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Originally Posted by Dion

Phil Collins's "In The Air Tonight"

*Real Meaning*, Phil and his best friend were swimming at the beach and his mate began to drown so Phil asked a man to help and he said no "Thinking it was a joke" so phil watched his best friend as a kid drown and die. So later on Phil whilst on tour tracked this guy down and sent him front row seat tickets and first class air fair ticket to his tour and limosoine and everything, then when he started singing this song he put the spot light on the guy, and started singing, a few weeks later due to all the humiliation and publicity the guy commited suicide.

http://www.inthe70s.com/generated/lyricsmeaning.shtml

http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/intheair.asp

As Phil Collins explained numorous times over the years, "In the Air Tonight" (as well as most of his Face Value Album) deals with his bitterness and frustration over the end of his marriage to his first wife, and the lyrics do not reference any any specific real-life event