(Credits: Far Out / Warner Music)
Sun 25 January 2026 18:48, UK
The art of performing has always been part of Phil Collins‘ life, whether this be playing the drums or participating in local theatre productions as a child. His destiny was always set to be on the stage; it just remained unclear in which field until one band came along.
As his mother worked as a theatrical agent, this helped him get a foot in the door for auditions to appear in West End productions, which led to him gaining a role in Oliver. However, truth be told, his heart wasn’t wholly in it, and by this stage, Collins’ mind had been made up that it was the music industry for him.
A turning point for Collins, like most artists of his age, was the emergence of The Beatles. The Fab Four have been a constant in his life since adolescence and provided him with the courage to devote his life to making music, a decision that would pave the way for him to audition for Genesis, before eventually becoming one of the best-selling artists of all time.
Notably, The Beatles didn’t make him pick up the drums; that was forced upon him as a five-year-old. However, at that stage, it was nothing more than a hobby, and he was too young to dream about becoming a professional musician. Then, The Beatles emerged, and suddenly, Collins had a clear vision of what he wanted to do with his life.
The best thing to come out of Collins’ teenage acting career was a cameo in The Beatles’ film, A Hard Day’s Night. In the movie, where the band plays exaggerated versions of themselves, the Fab Four play a concert, and Collins was fortunate enough to be in the audience for the filming, which was a moment that he cherishes to this day.
The Beatles back in 1963. (Credits: Far Out / Public Domain / ingen uppgift)
During an interview with Rolling Stone in 2016, Collins revealed that he was cut from the final cut of the film, which he attributed to his lack of screaming. In a strange full-circle moment, he recalled: “Thirty years later, I was asked to narrate a documentary about the movie. I got to go through the outtakes. So I found a guy wearing a pin tie that looked just like me, sitting completely still. I remember thinking, ‘For crying out loud. Will you stop screaming? Let’s listen to the music!’”
During an interview in 1993 with the BBC, Collins was tasked with picking a series of his favourite songs, which unsurprisingly included a cut from The Beatles. While introducing ‘All My Loving’ from their second album With The Beatles, Collins discussed his long-lasting affection for the band and why they changed his life.
Collins admitted, “Well, no collection would be complete without one or two Beatles records. I mean, The Beatles were the reason I’m in this business. Really, although I’ve been playing the drums since I was five, it was The Beatles that suddenly gave a purpose. This, I think, sums up that early-mid ’60s feeling from me when I was in school, really loving it.”
After falling in love with The Beatles, Collins applied his drumming talent to a band. Before that moment, he was more interested in pursuing a career in acting, which had led to his appearance in A Hard Day’s Night, but music had begun to become his main passion and the only thing he wanted to do with his life.
Sadly, Collins faced another Beatles-related blow as a session musician in 1970. He was recruited to play the congas on the George Harrison solo song ‘Art of Dying’, but in a cruel twist of fate, Collins’ contribution was again omitted from the final product. However, the fact that he was even able to be in the same room as his heroes on more than one occasion is more than enough for Collins. After all, he’d have never achieved his dreams if it weren’t for them teaching him the potent power of music.
Related Topics
The Far Out Beatles Newsletter
All the latest stories about The Beatles from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.