Writer: Phil Collins
Producer: David Hentschel and Genesis
Recorded: Late 1979 at Polar Sound Studios in Stockholm, Sweden
Released: March 1980
| Players: | Phil Collins — vocals, drums Tony Banks — keyboards Mike Rutherford — guitar, bass |
| Album: | Duke (Atlantic) |
“Misunderstanding” was the second big hit for Genesis in America.
Written while singer-drummer Phil Collins was recovering from a broken marriage, “Misunderstanding” — a straightforward pop song with soul underpinnings — is about a missed liaison with an implied friend and/or romantic interest.
The Duke album came two years after …And Then There Were Three, mostly owing to Collins's decision to move briefly to Vancouver, British Columbia, to try to reconcile with his wife.
During the break, keyboardist Tony Banks and guitarist-bassist Mike Rutherford both released solo albums, while Collins wrote a number of songs, some of which were used for Duke and others of which appeared on his first solo album, Face Value.
Genesis had been one of the bands attacked by the punk rock movement in Britain, but Banks said the group had no problem weathering the criticisms: “We had been through the punk era and everyone had predicted our downfall, and yet …And Then There Were Three was by far our biggest selling album. More people listened to us than ever before…We never considered NOT carrying on. Fashions come and go, you know?”
Duke peaked at Number 11 on the Billboard 200 and was the first Genesis album to hit Number One in the U.K.
The profits from Duke allowed Genesis to build their own studio, The Farm, in Surrey, England.