Phil Collins’ opinion on Bruce Springsteen

Like most musicians, Phil Collins fell in love with music at a really young age. He first started to play the drums at the age of five and completed drama school training, which gave him many roles as a child actor. His childhood already indicated how versatile he would be in the entertainment business since he would later reach fame as Genesis singer, drummer and would also have a successful solo career. He still is one of the few artists who were able to sell more than 100 million records worldwide both as a member of a group and as a solo act.

Over the decades, he became one of the most influential artists of all time and always talked about his peers. One of them is the American singer, guitarist and songwriter Bruce Springsteen.

Phil Collins’ opinion on Bruce Springsteen

Collins is two years younger than Bruce but started his musical career one year before the American artist in 1963. Although they came from different backgrounds and had different influences as artists, Collins is a fan of Springsteen work. He even said in an interview with David Sheff in 1986 that he is “everyman’s music for everyman”.

“I’ve always liked the idea of Springsteen–everyman’s music for everyman, you know; it captures the imagination of the working man. Chuck Berry did the same thing. I don’t know that much about Springsteen’s older songs, but I like what he stands for. Born in the U.S.A. is just fantastic. It has a great atmosphere and it’s a great song,” Phil Collins said.

Phil Collins believes everything Springsteen does is “very typical of him”

Every human being is unique and the same happens in music. Every musician is unique and has their own style. When an artist really finds their sound they begin to be instantly recognizable and according to Phil Collins that happens with Springsteen.

In an interview with Rolling Stone back in 1985, he said: “To me, everything Bruce Springsteen does is very typical of him. Maybe people think the same thing about me. But I think I have too many styles to single one out.”

Springsteen was born in Long Branch, New Jersey in 1949. He released his first solo album “Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.” in 1973. By that time Collins had already recorded two albums with Genesis.

In the following years Springsteen’s fame only grew bigger with the release of many classic albums. Some of them were: “Born to Run” (1975), “Darkness on the Edge of Town” (1978) and “Born in the U.S.A.” (1984). Like Collins, he also is on the list of the best-selling artists of all time. Springsteen has sold an estimated amount of more than 71 million records only in the United States. Worldwide he sold more than 140 million copies.

Unlike Phil Collins who retired last year after the Genesis’ farewell shows, Springsteen continues to record and tour around the world with the E Street Band. But obviously, sometimes age and health get in the way of their plans. Collins was unable to play the drums in the last years because of health issues. That also forced him to sing live while seated.

More recently Springsteen was forced to postpone his North American tour dates after being diagnosed with Peptic Ulcer.

Bruce Springsteen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame first

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame more than a decade before Genesis. The American artist was inducted in 1999 by U2’s Bono, meanwhile Genesis would only get inducted in 2010 by Trey Anastasio (Phish).

Collins still wasn’t inducted into the Hall as a solo artist, something that already happened with other artists who also had a huge impact as a solo act. One of the biggest examples is his ex-bandmate Peter Gabriel, who was inducted in 2014 by Coldplay’s Chris Martin.

Another coincidence about Collins and Springsteen is that both of them sold the rights to their catalog in the last couple of years as many groups did. Springsteen was the first one of the two, selling his catalog to Sony for a reported amount of 500 million dollars. In the following year Genesis and Phil sold their catalogs to Concord Music Group Inc. for a reported amount of more than 300 million dollars.