Don't Lose My Number
Encyclopedia
"Don't Lose My Number" is a song by Phil Collins
from his third solo album No Jacket Required
. The single was not released in the UK, though it peaked at #4 in the US during late September 1985. The B-side, "We Said Hello Goodbye" was released as a bonus track on the CD for No Jacket Required.
charts during late September 1985.
, David Lee Roth
("California Girls
"), Elton John
, 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.
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
from his third solo album No Jacket Required
No Jacket Required
The album is named after an incident at The Pump Room restaurant in Chicago, Illinois. Collins , was denied admittance because he did not meet the restaurant's dress code of "jacket required" for dinner, while Plant was allowed in. Collins was wearing a jacket, and argued about it. The Maître d'...
. The single was not released in the UK, though it peaked at #4 in the US during late September 1985. The B-side, "We Said Hello Goodbye" was released as a bonus track on the CD for No Jacket Required.
History
The song is addressed to someone called "Billy" whom the singer is hoping to find (and hopes Billy still has his number). Collins has said that he actually wrote most of the song during the recordings for his very first album, Face Value. Collins also states that the lyrics were improvised, and that he himself does not fully understand what they mean. 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". The single was not released in the UK, but peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
charts during late September 1985.
Music video
Collins did not know what he would use as a video theme for "Don't Lose My Number," so he decided to create a video showing his decision process in selecting a theme for it. In the actual video, Collins talks to various "directors", who all give him bad ideas for the video. Their suggestions allow Collins to parody several other music videos of the time, including videos by Michael JacksonMichael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth is an American rock vocalist, songwriter, actor, author, and former radio personality. Roth was ranked nineteenth by Hit Parader on their list of the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Singers of All Time....
("California Girls
California Girls
"California Girls" is a song by American rock band The Beach Boys, featured on their ninth studio album Summer Days . Written by band-members Brian Wilson and Mike Love, the song features contrasting verse-chorus form...
"), Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, The Police ("Every Breath You Take
Every Breath You Take
"Every Breath You Take" is a song by The Police on the band's 1983 album Synchronicity, written by Sting and Andy Summers . The single was one of the biggest hits of 1983, topping the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for eight weeks and the UK Singles Chart for four weeks. It also topped the...
"), and The Cars ("You Might Think
You Might Think
"You Might Think" is a single by The Cars from their fifth studio album, Heartbeat City, which came out in 1984. The track was written by Ric Ocasek, and produced by Mutt Lange and The Cars. Ocasek sang lead vocals....
"), as well as movies such as Mad Max 2 and various samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
movies.
12": Atlantic / 0-86863 (US)
- "Don't Lose My Number" (Extended Mix)
- "Don't Lose My Number"
- "We Said Hello Goodbye"
Charts
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Singles Chart | 44 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
4 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
25 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 33 |