' single. 12 '' German maxi - single ( 1981 ) `` In the Air Tonight '' ( full - length version including the extra drums ) -- 5 : 34 Phil Collins -- Roland CR - 78 drum machine, vocals, drums, Prophet 5 synthesizer, Rhodes piano, Roland VP - 330 vocoder John Giblin -- bass Daryl Stuermer -- guitar L. Shankar -- violins `` The Roof is Leaking '' -- 3 : 36 Phil Collins -- piano, vocal Daryl Stuermer -- banjo Joe Partridge -- slide guitar, aka Eric Clapton, credited as Eric Japan CD single ( 1988 ) `` In the Air Tonight '' ( extended ) `` In the Air Tonight '' ( ' 88 remix ) `` I Missed Again '' ( Album Version ) German CD single ( 1990 ) `` In the Air Tonight '' ( extended version ) -- 7 : 33 ( Additional production by Ben Liebrand ) `` In the Air Tonight '' ( ' 88 remix ) -- 5 : 07 ( Remixed by Phil Collins and Hugh Padgham ) `` I Missed Again '' -- 3 : 42 ( catalogue 2292 - 57672 - 2 ) Charts and certifications Weekly charts Chart ( 1981 ) Peak position Australia ( Kent Music Report ) Austria ( Ö3 Austria Top 40 ) Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Flanders ) Canadian RPM Top Singles Netherlands ( Single Top 100 ) Germany ( Media Control Charts ) Ireland ( IRMA ) New Zealand ( Recorded Music NZ ) 6 Norway ( VG - lista ) Spain ( AFYVE ) 7 Sweden ( Sverigetopplistan ) Switzerland ( Schweizer Hitparade ) UK Singles Chart US Billboard Hot 100 19 US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) Zimbabwe Singles ( ZIMA ) Chart ( 1984 ) Peak position U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 102 Chart ( 1988 ) Peak position Dutch Singles Chart 17 Germany ( Media Control Charts ) UK Singles Chart Chart ( 1989 ) Peak position Australia ( ARIA ) 47 Chart ( 2007 ) Peak position UK Singles Chart 14 Chart ( 2008 ) Peak position New Zealand ( Recorded Music NZ ) Chart ( 2012 ) Peak position France ( SNEP ) 102 Chart ( 2017 ) Peak position Poland ( Polish Airplay Top 100 ) 39 Year - end charts Chart ( 1981 ) Rank New Zealand ( Recorded Music NZ ) 35 Chart ( 2008 ) Rank New Zealand ( Recorded Music NZ ) 23 Certifications Region Certification Certified units / Sales Germany ( BVMI ) Physical single Gold 250,000 Italy ( FIMI ) Digital single Gold 10,000 New Zealand ( RMNZ ) Physical single Gold 25,000 New Zealand ( RMNZ ) Digital single Platinum United Kingdom ( BPI ) Physical single Gold 500,000 United States ( RIAA ) Physical single Gold 3,500,000 United States ( RIAA ) Digital single 3 × Platinum sales figures based on certification alone shipments figures based on certification alone Cover versions A cover of the song appears on the Nonpoint album Recoil and in the film Miami Vice ( 2006 ), and a video was made to promote the track using clips from the film. Nonpoint 's version was also used in teasers for the fifth season of Dexter in 2010. The song was also covered by American metal band In This Moment for their 2017 album Ritual. References Jump up ^ `` BPI > Certified Awards > Search results for Phil Collins ( page 3 ) ''. British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 16 February 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` Official Charts > Phil Collins ''. The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 16 February 2016. Jump up ^ `` The 20 Best Drummers of All Time ''. LA Weekly. Los Angeles. 11 November 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2015. Jump up ^ Veix, Joe ( 11 April 2014 ). `` An intense 30 - minute loop of Phil Collins 's ' In The Air Tonight ' drum fill ''. Death and Taxes. Retrieved 24 July 2015. Jump up ^ Wardrop, Murray ( 8 May 2009 ). `` Ozzy Osbourne : ' I love Phil Collins ' ''. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 July 2015. Jump up ^ Greene, Andy ( 2016 - 02 - 29 ). `` '' In the Air Tonight '' ( 1981 ) Phil Collins : My Life in 15 Songs ``. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 19. Jump up ^ Mills, Gary ( 26 May 2010 ). `` No Flak Jacket Required : In Defence Of Phil Collins ''. The Quietus. Retrieved 23 October 2015. the single 's place in 1981 at the vanguard of experimental pop ^ Jump up to : `` Mix Magazine - Classic Tracks : Phil Collins ' `` In the Air Tonight '' ``. Archived from the original on 17 March 2007. Jump up ^ Thompson, Dave ( November 2004 ). Turn It On Again : Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, and Genesis. Backbeat Books. p. 182. ISBN 978 - 0 - 87930 - 810 - 0. Jump up ^ Sold on Song - Song Library - In the Air Tonight ^ Jump up to : Collins, Phil ; et al. ( 2007 ). Genesis : Chapter and Verse. St. Martin 's Griffin. pp. 220 -- 221. ISBN 978 - 0 - 312 - 37956 - 8. Jump up ^ Gruss, Mike ( 11 July 2007 ). `` I 've been Waiting for a theme song all my life ''. The Virginian - Pilot. Daily Break section, p. E1. Retrieved 11 August 2013... Phil Collins ' 1981 soft - rock classic ' In the Air Tonight. ' ( subscription required ) Jump up ^ `` In the Air Tonight ''. Snopes.com. Retrieved 2015 - 11 - 11. Jump up ^ `` BBC World Service - `` The Singer and the Song '' Phil Collins `` ''. Jump up ^ `` Eminem -- Stan Lyrics ''. MetroLyrics. Retrieved 9 September 2016. Jump up ^ `` Phil Collins - Phil Collins at Discogs ''. Discogs. Retrieved March 18, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Phil Collins - Phil Collins ( VHS ) at Discogs ''. Discogs. Retrieved March 18, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Phil Collins - Phil Collins ( LaserDisc ) at Discogs ''. Discogs. Retrieved March 18, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Grammy Awards 1985 ''. Awards & shows. Retrieved March 18, 2018. Jump up ^ `` BBC News : Stars recall Live Aid spectacular ''. 8 November 2004. Jump up ^ Ellen, Mark : `` Does everybody still hate Phil Collins ? '' ; Classic Rock # 217, December 2015, p82 Jump up ^ Setchfield, Nick ; Graham, Matthew ( 22 May 2010 ). `` Ashes exclusive ''. SFX. Retrieved 17 June 2010. Jump up ^ Murray, Noel ( 2 August 2012 ). `` How Miami Vice launched the ' 80s on TV, then died with its decade TV A Very Special Episode ''. The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved 9 August 2012. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel. Bubbling Under Singles & Albums ( 1998 ) : 51 Jump up ^ Totilo, Stephen ( 31 October 2006 ). `` ' GTA ' Land Of Confusion : Why Is Phil Collins In ' Vice City Stories ' ? ''. MTV News. Retrieved 16 July 2018. Jump up ^ `` New Zealand Platinum Certification ''. RadioScope New Zealand. 25 October 2009. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2009. Jump up ^ Wonderbra drums up sexy hit, Daily Mail, 9 November 2007. Retrieved 27 February 2012. Jump up ^ YouTube. `` Gorilla TV advert - In The Air Tonight ( Ad Of The Decade ) ''. YouTube. Retrieved 26 August 2017. Jump up ^ Daily Mail. `` Revealed : The man behind the drum - playing gorilla suit in Cadbury 's ad ''. Daily Mail. Retrieved 26 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` David Wise on Twitter : `` @ pantalytron No coincidence. I was trying to get the SNES to sound like the Roland CR78 that Phil Collins used for In the air tonight. '' ``. Twitter. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 19. Jump up ^ ( The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf, p. 162 ) Jump up ^ Kent, David ( 1993 ). Australian Chart Book 1970 -- 1992 ( Illustrated ed. ). St. Ives, N.S.W. : Australian Chart Book. p. 71. ISBN 0 - 646 - 11917 - 6. Jump up ^ `` Austriancharts.at -- Phil Collins -- In the Air Tonight '' ( in German ). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Jump up ^ `` Ultratop.be -- Phil Collins -- In the Air Tonight '' ( in Dutch ). Ultratop 50. Jump up ^ `` Dutchcharts.nl -- Phil Collins -- In the Air Tonight '' ( in Dutch ). Single Top 100. Jump up ^ `` Offizielle Deutsche Charts > Phil Collins - In the Air Tonight ( single ) '' ( in German ). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 16 February 2016. Jump up ^ `` The Irish Charts -- Search Results -- In the Air Tonight ''. Irish Singles Chart. Jump up ^ `` Charts.org.nz - Phil Collins - In the Air Tonight ''. Retrieved 14 June 2016. Jump up ^ `` Norwegiancharts.com -- Phil Collins -- In the Air Tonight ''. VG - lista. Jump up ^ Salaverri, Fernando ( September 2005 ). Sólo éxitos : año a año, 1959 -- 2002 ( 1st ed. ). Spain : Fundación Autor - SGAE. ISBN 84 - 8048 - 639 - 2. Jump up ^ `` Swedishcharts.com -- Phil Collins -- In the Air Tonight ''. Singles Top 100. Jump up ^ `` Swisscharts.com -- Phil Collins -- In the Air Tonight ''. Swiss Singles Chart. Jump up ^ `` Phil Collins Chart History ( Hot 100 ) ''. Billboard. Jump up ^ `` Phil Collins Chart History ( Mainstream Rock ) ''. Billboard. Jump up ^ * Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe : singles chart book. Harare : C. Kimberley, 2000 Jump up ^ `` Offizielle Deutsche Charts > Phil Collins - In the Air Tonight ( ' 88 Remix ) ( single ) '' ( in German ). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 16 February 2016. Jump up ^ `` australian-charts.com > Discography Phil Collins ''. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 29 February 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2016. Jump up ^ `` Charts.org.nz -- Phil Collins -- In the Air Tonight ''. Top 40 Singles. Jump up ^ `` Lescharts.com -- Phil Collins -- In the Air Tonight '' ( in French ). Les classement single. Jump up ^ `` Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia : : Związek Producentów Audio - Video ''. Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved 16 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` Top Selling Singles of 1981 ''. Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 14 June 2016. Jump up ^ `` Top Selling Singles of 2008 ''. Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 14 June 2016. Jump up ^ `` Gold - / Platin - Datenbank ( Phil Collins ; ' In The Air Tonight ' ) '' ( in German ). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 2 February 2016. Jump up ^ `` Italian single certifications -- Phil Collins -- In The Air Tonight '' ( in Italian ). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 2 February 2016. Jump up ^ `` New Zealand single certifications -- Phil Collins -- In The Air Tonight ''. Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2 February 2016. Jump up ^ `` Latest Gold / Platinum Singles -- RadioScope New Zealand ''. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. RadioScope New Zealand. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2016. Jump up ^ `` British single certifications -- Phil Collins -- In The Air Tonight ''. British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 February 2016. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Enter In The Air Tonight in the search field and then press Enter. ^ Jump up to : `` American single certifications -- Phil Collins -- In The Air Tonight ''. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2 February 2016. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH External links The Singer and the Song, a `` Learning English '' episode from the BBC World Service, which includes a clip from the song and a recording of Collins reading part of the song 's lyrics ( in RealAudio ) `` Classic track : In the Air Tonight '' About the lyrics and the drum sound. aglassandahalffullproductions.com, Cadbury advert featuring a Gorilla playing the song. Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics hide Phil Collins songs Discography Face Value `` In the Air Tonight '' `` I Missed Again '' `` If Leaving Me Is Easy '' Hello, I Must Be Going ! `` Thru These Walls '' `` You Ca n't Hurry Love '' `` I Do n't Care Anymore '' `` Do n't Let Him Steal Your Heart Away '' `` Why Ca n't It Wait ' Til Morning '' `` I Cannot Believe It 's True '' `` Like China '' No Jacket Required `` Sussudio '' `` One More Night '' `` Do n't Lose My Number '' `` Take Me Home '' Buster `` A Groovy Kind of Love '' `` Two Hearts ''... But Seriously `` Another Day in Paradise '' `` I Wish It Would Rain Down '' `` Something Happened on the Way to Heaven '' `` That 's Just the Way It Is '' `` Do You Remember ? '' `` Hang in Long Enough '' Serious Hits... Live ! `` Do You Remember ? '' ( live ) `` Who Said I Would '' ( live ) Both Sides `` Both Sides of the Story '' `` Everyday '' `` We Wait and We Wonder '' Dance into the Light `` Dance into the Light '' `` It 's in Your Eyes '' `` No Matter Who '' `` Wear My Hat '' `` The Same Moon ''... Hits `` True Colors '' Tarzan `` You 'll Be in My Heart '' `` Strangers Like Me '' `` Son of Man '' `` Two Worlds '' Testify `` Ca n't Stop Loving You '' `` Come with Me '' `` Wake Up Call '' / `` The Least You Can Do '' Brother Bear `` Look Through My Eyes '' `` No Way Out '' Going Back `` ( Love Is Like a ) Heatwave '' `` Going Back '' Featured singles `` Do They Know It 's Christmas ? '' `` Easy Lover '' `` Hero '' `` In the Air Tonite '' `` Home '' Other singles `` Against All Odds ( Take a Look at Me Now ) '' `` Separate Lives '' `` Somewhere '' Other songs `` The Man with the Horn '' `` You Ought to Know... '' Book Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=In_the_Air_Tonight&oldid=850470690 '' Categories : 1981 singles Phil Collins songs 1980s ballads Number - one singles in Germany Number - one singles in New Zealand Number - one singles in Sweden Number - one singles in Switzerland Debut singles Virgin Records singles Rock ballads Songs written by Phil Collins Song recordings produced by Hugh Padgham Song recordings produced by Phil Collins Atlantic Records singles 1980 songs Miami Vice Number - one singles in Austria Hidden categories : Pages containing links to subscription - only content CS1 German - language sources ( de ) CS1 Italian - language sources ( it ) Use dmy dates from August 2013 Articles with hAudio microformats All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from June 2015 Singlechart usages for Austria Singlechart usages for Flanders Singlechart usages for Dutch100 Singlechart usages for Ireland2 Singlechart called without artist Singlechart usages for Norway Singlechart usages for Sweden Singlechart usages for Switzerland Singlechart usages for Billboardhot100 Singlechart called without song Singlechart usages for Billboardmainstreamrock Singlechart usages for New Zealand Singlechart usages for France Singlechart usages for Poland Certification Table Entry usages for Germany Certification Table Entry usages for Italy Certification Table Entry usages for New Zealand Certification Table Entry usages for United Kingdom Certification Table Entry usages for United States Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Français Bahasa Indonesia Italiano ქართული Nederlands Norsk nynorsk Polski Português Română Русский Simple English Svenska Türkçe Українська 7 more Edit links This page was last edited on 16 July 2018, at 02 : 33 ( UTC ). 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Question: story of i can feel it in the air tonight
Answer: grief he felt after divorcing his first wife Andrea Bertorelli in 1980