Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)

For other uses, see Against All Odds (disambiguation) § Music.

"Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)"
Single by Phil Collins
from the album Against All Odds: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
B-side"The Search"
Released
  • February 1984 (US)
  • 26 March 1984 (UK)[1]
Recorded1983
Genre
Length3:23
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)Phil Collins
Producer(s)Arif Mardin
Phil Collins singles chronology
"Why Can't It Wait 'Til Morning"
(1983) 		"Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)"
(1984) 		"Easy Lover"
(1984)
Audio sample
"Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)"

"Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (also titled "Against All Odds") is a song by English drummer, singer and songwriter Phil Collins. It was recorded for the soundtrack to the 1984 film of the same name. It is a power ballad in which its protagonist implores an ex-lover to "take a look at me now", knowing that reconciliation is "against all odds", but worth the gamble. The single reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, the first of seven US No. 1s for Collins in his solo career.[4] "Against All Odds (Take a Look At Me Now)" also topped the charts in Canada, Ireland, and Norway, while peaking at No. 2 in the United Kingdom.

The song has been covered by several singers, some versions of which have been successful in both the US and UK markets. The song has twice reached No. 1 in the UK singles chart: the pairing of Mariah Carey and boyband Westlife, in September 2000,[5] and then again by Steve Brookstein, the first winner of The X Factor, in January 2005.[6] In 2022, an Italian version called "Impossibile" was released by German singer and TV-personality Giovanni Zarrella.

  1. ^ "BPI > Certified Awards > Search results for Phil Collins (page 3)". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 24 February 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  2. ^ Eler, Alicia (13 August 2013). "Artist uses Phil Collins, Skype to construct online personae". Salon. Archived from the original on 25 September 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  3. ^ Danis, Kirsten (25 July 1999). "Phil Collins employee now his Swiss missus". New York Post. New York. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  4. ^ Taylor, Chuck. "At AC Radio, Phil Collins' Take on 'True Colors' Is Shining Through". Billboard. 14 November 1998.
  5. ^ Stark, David (16 November 2002). "Collin's Writing Yields Hits For Many". Billboard. p. 38. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  6. ^ "X Factor star ends Band Aid reign". BBC News. 2 January 2005. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2017.