Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)

"Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)"
Single by Phil Collins
from the album Against All Odds soundtrack
B-side	"The Search"
Released	February 1984 (USA) 31 March 1984[1] (UK)
Format	7"
Recorded	1983
Genre	Soft rock
Length	03:23
Label	Atlantic
Writer(s)	Phil Collins
Producer	Arif Mardin
Certification	Gold (RIAA)
Phil Collins singles chronology
"Like China" (1983) "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (1984) "Easy Lover" (1984)

"Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (also simply titled "Against All Odds") is a song originally written and recorded by British singer Phil Collins. The song was the main theme for the 1984 film of the same name, and first appeared on its soundtrack. It is a ballad in which its protagonist implores his/her ex-lover to "take a look at me now", knowing that reconciliation is "against all odds", but also knowing that he or she must try. It has been covered by several artists.

About the record

Originally titled "How Can You Just Sit There?", the song was initially from the sessions for Collins' debut solo album Face Value (1981), and it was one of about a dozen written for his first wife, who had left him.^[2] Phil Collins released the song on the soundtrack to the film Against All Odds, and it was produced by Arif Mardin. Rob Mounsey played piano and keyboard bass, Collins sang and played the drums with his (and Hugh Padgham's) trademark gated reverb sound, and a string arrangement by Mardin completed the production.

According to Collins in a 1985 interview with Dan Neer: "We recorded the song in two days: One day in New York, the other in Los Angeles. The mixes were done by phone and the song went to Number 1. I couldn't believe it." It peaked at number 2 in the UK upon its release as a single] in 1984 and became Collins' third top ten single there, and it peaked at number 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks, from 15 April to 5 May 1984. It replaced "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins, and was replaced by Lionel Richie's "Hello". It is the first of six songs by Collins written specifically for a film soundtrack to appear on the Hot 100. It also became Collins' only number 1 single on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart as a solo artist, although he would achieve two other number ones on this chart with his band, Genesis.

"Against All Odds" won the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 1985, and it was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Collins was the only nominee in the category not invited to sing his song on stage, and sat in the audience as Ann Reinking performed it. His perceived negative reaction shown on the telecast is considered to be one of the most awkward moments in the history of the ceremony, and has been a favourite reference for Dennis Miller to relate someone reacting in a horrified fashion.

When another song Collins performed for a movie, "Separate Lives", was being nominated for an Academy Award, in interviews about the original snub by the Academy for "Against All Odds", Collins would jokingly say "the hell with him - I'm going up too", referring to if the Stephen Bishop written song were to win the award.^[3]

Collins lost to the Stevie Wonder song "I Just Called to Say I Love You". The song was first included on a Collins album on the 1998 compilation Hits, and it also appeared on his compilation Love Songs: A Compilation... Old and New (2008).

A live performance of the song also appears on the Serious Hits… Live! album. The live version was recorded in 1990 on the B-side of the single "Do You Remember?".

Music video

Phil Collins in the music video.

The song's music video, directed by Taylor Hackford, and produced by Jeffrey Abelson, was an early example of a highly conceptual approach to creating hybrid movie/music-videos that producer Abelson pioneered. Echoing the love triangle theme of the film, Collins is seen performing in front of a wall of rainwater that is alternately lit red, blue, and green—each colour representing one of the three main characters in the film. It is this colour schematic that is used as an organic segue to and from character-specific scenes in the movie. The final scene pulls back from Collins to reveal him standing in the middle of a water-filled triangle formed from neon tubes in the same three colours—completing the visual concept as the three main characters are superimposed around the neon triangle's three sides. The concept for the video was created by Keith Williams, a Welsh-born writer who had already worked with Abelson on the video for "Dancin' With Myself" (Billy Idol), and who would go on to also create concepts for "Holding Out for a Hero" (Bonnie Tyler) and "Ghostbusters" (Ray Parker, Jr.) for the same producer as well as "Say You Say Me" (Lionel Richie) from White Nights, which Taylor Hackford also directed.

A number 1 MTV video for several weeks, MTV ranked it as number 4 in its 1984 year-end top 20 video countdown.^[4]

On 24 August 2007, Collins discussed the song in a phone interview as an example for break-up songs.^[5]

Charts

Mariah Carey version

"Against All Odds"
Single by Mariah Carey
from the album Rainbow
Released	5 October 2000
Genre	Pop, R&B
Length	3:25
Label	Columbia
Mariah Carey singles chronology
"Crybaby"/"Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" (2000) "Against All Odds" (Solo version) (2000) "Against All Odds" (with Westlife) (2000)

American R&B singer Mariah Carey co-produced her version of the song with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for her sixth studio album Rainbow.

Carey co-produced the single edit of the song with Steve Mac. The song was released as the third single from Rainbow. Although the song was promoted as part of Carey's Rainbow in the United States, it was not released as a commercial or radio single there. It was initially released in some markets in early 2000.

The song received moderate success only, although it reached Top 20 in several countries. The highest peak of the song was #2 in Norway.

Track listings

European CD single

1. "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)"
2. "Crybaby" (featuring Snoop Dogg)

European CD maxi-single

1. "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)"
2. "Crybaby" (featuring Snoop Dogg)
3. "Thank God I Found You" (Stargate Radio Edit featuring Joe & 98°)
4. "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" (Morales Club Mix Edit)

Japanese CD single

1. "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (featuring Westlife)
2. "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (album version)
3. "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (Pound Boys Radio Edit)
4. "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (instrumental)

Music video

The video for the Carey version of the song, directed by Paul Misbehoven, consists of a montage of clips of Carey singing the song from her various Rainbow World Tour stops to cullings from her Homecoming special.

Charts

Mariah Carey and Westlife version

"Against All Odds"
Single by Mariah Carey featuring Westlife
from the album Coast to Coast
Released	18 September 2000
Recorded	Flyte Tyme Studios, Edina, MA & Capri Digital Studios, Capri , Italy & Rokstone Studios London England & Parc Studios, Orlando FL & Olympic Studios, London England July 1999—2000
Genre	Pop, R&B
Length	3:25
Label	Sony BMG
Certification	Silver (UK)
Westlife singles chronology
"Fool Again" (2000) "Against All Odds" (2000) "My Love" (2000)

Mariah Carey later re-recorded "Against All Odds" as a duet with Irish boyband Westlife. This version was released as the first single from Westlife's second album Coast to Coast. The song was released in September 2000, a few months after Carey's solo version. Carey did not re-record her vocals for the duet, however, the instrumental track was reproduced with a more organic sound complete with violins. The single was more successful than the original in the UK and Ireland where it peaked at number 1, giving Westlife their sixth consecutive number 1 entry in the UK charts. It also gave Carey her second number 1 single in the UK; however, to date she has only managed one solo UK number 1, "Without You". The song has sold 375,000 copies in the total in the UK.^[15] The music video shows Carey and Westlife recording the song and exploring the island of Capri by boat.

Tracklisting

UK CD1

1. "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (Mariah Carey Featuring Westlife) - 3:21
2. "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (Pound Boys Main Mix) - 9:09
3. "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (Mariah Only Version) - 3:21
4. "Westlife Interview" - 4:00

UK CD2

1. "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (Mariah Carey Featuring Westlife) - 3:21
2. "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (Westlife Only Version) - 3:21
3. "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (Pound Boys Dub) - 6:48
4. "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (Video) - 3:21

UK Cassette

1. "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (Mariah Carey Featuring Westlife) - 3:21
2. "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (Pound Boys Radio Edit) - 3:48

Australian Single

1. "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (Mariah Carey Featuring Westlife) - 3:21
2. "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (Pound Boys Main Mix) - 9:09
3. "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (Mariah Only Version) - 3:39

Japanese Single

1. "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (Mariah Carey Featuring Westlife) - 3:21
2. "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (Pound Boys Radio Edit) - 3:48
3. "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (Mariah Only Version) - 3:39
4. "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (Instrumental) - 3:21

Charts

The Postal Service version

"Against All Odds"
Single by The Postal Service
from the album Wicker Park
Released	2004
Format	Digital download
Genre	Alternative rock, electronica
Length	3:50
Label	Sub Pop
Producer	The Postal Service
The Postal Service singles chronology
"The District Sleeps Alone Tonight" (2003) "Against All Odds" (2004) "We Will Become Silhouettes" (2005)

American indietronica band The Postal Service covered "Against All Odds" for the soundtrack to the 2004 film Wicker Park. The cover was later named as one of the best cover songs of all time by the New York Post.^[24]

Music video

A music video was aired on MTV containing scenes from the movie and odds disappearing in a room.

Steve Brookstein version

"Against All Odds"
Single by Steve Brookstein
from the album Heart and Soul
A-side	Against All Odds
Released	2004
Format	CD single, digital download
Recorded	2004
Genre	Pop rock
Length	3:12
Label	Syco Records
Steve Brookstein singles chronology
"Against All Odds" (2004) "Fighting Butterflies" (2006)

Against All Odds is the debut single by British X Factor winner Steve Brookstein. It was released in 2004 by S Records. The single charted at number 1 in the UK and number 11 in Ireland.

In 2004, Brookstein won the televised UK talent competition The X Factor, and recorded a cover of "Against All Odds" as his debut single. It entered the UK Singles Chart at number 1, a position it held for one week from 2 January 2005 to 8 January 2005. It replaced "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid 20, and was replaced by Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock." It was later included on Brookstein's debut album Heart and Soul.

Music video

The music video for the song shows Steve's highlights from the show through to the moment he was announced X Factor winner, in a similar manner to other winner's videos from both The X Factor and Pop Idol. No original footage was recorded for the video.

Charts

Other covers

• The Shadows did an instrumental of the song in 1986 on their album 'Moonlight Shadows'.
• American Pianist and Singer Eli Mattson sang this song in the final of Americas Got Talent Season 3 as part of the final five.
• Recently, rapper Cuban Link sampled the original song in the track "Take a Look at Me Now" as a tribute to friend and deceased rapper Big Pun.
• Montell Jordan recorded "Against All Odds" for his 1999 album Get It On...Tonight.
• Deja Vu and Tasmin recorded "Against All Odds" in 2001, which appeared on Dancemania X8 and was licensed to be featured in the dance video game Dance Dance Revolution 5thMix. It later appeared in North America in Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2.
• In the summer of 2008, a trance version of the song recorded by Belgian singer Kira appeared on Robbins Entertainment's compilation Trance Party 4. Kira later released this song on a cd-maxi single in late 2006, also on Robbins label.
• In 2005, English-singing Japanese rock band Beat Crusaders recorded "Against All Odds" for their covers album Musicrusaders.
• Another dance version was recorded in 2006 by Karen Parry.
• Korean R&B singers Wheesung and Lena Park recorded a cover of "Against All Odds" for a 2006 Hyundai's Tucson television commercial, and their version was later released as a digital single.
• Instrumental group John Tesh Project released their version from the album "A Passionate Life."^[26]
• Pop classical group The Three Graces covered the song in Italian underneath the title "Impossible" on their 2008 self titled debut album.
• The Charedi music group based in Meah Shearim, Jerualem, The Envei Hagefen Orchestra, has used the melody of "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" for their song on the CD 'Modim' entitled "Mima'amakim." However due to the extremely limited overlap of the two groups' listeners, nobody has yet to address this issue.
• The American pop singer Lutricia McNeal covered this song for her Japanese release of her album Soulsister Ambassador - Rise.
• British medical comedy duo, Amateur Transplants, parodied the song, along with others in their song "Snippets" from their debut album Fitness to Practice.
• N-Dubz record a cover for their new album of the same name. (2009)
• Michael Ball has recorded the song and it appears on his albums The Movies,^[27] Stage and Screen^[28] and Seasons of Love.^[29]
• Barry Manilow recorded the song for his album The Greatest Songs of the Eighties.

Live cover versions

• In 1984, on the CBS soap opera, "The Young and the Restless". Michael Damian and Tracey Bregman as the characters of Danny Romalotti and Lauren Fenmore performed the song.
• In 2005 Canadian Idol competitors Rex Goudie and Melissa O'Neil performed the song as their final duet together during the show's third season finale. The song has been performed seven times on American Idol.
  • The song has been performed by Corey Clark (Season 2), George Huff (Season 3), Jessica Sierra (Season 4), Scott Savol (Season 4), Katharine McPhee (Season 5), Ramiele Malubay (Season 7), and Paige Miles (Season 9). The latter two's versions were released for a limited period on the iTunes Music Store. Malubay's performance was released as a live performance single in 2008. Miles' full-length studio version was also released as a single in 2010.

• During their fall 2006 tour, New York band We Are Scientists opened with a cover of "Against All Odds," the song being played on the PA until the band arrived on stage and finished from the second verse, without pause.

Pop culture

Internet

Seattle music columnist, Megan Seling began an experiment on Monday, 6 July 2009 wherein she vowed to listen to Collins' "Against All Odds" at least once every hour that she was awake for an entire week and chronicled the journey here.

I've done dumber things. - Megan Seling

Karaoke

This song is on the video game Karaoke Revolution Volume 3. It is also downloadable content for the game Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore.

See also

• Hot 100 number-one hits of 1984 (United States)
• List of number-one singles from the 2000s (UK)
• Number-one singles of 2000 (Ireland)

References

Phil Collins Studio albums Face Value · Hello, I Must Be Going! · No Jacket Required · ...But Seriously · Both Sides · Dance into the Light · Testify · Going Back Compilation albums ...Hits · The Platinum Collection · Love Songs: A Compilation... Old and New Remix albums 12"ers Soundtrack albums Buster · Tarzan · Brother Bear · Tarzan (Broadway) Live albums Serious Hits... Live! · A Hot Night in Paris Singles "In the Air Tonight" · "I Missed Again" · "If Leaving Me Is Easy" · "Thru These Walls" · "You Can't Hurry Love" · "I Don't Care Anymore" · "Don't Let Him Steal Your Heart Away" · "Why Can't It Wait 'Til Morning" · "I Cannot Believe It's True" · "Like China" · "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" · "Easy Lover" · "One More Night" · "Sussudio" · "Don't Lose My Number" · "Take Me Home" · "Separate Lives" · "In the Air Tonight" (Remix) · "A Groovy Kind of Love" · "Two Hearts" · "Another Day in Paradise" · "I Wish It Would Rain Down" · "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" · "That's Just the Way It Is" · "Do You Remember?" · "Hang in Long Enough" · "Who Said I Would" · "Both Sides of the Story" · "Everyday" · "We Wait and We Wonder" · "Somewhere" · "Dance into the Light" · "It's in Your Eyes" · "You Ought to Know" · "No Matter Who" · "Wear My Hat" · "The Same Moon" · "True Colors" · "You'll Be in My Heart" · "Strangers Like Me" · "Son of Man" · "Two Worlds" · "Can't Stop Loving You" · "Come with Me" · "Wake Up Call" · "The Least You Can Do" · "Look Through My Eyes" · "No Way Out" · "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave" · "Going Back" Other songs "The Man with the Horn" Featured singles "Hero" · "In the Air Tonite" · "Home" Tours The Hello, I Must Be Going Tour · The No Jacket Required World Tour · Seriously, Live! World Tour · Both Sides Of The World Tour · Trip Into The Light World Tour · Finally, The First Farewell Tour Bands Genesis · Brand X · Flaming Youth · The Phil Collins Big Band Collaborators Hugh Padgham · Daryl Stuermer · Chester Thompson · Others Films Buster Related articles Discography · Awards · Gorilla · Urban Renewal Category

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Mariah Carey singles Mariah Carey "Vision of Love" · "Love Takes Time" · "Someday" · "I Don't Wanna Cry" · "There's Got to Be a Way" Emotions "Emotions" · "Can't Let Go" · "Make It Happen" MTV Unplugged "I'll Be There" · "If It's Over" Music Box "Dreamlover" · "Hero" · "Without You" · "Never Forget You" · "Anytime You Need a Friend" Merry Christmas "All I Want for Christmas Is You" · "Joy to the World" · "O Holy Night" Daydream "Fantasy" · "One Sweet Day" · "Open Arms/El Amor Que Soñé" · "Always Be My Baby" · "Forever" · "Underneath the Stars" Butterfly "Honey" · "Butterfly" · "Breakdown" · "My All" · "The Roof" #1's "Sweetheart" · "When You Believe" · "I Still Believe" · "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" Rainbow "Heartbreaker" · "Thank God I Found You" · "Crybaby" · "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" · "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" Glitter "Loverboy" · "Never Too Far" · "Don't Stop (Funkin' 4 Jamaica)" · "Reflections (Care Enough)" · "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life" Charmbracelet "Through the Rain" · "Boy (I Need You)" · "I Know What You Want" · "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" The Remixes "U Like This (Megamix)" The Emancipation of Mimi "It's Like That" · "We Belong Together" · "Shake It Off" · "Get Your Number" · "Don't Forget About Us" · "Say Somethin'" · "Fly Like a Bird" E=MC² "Touch My Body" · "Bye Bye" · "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time" · "I Stay in Love" Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel "Obsessed" · "I Want to Know What Love Is" · "H.A.T.E.U." · "Up Out My Face" · "Angels Cry" Merry Christmas II You "Oh Santa!" Other releases "Endless Love" · "Every Time I Close My Eyes" · "Never Too Far/Hero Medley"  · "What More Can I Give" · "U Make Me Wanna" · "So Lonely" · "Lil' L.O.V.E." · "Just Stand Up!" · "Right to Dream" · "My Love" · "Hero" (2009 version) · "Everybody Hurts" · "100%" Book · Category · Portal

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