We Can't Dance
| We Can't Dance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Genesis | ||||
| Released | 11 November 1991[1] | |||
| Recorded | March–September 1991 | |||
| Studio | The Farm in Surrey, England | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 71:30 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| Genesis chronology | ||||
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| Singles from We Can't Dance | ||||
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We Can't Dance is the fourteenth studio album from the English rock band Genesis, released in November 1991 on Virgin Records in the United Kingdom and Atlantic Records in the United States. It is their last album recorded with drummer and lead singer Phil Collins before his departure in 1996 to pursue solo projects. Production began after a four-year period of inactivity from the group, following the commercial success of Invisible Touch (1986) and its tour.
We Can't Dance was a worldwide commercial success for the band. It became the band's fifth consecutive No. 1 album in the UK and reached No. 4 in the U.S., where it sold over 4 million copies. Between 1991 and 1993, six tracks from the album were released as singles, including "No Son of Mine" and "I Can't Dance". The latter received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals. Genesis toured in support of We Can't Dance in 1992 which saw the band play large stadiums and arenas across North America and Europe.
Production
We Can't Dance was Genesis' first studio album in five years, following the international success of Invisible Touch in 1986. After the tour for that album ended, the band took a long hiatus to focus on solo careers. Both Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford expected Phil Collins to depart the band during this time due to his huge solo success, but he stayed. The album reached No. 1 in the UK and No. 4 in the U.S., selling several million copies (including 4 million in the U.S. alone). The album also spawned several hit singles, including "No Son of Mine", "Hold on My Heart", "I Can't Dance" and "Jesus He Knows Me", the latter two supported by humorous videos. Two songs, "On the Shoreline" and "Hearts on Fire", were cut from the album, because "there wasn't enough room on the record." Both songs were released as B-sides.
Contrary to popular belief, "Since I Lost You" is not about a broken relationship. The lyrics were written by Phil Collins for friend Eric Clapton. On 20 March 1991, Clapton's four-year-old son Conor died after falling from the 53rd-story window of his mother's friend's New York City apartment, landing on the roof of an adjacent four-story building. Collins played it to him before putting it on the album to get his approval.
Most of the songs were created by improvisation at Genesis' Fisher Lane Farm ("The Farm") studio. The band noted in past interviews how this album was the perfect balance of both their old style longer songs and their current, short, pop/rock songs.
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C[3] |
| Rolling Stone | [4] |
Rolling Stone chiefly commented on the album's lyrics. They criticised "Tell Me Why" and "Way of the World" for being soulless and impersonal social commentaries, but regarded most of the songs as outstanding, and summarised "Although We Can't Dance doesn't quite achieve the vulnerable grace of Duke or the exuberance of Abacab, Genesis has nevertheless delivered an elegantly spare – and even adventurous – album."[4]
AllMusic similarly criticised the lyrics of "Tell Me Why" and "Way of the World", calling them "paeans for world understanding that sound miles away from any immediacy". However, they praised the album for returning to a less pop-oriented direction, and especially complimented the grittiness of "No Son of Mine", "Jesus He Knows Me", and "I Can't Dance" (which received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals in 1993).[2]
David Browne of Entertainment Weekly gave a lackluster review, stating: "At a time when everything is uncertain... you almost have to admire a record like We Can't Dance. [...] You know there will be a couple of fleeting moments when the band breaks out of its torpor – for instance, on the very polite primal stomp of 'I Can't Dance' – and that such moments will just as quickly be subsumed by the rest of the musical quicksand."[3]
Stevie Chick of The Guardian has dismissed the album as "blandness".[5]
The album garnered Genesis an American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo, or Group and two further nominations for Favorite Adult Contemporary Album and Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist. At the Brit Awards in 1993, the album was nominated for Best British Album while Phil Collins was nominated as Best Male British Artist for his contribution to the album.
Track listing
All songs written by Tony Banks, Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "No Son of Mine" | 6:39 |
| 2. | "Jesus He Knows Me" | 4:16 |
| 3. | "Driving the Last Spike" | 10:08 |
| 4. | "I Can't Dance" | 4:01 |
| 5. | "Never a Time" | 3:50 |
| 6. | "Dreaming While You Sleep" | 7:16 |
| 7. | "Tell Me Why" | 4:58 |
| 8. | "Living Forever" | 5:41 |
| 9. | "Hold on My Heart" | 4:37 |
| 10. | "Way of the World" | 5:38 |
| 11. | "Since I Lost You" | 4:09 |
| 12. | "Fading Lights" | 10:16 |
B-sides
| No. | Title | Single A-side | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "On the Shoreline" | "I Can't Dance" | 4:45 |
| 2. | "Hearts on Fire" | "Jesus He Knows Me" | 5:15 |
Personnel
- Tony Banks – keyboards
- Phil Collins – drums, percussion, vocals, drum machines
- Mike Rutherford – guitars, bass guitar
Tour
Following the release of the album Genesis spent 13 weeks on the road playing 55 concerts between May and July 1992, with a 15 date UK tour in October/November.[6] The popular worldwide tour sold out arenas and stadiums (where they mostly played on the U.S. leg of the tour). This proved to be Collins' last tour with Genesis until the band reunited in 2007. The album was re-released as a SACD/DVD double disc set (including new 5.1 and Stereo mixes) in October 2007. During the recording of We Can't Dance a 40-minute documentary called No Admittance was produced and broadcast on the Disney Channel. It has since been included in the bonus DVD released in 2007.
The "We Can't Dance" tour featured shows in large arenas and stadiums throughout North America and Europe. It would be the band's final full-length tour until the 2007 Turn It On Again reunion tour. The tour is captured live on the albums The Way We Walk, Volume One: The Shorts, The Way We Walk, Volume Two: The Longs and the concert video The Way We Walk - Live in Concert.
Charts and certifications
Charts
|
Sales and certifications
| Region | Certification | Sales/shipments |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[24] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
| Austria (IFPI Austria)[25] | Gold | 25,000x |
| Canada (Music Canada)[26] | 4× Platinum | 400,000^ |
| Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[27] | Gold | 25,000[27] |
| France (SNEP)[28] | 2× Platinum | 788,600[29] |
| Germany (BVMI)[30] | 5× Platinum | 2,500,000^ |
| Japan (RIAJ)[31] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[32] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| Sweden (GLF)[33] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[34] | 4× Platinum | 200,000x |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[35] | 5× Platinum | 1,500,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[36] | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000^ |
|
*sales figures based on certification alone | ||
References
- ↑ "Official Genesis Website". Genesis-music.com. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- 1 2 Orens, Geoff. Album review, Allmusic.
- 1 2 Browne, David (15 November 1991). "We Can't Dance Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
- 1 2 Manning, Kara (9 January 1992). Album Review, Rolling Stone.
- ↑ Chick, Stevie (3 September 2014). "Genesis: 10 of the best". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 6 September 2014.
- ↑ genesis-movement.co.uk
- ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Genesis – We Can't Dance". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Genesis – We Can't Dance" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ↑ http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.2041&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=8gtl9u7trphhliommrvt4kqlb2
- ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Genesis – We Can't Dance" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 263. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- ↑ https://books.google.com/books?lr=&rview=1&id=jg8EAAAAMBAJ&q=genesis#v=snippet&q=genesis&f=false
- ↑ "Officialcharts.de – Top 100 Longplay". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ↑ http://zene.slagerlistak.hu/archivum/kereso-eloado-cim-szerint
- ↑ http://www.hitparadeitalia.it/hp_yenda/lpe1983.htm
- ↑
- ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Genesis – We Can't Dance". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Genesis – We Can't Dance". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Genesis – We Can't Dance". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Genesis – We Can't Dance". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ↑ November 1991 "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ↑ "Genesis – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Genesis.
- ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1992 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association.
- ↑ "Austrian album certifications – Genesis – We Can't Dance" (in German). IFPI Austria. Enter Genesis in the field Interpret. Enter We Can't Dance in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen
- ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Genesis – We Can't Dance". Music Canada.
- 1 2 "Genesis" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
- ↑ "French album certifications – Genesis – We Can't Dance" (in French). InfoDisc. Select GENESIS and click OK
- ↑ "Les Albums Double Platine :" (in French). Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
- ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Genesis; 'We Can't Dance')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
- ↑ "Japanese album certifications – Genesis – We Can't Dance" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 1992年月 on the drop-down menu
- ↑ "Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados 1991–1995". Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano. ISBN 8480486392.
- ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
- ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Genesis; 'We Can't Dance')". Hung Medien.
- ↑ "British album certifications – Genesis – We Can't Dance". British Phonographic Industry. Enter We Can't Dance in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
- ↑ "American album certifications – Genesis – We Can't Dance". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
External links
- No Son of Mine (Music Video) at VH1 Classic
- Jesus He Knows Me (Music Video) at VH1 Classic
- I Can't Dance (Music Video) at VH1 Classic
- Hold on My Heart (Music Video) at VH1 Classic
| Preceded by Shepherd Moons by Enya |
UK number one album 23 November 1991 – 29 November 1991 |
Succeeded by Dangerous by Michael Jackson |
| Preceded by Welcome to Wherever You Are by INXS |
UK number one album 22 August 1992 – 28 August 1992 |
Succeeded by Best I by The Smiths |
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