Released May 1981 Recorded 1980 Length 4:56 | Format 7"/ 12" Genre Rock
R&B | |
B-side "In the Air Tonight", "I Missed Again" "If Leaving Me Is Easy" (demo) | ||
"If Leaving Me Is Easy" is a song by Phil Collins from his 1981 album Face Value. Released as the third single from the album, it reached #17 in the UK, but was never released as a single in the United States. Collins sings in a high falsetto in its chorus. The song was later covered by The Isley Brothers for their 1985 album Masterpiece.
Contents
Involvement of Eric Clapton
This was the first of two Phil Collins singles that featured Eric Clapton. The other single was "I Wish It Would Rain Down" from Collins' final album of the 1980s, ...But Seriously. Collins later admitted to The Mail on Sunday that the pair "were both a little the worse for wear," when they recorded this. He also recorded some dobro for "The Roof is Leaking," which was not used on the final recording.
Live versions
Collins revealed on the "Making of Face Value" episode of Classic Albums that he decided to stop performing this song live on stage following his 1985 No Jacket Required tour because he disliked the audience yelling and screaming instead of being quiet while he performed this song. According to SongFacts.com, Collins performed the song on the BBC music show Top of the Pops with a bucket of paint and paintbrush on top of his electric piano, a reference to his first wife's affair with a painter and decorator.