text: no jacket required no jacket required is the third solo studio album by english singer - songwriter phil collins , the lead vocalist and drummer for the rock band genesis . the album was originally released on 18 february 1985 on virgin ( uk and ireland ) , atlantic ( us and canada ) , and wea ( rest of the world ) . it features guest backing vocalists , including helen terry , peter gabriel and sting . some of the songs , like " don 't lose my number " and " sussudio " , were based around improvisation . other songs , like " long long way to go " , had a political message . " one more night " , " sussudio " , " don 't lose my number " , and " take me home " were released as singles , with corresponding music videos . all four singles were top ten hits on the billboard hot 100 chart , with " sussudio " and " one more night " reaching number one . the three singles that were released in the uk all reached the top 20 on the uk charts . the album was received favourably by the majority of music critics , although opinions have become more negative in subsequent decades and it has rarely been featured in " best albums of the 1980s " lists since . it won three grammy awards including for album of the year in 1986 . stephen holden of the new york times wrote that collins was " quietly revolutionising and expanding the role of the drums in pop record making " . rolling stone reviewer david fricke wrote that , " like his ' 81 and ' 82 outings , face value and hello , i must be going ! , no jacket required is not an album that waits to be liked " . collins ' most commercially successful solo album , it went on to peak at number one in several countries , including the us ( where it was at the top of the charts for seven weeks ) , the uk and canada . according to the riaa , the record sold over twelve million copies in the us , and in the uk , the album sold over two million copies , and was certified 6 × platinum . it was the second best - selling album of 1985 in the uk , beaten to first place by dire straits ' brothers in arms . worldwide , the album has sold over 25 million copies . many of the songs , including " take me home " , and " long long way to go " , have been featured in episodes of miami vice and cold case , and " the man with the horn " was re - written and re - recorded for the episode " phil the shill " . " we said hello goodbye " was remixed for the film playing for keeps . following the release of the album collins embarked on the successful no jacket required world tour . at the end of that tour , collins received critical acclaim for performing at both the london and philadelphia live aid concerts on 13 july 1985 . during the tour , collins recorded a song with marilyn martin for the movie white nights , called " separate lives " , which was a number one hit in the us , and a top ten hit in the uk . remixes of six songs from the album were later included on the 12 " ers compilation album , released in 1987 . album title the album is named after an incident at the pump room restaurant in chicago , illinois . collins , entering the restaurant with former led zeppelin lead vocalist robert plant , was denied admittance because he did not meet the restaurant 's dress code of " jacket required " for dinner while plant was allowed in . collins was wearing a jacket and argued about it . the maître d ' argued that the jacket was not " proper " . collins said in an interview with playboy that he was , at that point , never so mad in his life . after the incident , the singer often appeared on shows such as late night with david letterman and the tonight show starring johnny carson , denouncing the restaurant and telling his story . the management of the restaurant later sent him a complimentary sport coat and an apology letter , stating that he could come to the restaurant wearing whatever he wanted . production and recording some of the songs from the album emerged from collins ' improvisations with a drum machine , including the singles " one more night " and " sussudio " . collins started singing " one more night " to an attempt of making a beat similar to the jacksons , and improvised " sus - " in another . collins tried to replace the lyric with another phrase but decided to keep that way , leading to lyrics about a schoolboy crush on a girl at his school . another song created mostly through improvisation , " don 't lose my number " , was described by collins as having been written mostly during the recordings for his first solo album , face value . collins added that he does not fully understand the meaning of the lyrics , described by reviewer stephen holden of the new york times as " vague , sketching the outlines of a melodrama but withholding the full story . " other songs were written with a more personal message . " long long way to go " is often considered one of collins ' more popular songs never to be released as a single , and was at that point in his career his most political song . former police lead vocalist sting provided backing vocals for the song . sting and collins first met through band aid , and became good friends after performing together in live aid . collins was working on a song , and thought that sting , having played at band aid , would relate to it very easily . collins asked sting to help him provide vocals for this song , and sting accepted . " doesn 't anybody stay together anymore " is another song in which collins was making a personal message . the song was made in response to everyone around him getting a divorce , including his manager , friends and himself years before . collins later said that he sang this at charles , prince of wales ' 40th birthday party , not knowing that the prince 's divorce from his wife , diana , princess of wales , would happen a short time later . the phil collins big band played this live on tour . in later years , collins performed a re - arranged version of the song as a ballad as part of his serious hits … live ! tour , differing considerably from the original up - beat album version . " take me home " is another song in which the meaning was originally very vague . at first listening , it appears that the song is about going home , but this is not true . collins has stated that the song lyrics refer to a patient in a mental institution , and that it is very much based on the novel one flew over the cuckoo 's nest . peter gabriel , helen terry , and sting all provide backing vocals . while recording " long long way to go " , collins asked sting to provide backing vocals for this song . the music video ( shot during the tour ) features collins in multiple cities around the world , including london , new york , tokyo , moscow , sydney , paris , st. louis , los angeles ( hollywood ) , san francisco , and memphis ( graceland ) . at the end of the music video , collins arrives home and hears a woman ( presumably his wife ) from inside the house asking him where he has been . he replies by saying he has been to some of the cities mentioned above . the woman replies " you 've been down at the pub , haven 't you ? " , as collins grins at the camera . " we said hello goodbye " appeared as a b - side to " take me home " and " don 't lose my number " originally , and as an " extra track " on the cd release of the album . producer arif mardin composed the beginning portion of the song . a remix of the song with additional guitars and without an orchestra was released the following year ( 1986 ) on the soundtrack for the movie , playing for keeps . this remixed version received some radio airplay around the time of the soundtrack 's release ( which coincided with the no jacket required period ) , though it did not chart . collins has mused that the song is unfairly classed as a " second class citizen " , stating that the song would have been looked at differently if it were added to the album . according to the new york times reviewer caryn james , the song is " a straightforward comment on leaving home " . " the man with the horn " was originally recorded during sessions for collins ' second solo album hello , i must be going ! in 1982 . however , the song was not released until it appeared as the b - side to " sussudio " in the uk , and as the b - side to " one more night " in the united states . collins has said that he has " no emotional attachment " to the song . music by the jackson 5 inspired collins to write the song " i like the way " , which also did not appear on the album , originally appearing as the b - side to " one more night " in the uk and " sussudio " in the us . he called the song " dodgy " and has cited it among his least favourite songs . release and chart performance no jacket required was released on 18 february 1985 . the lead singles were " sussudio " in the uk and " one more night " in the us . both songs had music videos that were shot at a london pub owned by richard branson , featuring collins playing both before and after the building closes . in the first week of march , shortly after collins won a grammy for " against all odds " , the album debuted at the top spot of the uk albums chart and 24th in the billboard 200 . it also got to tenth in the german charts and 15th in canada . by the end of the month , it had climbed to number one in america as well . collins had become the 15th british artist to top both the album and single billboard charts , as " one more night " was leading the billboard hot 100 that same week . the same thing was happening in the uk , where collins ' duet with philip bailey , " easy lover " , was the uk singles chart number one . no jacket required was number one on the us charts for seven weeks , and on the british chart for five . " sussudio " was the first track to be released as a single in the uk , and the second to be released in the us . in the uk the song reached number 12 on the uk charts . in the us , the song entered frequent rotation on mtv in may , and by 6 july , both the single and the album had reached number one on their respective us billboard charts . " one more night " was collins ' second us number - one single , following " against all odds " , and was his fourth single to reach the top ten in the uk , peaking at number four on the singles chart . its b - side in the uk was " i like the way " , while the us version featured " the man with the horn " . meanwhile , " don 't lose my number " , a single that collins only released in the us , peaked at number four on the billboard hot 100 charts during late september 1985 , and the b - side of the single was " we said hello goodbye " . collins had difficulty conceptualising a plot for the corresponding music video . he decided to create a gag video based on this difficulty . in the video , he talks to clients and directors , all giving him crazy conceptual ideas . collins parodies several other videos , including those by michael jackson , david lee roth , elton john , the cars , and the police . the singer also filmed parodies of mad max , western films , and samurai movies . " take me home " , the final single released from the album , is often considered to be one of collins ' most well known songs , and has been a part of all of his tours since the no jacket required world tour . it reached number seven on the us billboard charts , and number 19 on the uk charts . the song was not slated for a single release , but the label decided to do so after it became an airplay hit on several us radio stations who decided to play the track . " take me home " also got a video where collins sung in various locations around the world . one song from the album would not reach chart success until it was released later . " who said i would " was not released as a single from this album . however , a live version was released as a single from the serious hits ... live ! album in the us , reaching number 73 on the billboard hot 100 . a music video of the original version was filmed , for the no jacket required home video . it featured collins playing the song in a concert . some of the songs that were not released as singles still charted on billboard charts . " inside out " went to number nine on the hot mainstream rock tracks chart . " the man with the horn " , though not released as a single ( nor was it included on the album ) , charted at number 38 on the hot mainstream rock tracks . no jacket required remains collins ' highest selling album , having been certified diamond for us shipment of over 10 million copies . twenty years after its release , no jacket required remains among the 50 highest selling albums in the us . in the uk , the album was certified 6x platinum , selling over 1 . 8 million copies . it has also sold over 20 million copies worldwide . a video produced by atlantic video in 1986 was also released , and included the four original music videos of the four released singles , and a live performance of " who said i would " . alternate versions of six songs from no jacket required were included on the remix album 12 " ers , released in january 1988 . the album was re - released and remastered by steve hoffman for the audio fidelity label in 2011 . it was reissued as a deluxe edition on cd , vinyl and digital on 15 april 2016 , including a new second disc with bonus tracks . critical reception the reception for the album was mostly positive . geoff of allmusic , in a review written years after the album 's release , said that while some of the songs are " dated " , the album contains " standout tracks " . he describes " long long way to go " as " one of collins ' most effective ballads " , and " take me home " as " pulsating " . went on to say " it 's not a completely satisfying recording , but it is the best example of one of the most dominating and influential styles of the 1980s . " lori e. pike of the los angeles times gave the album a grade of an a- , saying that " collins ' recipe of tense vocals spiced with saucy horns and splashy electro - synthesisers often leaves little room for real feeling to squeeze through . when he slows down and lets his smoldering moodiness take over , the effect is magical . " stephen holden of the new york times said that the album was " refreshing " , and that collins was " adept " at setting a suspenseful or menacing mood . holden described " only you know and i know " as an " angry love song " that had some sampling of " motown " style music mixed in . " in ' one more night ' , mr. collins 's recent number - one hit , a ticking snare drum injects a whisper of lurking fear into a song that suggests a sweeter , tenderer reprise of ' against all odds ' " , says holden . holden concluded by saying " on the surface , no jacket required , is an album bursting with soulful hooks and bright peppy tunes . but beneath its shiny exterior , mr. collins 's drums and his voice carry on a disjunctive , enigmatic dialogue between heart and mind , obsession and repression . " rolling stone reviewer david fricke said " phil collins ' sudden transformation from the balding bantam drummer for a prosperous british art - rock group into a mainstream pop heartthrob might seem one of the eighties ' most improbable success stories . but judging from the sly craft and warm , low - key humour of his solo records and his successful productions for philip bailey and frida , collins ' newfound fame was inevitable . " robert hilburn of the los angeles times originally disliked the song " one more night " , but later praised the song , saying that " collins ' soulful but polite vocal style is also capable of capturing the pain of going through yet one more night without her . " the dallas morning news writer lennox samuels said that " no jacket required ( atlantic ) is what fans have come to expect from phil collins — lots of horns and syncopation , heavy rhythm . " even those who were not normally fans of collins ' work liked the album . michael r. smith of the daily vault wrote " anomaly or not , it is indeed the album that phil deserves to be remembered for . " stephen williams of newsday said that the album was " loaded with musical hooks and textured arrangements ... it also lacks the tense edge that was part of collins ' work with genesis . " keegan hamilton of the riverfront times said that the album was " the 80 's dance pop special : a smooth synthesiser groove , with an order of keyboards , drum machines , and horns on the side , " adding that " sussudio " was the best track on the album , saying that it 's " catchy gibberish . " hamilton says that " one more night " was the worst song on the album , saying that " the album 's introspective slow jam wallows in self - pity . " on the negative side , marty racine of the houston chronicle said that " i don 't wanna know " and " take me home " were the only songs to " rise above the crowd " , and that collins focused too much on his singing and less on his drumming , " which can be captivating " . racine also added that the album makes the listener feel a little " cold " , but admired that the singer was " playing the game as well as anyone " . writing an article in defence of collins in 2010 , gary mills of the quietus described the album as " determined dross " which collins did not deserve to have his career judged by . in 2013 , music critic tom service of the guardian was similarly scathing , saying the album had not stood the test of time and was " unlistenable to today " , singling out " sussudio " for particular criticism , arguing : " the production , the drum machine , the inane sincerity of the lyrics ; there 's no colder or more superficial sound in popular music , precisely because it takes itself so seriously . " he also compared it unfavourably with the enduring appeal of collins 's 1980s contemporaries such as the human league and — in particular — the pet shop boys , saying the latter were " geniuses by comparison " . at the 28th annual grammy awards , collins was nominated in five categories . the album won the award for album of the year , and collins won best pop vocal performance , male . collins shared the producer of the year ( non - classical ) award with co - producer of the album , hugh padgham . in 1986 the album received two american music award nominations for favorite pop / rock album and favorite pop / rock male artist . at the brit awards in 1986 the album received two awards for best british album and british male artist , while producer hugh padgham was nominated for best british producer . at the brit awards in 2010 , the album was one of ten nominees for brits album of 30 years in a poll of bbc radio 2 listeners ; the winner was ( what 's the story ) morning glory ? by collins 's frequent critics oasis . influence and legacy " sussudio " is one of collins ' most famous songs and is referenced in many different media , including books , stand - up comedy acts and television shows . he has said that this is the song people most often sing to him when they spot him on the street . in the book and film adaptation of american psycho , the main character ( patrick bateman ) briefly discusses it , amongst other work by collins . the synthesizer riff was heavily criticised for sounding too much like prince 's 1982 song " 1999 " , a similarity that collins does not deny , citing that he is a big fan of prince 's work . three songs recorded during the no jacket required sessions aired on episodes of the television show miami vice . " take me home " appeared in " the prodigal son " , the premiere of the second season . " long long way to go " was played in the closing scene of the season 2 finale " sons and lovers " , during the funeral for ricardo tubbs ' girlfriend and son . " the man with the horn " was re - written for an episode of vice in which collins guest - starred as a con - artist who got in trouble with cocaine distributors . the re - written version was titled " life is a rat race " . " take me home " was the closing theme song for the world wrestling federation 's television show , saturday night 's main event for several years in the late 1980s . in 2003 , the hip - hop group bone thugs - n - harmony based their song " home " on this single . that version of the song featured the original song 's chorus , and hit number 19 on the uk charts . in a 2016 interview with rolling stone , phil collins said no jacket required is among his least favourite albums . tour the album was followed by a concert tour in 1985 named the no jacket required world tour . for the tour , collins retained his usual cast of musicians , including chester thompson , leland sklar and daryl stuermer . the band was nicknamed the " hot tub club " . a television special was recorded in dallas and aired on hbo , titled " no jacket required ... sold out " . another television special was recorded for cinemax for a show titled " album flash " , taped in london , england at the royal albert hall . reception for the tour was positive as well . rick kogan of the chicago tribune said that " after hearing and observing collins ' eminently satisfying and frequently spectacular two - hour performance , one is left not with a series of niggling questions about his popularity but rather with renewed admiration for the forcefulness of well - crafted songs played in a straightforward manner . " in interviews during the tour , it was remarked by interviewers that the singer appeared similar to actors bob hoskins and danny devito . collins joked that all three of them could play the three bears from the story goldilocks and the three bears . devito heard the idea , and contacted collins and hoskins about making a film . collins researched bears , and a script was planned . kim basinger reportedly wished to play the role of " goldilocks " . however , problems arose ( mostly involving the script ) , and all three actors abandoned the film . while on the no jacket required tour , collins recorded a song for the movie white nights , titled " separate lives " . the song , which was written by collins ' friend stephen bishop , was a duet that collins performed with marilyn martin . in the us , the song went to number one on the billboard hot 100 , and it reached number four on the uk charts . live aid the no jacket required world tour ended with collins performing at both the wembley stadium and jfk stadium live aid concerts . collins claims that it all happened by accident , and that both he and power station were going to attend both live aid shows as well , but " they all chickened out . " " by default , i was the only one who did it , " he later claimed . bob geldof , the organiser of live aid , originally asked collins to be part of geldof 's first charity effort , band aid . collins played the drums and performed backing vocals for band aid 's uk number one hit in 1984 , " do they know it 's christmas ? " . collins first performed with sting at wembley , and together they performed " in the air tonight " , " against all odds " , " long long way to go " and " every breath you take " , accompanied by saxophonist branford marsalis . after collins finished performing , he flew on concorde to the live aid show in philadelphia . on the plane , he met cher , and convinced her to be a part of the event . once there he met robert plant , who had asked him if he would perform with him , jimmy page and tony thompson in a led zeppelin " reunion " of sorts . he first played drums on " layla " , " white room " and " she 's waiting " for friend eric clapton . then , collins performed " against all odds " and " in the air tonight " , and finished the night playing drums for led zeppelin 's aforementioned act . the band has claimed that the performance was unspectacular , and critics place the blame on collins . however , collins says that " i would pledge to my dying day that it wasn 't me , " and that thompson was racing through some of the performance . collins later remarked , " ... i remember in the middle of the thing , i actually thought , how do i get out of here ? " stephen williams of newsday commented that collins ' performance of " in the air tonight " in philadelphia " was one of the more moving moments of the day " . live aid raised $ 69 million in its effort . collins later recalled the event as " extraordinary " . track listing all songs written and composed by phil collins , except where noted . personnel musicians phil collins – vocals , backing vocals , drums ( 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 - 11 ) , keyboards ( 2 , 3 , 5 - 11 ) , roland tr - 808 ( 3 , 5 ) , roland tr - 909 ( 1 , 10 ) , linndrum ( 2 , 6 ) , simmons electronic drums ( credited on 2016 release as ' simmonds ' ) ( 3 , 7 ) , vocoder ( 7 ) , kalimba ( 7 ) , synth bass ( 2 ) daryl stuermer – guitars ( 1 - 10 ) , keyboards ( 4 ) david frank – keyboards ( 1 , 6 , 7 ) , mini moog bass ( 1 , 7 ) , oberheim dmx ( 1 ) lee sklar – bass guitar ( 3 - 6 , 8 - 11 ) , piccolo bass ( 3 , 10 ) the phenix horns , arranged by tom tom 84 – horns ( 1 , 2 , 7 ) gary barnacle – saxophone ( 4 , 7 ) don myrick – saxophone ( 5 , 9 ) arif mardin – string arrangement ( 5 ) , orchestral introduction ( 11 ) sting – backing vocals ( 3 , 10 ) peter gabriel – backing vocals ( 10 ) helen terry – backing vocals ( 10 ) nick glennie - smith – keyboards ( 11 ) production produced and mixed by phil collins and hugh padgham engineered by hugh padgham assistant engineer – steve chase recorded and digitally mixed at the townhouse , london and old croft , surrey cover photography – peter ashworth album design by phil collins strings recorded at air studios , london , engineered by john jacobs certifications charts album singles