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Phil made Number 1 early in 1985 when he duetted with Philip Bailey on 'Easy Lover'. This single was released in early November.
Again the sleeve note seems almost keener to talk up a track that isn't on the album than the ones that are. It's another song from a film - in this case The White Night, which I'd never even heard of, but apparently it was where Helen Mirren met her husband. It also produced two major hits in this and Lionel Richie's 'Say You, Say Me': both were Oscar-nominated but Richie won.
Though Collins would seem well-qualified to write a song about separation, this song was in fact penned by MOR songwriter Steven Bishop (of 'On & On') fame - it was presumably a commercial decision of the filmmakers to call in a higher-profile singer to front the song. Martin, meanwhile, was an experienced backing singer for whom this was presumably supposed to be the big break. Obviously, the song was a success at the time, but now it sounds like an extreme example of mid-80s blandness. I suppose maybe that was part of the appeal; maybe it appealed to people in these sort of situations because it spoke to them without really hitting home emotionally. Either way, what it certainly didn't do was establish Marilyn Martin as anything beyond a half-hit wonder, as her subsequent solo recordings make little impression and she was soon dropped. Like Phil Collins, she's no longer a professional musician, but unlike him she's had to get another job. Apparently she's now an estate agent.
Phil Collins also appears on: Now 1, 3, 5, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 27, 41, 44, 68
Available on: Hits
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