Meaning of “I Can’t Dance” by Genesis

Genesis‘ I Can’t Dance is a song, which contrary to popular belief, isn’t about a man who finds it difficult dancing. In an interview Phil Collins had with Rolling Stone magazine, he confirmed the fact that the song has nothing to do with someone being unable to dance. According to him, the song is about guys who good looking but lack the ability to “string a sentence” together. Collins explained that the song was born when he and the other band members (Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks) were making a joke of jeans advertisements and that each verse of I Can’t Dance is meant to make mock the “scenario of a jeans commercial”.

Facts about “I Can’t Dance” by Genesis

• The song was written by Collins, Banks and Rutherford. According to Collins, the song took a very short time to write.
• The working title of I Can’t Dance was “Blue Jeans”.
• Genesis and music producer Nick Davis produced the song at the band’s famous recording studio The Farm in Surrey, England in 1991.
• The song was officially released on December 30th 1991 as the second single from the album We Can’t Dance.
• The song remains one of Genesis most successful songs. Not only did the song receive a Grammy Award nomination but it also performed very well on the charts, peaking at number 7 on both the UK Singles Chart and US Billboard Hot 100.
• According to Banks, he and the other band members thought the song would “go nowhere” since it didn’t sound special.