Another Day in Paradise

Phil Collins, the English drummer and singer, wrote and recorded "Another Day in Paradise" with co-producer Hugh Padgham. It came out as the lead single from his 1989 album ...But Seriously, which hit number one. The song tackles homelessness, a big shift from the dance-pop sound of Collins' previous album, No Jacket Required (1985). He tells the story from a third-person viewpoint, watching a man walk past a homeless woman, and urges listeners not to ignore the issue. He calls it "just another day for you and me in paradise" and directly asks God, "Oh Lord, is there nothing more anybody can do?"

The track became Collins' seventh and final number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and it was both the last number one of the 1980s and the first of the 1990s. It was a global hit and one of his biggest solo successes. At the 1991 Grammys, it won Record of the Year for Collins and Padgham, and was also nominated for Song of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Performance (Male), and Best Music Video (Short Form). It won British Single at the 1990 Brit Awards. Despite these awards, the song stirred controversy over its subject and got mostly negative reviews from music critics.

A live version from the 1991 Grammys, featuring David Crosby on backing vocals, appeared on the 1994 album Grammy's Greatest Moments Volume I. In 2009, Billboard ranked it 86th on its Greatest Songs of All Time list. Many artists have covered it, including Brandy and Ray J, Jam Tronik, Axxis, Novecento, Brad Arnold, and Hank Marvin.

Collins originally wrote the song under the working title "Homeless." He was inspired by a homeless person with two kids asking for money and by seeing people sleeping on an outdoor grill after one of his concerts. He found it "an extraordinary contradiction" that people lacked shelter within sight of Capitol Hill. David Crosby, whom Collins met at the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary concert, sang on the track. Collins said Crosby "picked a few notes out of the air that I would never have thought of." Collins had wanted Crosby on his first solo album, Face Value, but Crosby couldn't make those sessions.

Collins chose "Another Day in Paradise" as the first single from ...But Seriously because it felt different from his earlier work. The single version has a shorter intro than the album version.