"In the Air Tonight" is a song by Phil Collins which first appeared on his 1981 album, Face Value. The song is notable for its atmospheric production and macabre theme. It was an international hit, reaching the top 20 on the Billboard magazine pop singles chart and remains a popular selection on many classic rock radio stations. It is the song most often associated with Collins' solo career, and he has performed versions of it at many events, including Live Aid and The Secret Policeman's Other Ball.

The lyrics of the song take the form of a dark monologue directed towards an unnamed, possibly prominent person; the singer describes having witnessed an unspecified act perpetrated: "I was there and I saw what you did/saw it with my own two eyes" and anticipating an equally unspecified comeuppance: "I can feel it coming in the air tonight/I've been waiting for this moment for all my life".

Musically the song consists of a series of ominous minor chords played over a simple drum machine pattern; processed electric guitar sounds add additional atmosphere. The mood is one of restrained anger until the final chorus when an explosive burst of drums releases the musical tension, and the instrumentation builds to a thundering final chorus. This gated drum sound proved influential following the success of "In the Air Tonight"; observant listeners noted that a very similar sound had been used by Collins' ex-bandmate Peter Gabriel on his solo album of the previous year, most particularly on the song "Biko."

In 1984 the song enjoyed a brief resurgence in popularity when it was used at a key moment in an early episode of Miami Vice, inaugurating a pattern in which the show would use popular music in a way previously associated more with movies than TV; Collins himself would later license other songs to the producers and appear in an episode of the show.

Urban legend

"In the Air Tonight" is the subject of urban legend arising from the lyrics' reference to drowning. The most common version claims that Phil Collins saw a man drowning but was too far away to do anything. There was, however, a man nearby who could have saved him but who did nothing. Variations go on to say that after Collins wrote the song, he bought the man a front row ticket and sang it with a spotlight on the man. Some have said that Collins had the man arrested, others said that the man was filled with guilt and committed suicide.

These rumors are untrue. Collins wrote much of Face Value while his marriage was falling apart, but has stated that "In The Air Tonight" is "not based on any specific real-life event."[1].