The song is notable for its atmospheric production, macabre theme (atypical of the subject matter of his solo work, but broadly similar to that of Genesis), and as the subject of a persistent urban legend. It was an international hit, reaching the top 20 on the Billboard magazine pop singles chart and remains, alone among Collins' solo oeuvre, a popular selection on many classic rock radio stations. It is the song most often associated with Collins' solo career, and he has performed versions of it at many events, notably at Live Aid, where he played the song on the same calendar day in both Philadelphia and London[1]. He also performed the song at The Secret Policeman's Other Ball.
Musically the song consists of a series of ominous chords played over a simple drum machine pattern (a Roland CR-78); processed electric guitar sounds and vocoded vocals on key words add additional atmosphere. The mood is one of restrained anger until the final chorus when an explosive burst of drums releases the musical tension, and the instrumentation builds to a thundering final chorus.
The song's popularity in the 1980s increased after a nearly complete recording of it was featured in the pilot episode of the American television show Miami Vice (Brother's Keeper), thus becoming one of the first pop/rock songs to be featured as part of a TV program in this manner. On the heels of this successful merging of media, Collins became associated with the show; other Collins tracks including Take Me Home were later featured and Collins himself also acted in an episode, Phil The Shill.
The song was remixed in 1988 by Ben Liebrand for his weekly appearance in the 'Curry & van Inkel' radio show on Dutch radio. The mix was completed and then taken by Ben to be part of a mix showcase at the DMC Mixing Championship Finals in London. When he played it there, he urged the other visiting DJ's to contact Virgin to make it an official release. It hit #4 in the UK charts.
