“Take Me with You” by Phil Collins

To begin with, the lyrics of Phil Collins’ “Take Me with You” are quite ambiguous. For instance, it is never specified what the exact nature of the relationship between the vocalist and addressee is. Also, it is obvious that Phil is looking for some type of “help” from this person, but the specific type of assistance is not really expounded upon. Moreover metaphors are being thrown around liberally, so the listener is really tasked with making comprehensive sense out of all that’s being put forth.

For example, what the thesis sentiment revolves around, as indicated by the title, is the singer expressing a desire for the addressee to take him with him or her “everywhere” he or she may be going, with the ultimate destination being to carry Phil “home”. However, in the very-first lines of the song we find that the vocalist in his room. Therefore, we know in that sense that he is not referring to his literal “home”, as in his house.

So what we’re dealing with here seems primarily existential in nature. Or viewed from a different angle, not all of the lyrics focus on the relationship between the vocalist and addressee. Instead, it’s as if the singer is going through something internally – a need to find his place in the world, in a manner of speaking. 

Rescue me

In the bridge, the notion is buttressed that there is an educative slant to all that’s being put forth, as if he perceives the addressee as someone who can teach him “the things” he needs to know. But beyond that, in the third verse the singer reveals that he’s suffering from loneliness, with the further implication that said sentiment lies at the heart of him seeking to be with him addressee, someone whom he also deems can “rescue” him from this malady.

In Conclusion

So what we can generally take away from the lyrics is this. This may be a romantic relationship between the vocalist and addressee, though likely isn’t. Rather, the way the situation reads is as if the former perceives the latter as someone who can guide him to a better place in life. 

Or explained otherwise, this isn’t all about Phil being with this person physically. But more to the discernible point, he views the addressee as someone he can learn from. Therefore, he comes off as if he wants to be the person’s disciple in a manner of speaking, following this individual around, soaking in ‘all the things they know’ and in the process also being rescued, via their association, from the loneliness that’s tormenting him on the inside.

Facts about “Take Me with You”

In the third and final verse, Phil drops the phrase “take me home” when he asks the narrator to rescue him. Everyone who follows the brilliant works of Phil knows of his hit song “Take Me Home“. While that song has no connection with this one, it could be possible that Phil cleverly uses the exact same words to pay tribute to “Take Me Home” (which is one of his many iconic songs). It could also be possibly just a coincidence. But the fact that he stresses or rather hammers on it (even going ahead to repeat it twice in the same sentence) might be an indication that it is not a coincidence. That’s just an example of Phil’s genius.

This track was originally released in 1993, being the B-side to a Phil Collins’ single titled We Wait and We Wonder”. But it would seem that “Take Me with You” was never featured on an album itself until the deluxe edition of “Both Sides”, the 1993 album from which “We Wait and We Wonder” was derived, came out in 2016. It is not exactly clear why this song was left out of the original version of “Both Sides” considering many fans of Phil Collins see it as one of his masterpieces.

“Take Me with You” was both produced and written by Phil Collins.

The song appears to be a very personal to Collins, considering how he sings straight from the depths of his heart.

Phil’s “Both Sides” Album

English singer, drummer and songwriter, Phil Collins released the album, “Both Sides” on the 8th of November, 1993. It is the musical legend’s 5th studio album.

Recording took place at Collins’ Home Studio, a recording studio located in the singer’s home in England. Collins, being a record producer himself, took charge of the album’s entire production.

It was officially released on two record labels, Universal Music Group’s Virgin Records and Atlantic Records.

In 2016, Collins made a revelation during an interview with The Guardian that, “Both Sides” was his favorite album from a songwriting and creativity perspective. He wrote all the songs on the album. The songs on the album were were mainly motivated by these three things:

• the collapse of his second marriage
• his troubled personal relationships
• the world politics at the time

To support the album, three singles were officially released into the public domain, including the album’s title track, “Both Sides of the Story”. In addition to the singles, Collins embarked on a world tour, titled, “Both Sides of the World Tour”. The tour saw the singer successfully perform 150 shows across six continents, including Africa.

“Both Sides”, peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard 200 in the United States. It however performed a lot better in Europe where it reached the apex of charts in UK, Switzerland, Austria, France, Portugal, Germany and the Netherlands. The album ranked top-10 in Belgium (3), Canada (3), Spain (3), Norway (4) and Finland (6).