Easy Lover

"Easy Lover" is a song performed by Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire and Phil Collins of the band Genesis, jointly written and composed by Bailey, Collins, and Nathan East. The song first appeared on Bailey's 1984 solo album, Chinese Wall. Collins has performed the song in his live concerts, and it appears on his 1990 album, Serious Hits... Live! (with Fred White and Arnold McCuller both sharing to perform Bailey's original part), his 1998 compilation album, ...Hits, and his 2016 career-spanning compilation The Singles. It is Bailey's only US top 40 hit as a solo artist.

B-side"Woman"

Released6 November 1984

Recorded1984

Genre

• Pop rock
• dance-rock
• soul^[1]

Quick facts from the album Chinese Wall, B-side ...

"Easy Lover"
Front cover of the UK 7" single.
Single by Philip Bailey and Phil Collins
from the album Chinese Wall
B-side	"Woman"
Released	6 November 1984
Recorded	1984
Genre	Pop rock dance-rock soul[1]
Length	4:54 (single version) 5:03 (album version)
Label	Columbia
Songwriters	Philip Bailey Phil Collins Nathan East
Producer	Phil Collins
Philip Bailey singles chronology
"Photogenic Memory" (1984) "Easy Lover" (1984) "Walking on the Chinese Wall" (1984)
Phil Collins singles chronology
"Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (1984) "Easy Lover" (1984) "Sussudio" (1985)
Music video
"Easy Lover" on YouTube

Close

The song was a No. 1 hit in several countries, including Canada, the Netherlands, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. In the U.S., it spent 23 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including 7 weeks in the top 10, and peaked at No. 2 during the weeks of 2 February 1985 and 9 February 1985, behind "I Want to Know What Love Is" by Foreigner. On the UK Singles Chart, it reached No. 1, staying there for four weeks.^[2] The single sold over a million copies in the U.S. and was certified Gold in March, 1985,^[3] as the RIAA requirement for a platinum single disc was not lowered to one million units until 1989.^[4] In addition, "Easy Lover" has been certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and Music Canada. Despite Collins' popularity in Australia, its lowly position on that country's chart was because of a record company dispute.

"Easy Lover" won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Overall Performance in a Video in 1985 and was Grammy Award nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 1986.^[5][6]

The song was used by the World Wrestling Federation as the theme for the first WrestleMania in March 1985 at Madison Square Garden.^[7]