PHIL COLLINS - I DON’T CARE ANYMORE

Released: February 1983

Charts: US: #39 

“I Don’t Care Anymore” is the opening track from Phil Collins’ second solo album, “Hello, I Must Be Going!”. The track is known for its intense drum work and raw emotion, with Collins delivering biting lyrics about feeling betrayed. Collins played every instrument on the song except for guitar. This song earned Phil Collins his first Grammy nomination for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance in 1984, but he lost to Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.” While it only reached No. 39 on the Billboard Hot 100, it remains one of his most powerful and beloved solo tracks.

Like his debut album “Face Value”, the song reflects the pain and anger he felt following his divorce from his first wife, Andrea Bertorelli. The lyrics express his frustration with legal battles and emotional turmoil, but also his determination to move on. He repeats “no more” 17 times in the outro, almost as if trying to convince himself that he truly doesn’t care. Bertorelli was deeply upset by Collins airing their personal struggles in his music, claiming he profited from their divorce while disregarding her and their children’s feelings.

The music video is set in a dark room with spotlights highlighting each band member as they play. Phil Collins performs passionately, while Mo Foster, the bassist, stands idly before dramatically playing the Moog Taurus bass pedals—not with his feet, as intended, but with his fists. He also manipulates the filter controls, adding a theatrical element to the performance. Live concert footage from the same era shows Foster playing the pedals with a flatter hand technique and performing a simplified bassline, while future touring bassist Leland Sklar used the pedals correctly with his feet while playing bass guitar simultaneously.