Don't Lose My Number

"Don't Lose My Number"
Single by Phil Collins
from the album No Jacket Required
B-side"We Said Hello Goodbye"
Released1 July 1985 (US/EU)[1]
GenreDance-rock[2]
Length4:48
Label
Songwriter(s)Phil Collins
Producer(s)
Phil Collins singles chronology
"One More Night"
(1985) 		"Don't Lose My Number"
(1985) 		"Take Me Home"
(1985)
Music video
"Phil Collins - Don't Lose My Number (Official Music Video)" on YouTube

"Don't Lose My Number" is a song by the English singer Phil Collins from his third solo studio album No Jacket Required. The single was not released in the UK, though it peaked at No. 4 in the US in September 1985.[3] The B-side, "We Said Hello Goodbye" was released as a bonus track on the CD for No Jacket Required. In Australia, the single was released with the title "(Billy) Don't Lose My Number".[4]

History

Collins has stated that the lyrics to "Don't Lose My Number" were improvised, and that he himself does not fully understand what they mean.[5] Stephen Holden of The New York Times also agreed that the lyrics were very "vague, sketching the outlines of a melodrama but withholding the full story".[6] The song prominently features Collins' signature gated reverb drum sound.

Critical reception

Cashbox said that the song "merges a Motown drive with the singer/songwriter’s own charm and vocal urgency."[7] Billboard said that it was a "slightly mysterious DOR tune."[8]

Music video

Collins did not know what to use as a theme for the song's music video, so he decided that it would show his decision process in selecting a theme for it. In the video, Collins talks to various "directors", who all give him ill-fitting ideas for the video. Their suggestions allow Collins to parody several other music videos of the time, including videos by David Lee Roth ("California Girls"), Elton John ("I'm Still Standing"), The Police ("Every Breath You Take"), and The Cars ("You Might Think"), as well as movies such as Mad Max 2 and various samurai movies and Westerns.[9] His wife at the time, Jill Tavelman, makes a cameo in the beach scene as the model who smiles at him.

Track listing

7": Atlantic / 7-89536 (US)

  1. "Don't Lose My Number" (4:46)
  2. "We Said Hello Goodbye" (4:15)

7": WEA / 7-259001 (Australia)

  1. "(Billy) Don't Lose My Number" (4:46)
  2. "We Said Hello Goodbye" (4:15)

12": Atlantic / 0-86863 (US)

  1. "Don't Lose My Number" (Extended Mix) (6:36)
  2. "Don't Lose My Number" (LP Version) (4:46)
  3. "We Said Hello Goodbye" (4:15)

12": WEA / 0-259001 (Australia)

  1. "(Billy) Don't Lose My Number" (Extended Mix) (6:36)
  2. "We Said Hello Goodbye" (4:15)

CD: WEA International / WPCR 2063 (Japan)

  1. "Don't Lose My Number (Edit)" (4:11)
  2. "We Said Hello Goodbye" (4:15)

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1985) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[10] 10
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[11] 22
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[12] 11
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[13] 22
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[14] 10
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] 44
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[16] 22
Panama (UPI)[17] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[18] 4
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[19] 25
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[20] 33

Year-end charts

Year-end chart (1985) Rank
Australia (Kent Music Report)[21] 87
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[22] 64

Personnel

See also

References

  1. ^ "Phil Collins singles".
  2. ^ "Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. 13 July 1985. p. 71. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  3. ^ "allmusic ((( No Jacket Required > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 September 2008.
  4. ^ (Billy) Don't Lose My Number (Australian 7-inch single sleeve). Phil Collins. WEA. 1985. 7-259001.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ "Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Phil Collins Songs". Rolling Stone. 11 December 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  6. ^ Holden, Stephen (7 April 1985). "Phil Collins: Pop Music's Answer to Alfred Hitchcock". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
  7. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. 20 July 1985. p. 11. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  8. ^ "Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. 13 July 1985. p. 71. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  9. ^ Pareles, Jon (2 November 1986). "HOME VIDEO; Recent Releases of Video Cassettes: Photos and 'White Suit'". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 November 2008.
  10. ^ 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. N.B. the Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid 1983 and 19 June 1988.
  11. ^ "Phil Collins – Don't Lose My Number" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  12. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0579." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  13. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 9299." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  14. ^ "Tipparade-lijst van week 30, 1985" [Tip parade list from week 30, 1985] (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  15. ^ "Phil Collins – Don't Lose My Number" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  16. ^ "Phil Collins – Don't Lose My Number". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  17. ^ "Las canciones más populares en Latinoamérica". La Opinión (Los Angeles) (in Spanish). 26 November 1985. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  18. ^ "Phil Collins Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  19. ^ "Phil Collins Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  20. ^ "Phil Collins Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard.
  21. ^ "Kent Music Report No 599 – 30 December 1985 > National Top 100 Singles for 1985". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 23 January 2023 – via Imgur.
  22. ^ "1985 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 52. 28 December 1985. p. T-21.