Music / No Jacket Required

They don't tell me nothing
So I find out what I can
^{2016 reissue cover} 

They came at night leaving fear behind
Shadows were on the ground
Nobody knew where to find him
No evidence was found
"I'm never coming back"
They heard him cry and I believe him
Well he never meant to do anything wrong
It's gonna get worse if he waits too long.

— "Don't Lose My Number"

No Jacket Required is the third studio album recorded by Progressive Rock-turned-pop rock artist Phil Collins. It was released through Virgin Records in the United Kingdom, and Atlantic Records in North America, on 18 February 1985.

During the hiatus following promotion of the self-titled twelfth album of Genesis, Phil did a collaboration with Eric Clapton before beginning work on his next solo album. He made a conscious decision to go more up-tempo with the work for this album.

Several of his songs were drum machine improvisations, including "One More Night" and "Sussudio"; several were inspired by the Jacksons and Prince. Another of the songs, "Don't Lose My Number", was pulled from the cutting-room floor of his first solo album, though today even he doesn't understand what the song meant.

Four singles were released to support the album: "Sussudio", "One More Night", "Don't Lose My Number", and "Take Me Home". All were Top Ten in the United States, with both "Sussudio" and "One More Night" hitting #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Three were Top 40 hits in the UK.

Phil went on tour to promote the album in the first half of 1985, doing 85 shows in the UK, Europe, Australia, Japan, and North America.

Music videos were filmed for all four singles. The one for "Take Me Home" was shot at various locations during the album's world tour.

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Tracklist

Side One

1. "Sussudio" (4:23)
2. "Only You Know and I Know" (4:20)
3. "Long Long Way to Go" (4:20)
4. "I Don't Wanna Know" (4:12)
5. "One More Night" (4:51)

Side Two

1. "Don't Lose My Number" (4:46)
2. "Who Said I Would" (4:01)
3. "Doesn't Anybody Stay Together Anymore" (4:18)
4. "Inside Out" (5:14)
5. "Take Me Home" (5:51)

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"One more trope, 'cause I can't wait forever"

• Color Wash: Collins' headshot on the album cover is lit in vivid orange light, which is meant to convey a "hot" mood to tie in with the more uptempo sound.
• Face on the Cover: The album cover depicts Collins' sweaty^note he was actually sprayed with glycerin on his forehead to achieve the perspiration reddish-orange-lit head on a black background looking at the camera above him. Creepy. The 2016 remaster recreates the cover with an older, balder Collins.
• Lyrical Cold Open: "One More Night".
• Lyrical Dissonance: Collins confirmed in a 1997 performance for VH1 Storytellers that the upbeat and anthemic "Take Me Home" is about a patient in a mental hospital yearning for freedom and that it is inspired by Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
• Lyrical Shoehorn: "Don't Lose My Number". Not even Phil knows what the song means. At some point, it may have been intended to mean something profound, considering it was originally played with for Face Value. But if it did, then that meaning has been lost to history.
• New Sound Album: Collins drops the remaining Progressive Rock elements from his first two albums and incorporates greater pop and funk elements, essentially becoming a white version of the Minneapolis Sound (Collins even described Prince as an influence). For better or for worse, this would set the tone for the remainder of his solo career and his time with Genesis up to the present day.
• The Paranoiac: A line in "Take Me Home" may be a hint to its actual meaning:
  They don't think that I listen, oh but I know who they are
• Parody: The music video for "Don't Lose My Number" parodies several contemporaneous music videos, including David Lee Roth's version of "California Girls", "I'm Still Standing" by Elton John, "Every Breath You Take" by The Police, and "You Might Think" by The Cars. It also parodies scenes from Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior.
• Perfectly Cromulent Word: "Sussudio", infamously so; Collins outright admitted that it was a placeholder nonsense word that he just never found a suitable replacement for.
• Pop: Definitely the moment Phil Collins abandoned Progressive Rock for his solo work, for better or for worse.
• Special Guest: Sting, Helen Terry, and former Genesis bandmate Peter Gabriel provide backing vocals on "Take Me Home". Collins had previously provided drum parts for Gabriel's third Self-Titled Album (better known as Melt), and Gabriel's appearance on this track was a means of returning the favor.
• Take That!: According to Collins in a Playboy interview, the album title is a jab at the Pump Room, a fancy Chicago restaurant known for its strict dress code. Collins attempted to join Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant for dinner there, but was denied entry because his jacket, which was required for entry, wasn't considered proper enough, much to his chagrin. The inner sleeve and contemporary publicity photos further mock the incident by depicting Collins in an oversized suit. The staff at the Pump Room would ultimately respond to Collins' jabs by granting him immunity to the dress code and sending him a complimentary sport coat.
• Word Purée Title: "Sussudio" was just a gibberish working title for that particular song. It ultimately stuck.

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Well, I've been a prisoner all my life
And I can say to you
But I don't remember
Take, take me home
'Cause I don't remember
Take, take me home
'Cause I don't remember
Take, take me home...