Meaning of “Tell Me Why” by Genesis
Tell Me Why is a song performed by the influential English rock band Genesis. The lyrics of the song talk about a number of common but yet very serious issues plaguing the world such as people dying from starvation, homelessness, greed (too much food in the world but none to spare) and the selfishness of politicians among others. The narrator is so heartbroken by the sad state of the world (the suffering and sorrow) that he is forced to wonder if there is a God who is up in Heaven watching all the negative things that are unfolding.
You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Genesis's Tell Me Why at Lyrics.org.
Facts about “Tell Me Why” by Genesis
- Tell Me Why was released on 8th February, 1993 as the sixth and final single from the album We Can’t Dance.
- Just like all the songs on We Can’t Dance, this song was written by all three members of Genesis (Collins, Banks and Rutherford).
- Genesis donated a significant percentage of the profits from the song to a number of charities, including Red Cross and the Save the Children Fund of Bosnia.
- The song didn’t perform very well on the charts. Peaking at number 40 on the U.K. Singles Chart, the song remains one of Genesis’ most commercially unsuccessful singles with Phil Collins as the lead singer. As a result of the song’s poor performance commercially, it is rarely played live during Genesis concerts.
- Genesis never made a music video for the song.
- The song was initially titled “Rickenbacker” in reference to the Rickenbacker guitar that Rutherford played on the song.
- Tell Me Why is the last single from Genesis that Collins sang lead vocals on.
