For this week’s Thursday Inspiration prompt, Jim Adams has asked us to write a post using the prompt word “here” and the photo above or “anything else that you think fits.” I decided to go with a song by Phil Collins, “Against All Odds.”

“Against All Odds” was a song by the English drummer, singer, and songwriter Phil Collins. It was recorded for the soundtrack of the 1984 film of the same name. The single reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, marking the first of seven U.S. number 1 songs for Collins in his solo career. Additionally, it also topped the charts in Canada, Ireland, and Norway, while peaking at number 2 in the United Kingdom.

The song is a power ballad in which the singer implores an ex-lover to “take a look at me now,” knowing that reconciliation is “against all odds” but worth the gamble. The jilted man pleads with his ex…

So take a look at me now
Well there’s just an empty space
And there’s nothing left here to remind me
Just the memory of your face
Ooh, Take a look at me now
Well there’s just an empty space
And you coming back to me is against the odds
And that’s what I’ve got to face

…but to no avail.

Interesting factoid: In addition to his success as a solo artist, Collins was still charting hits with Genesis during this time as well, including the number 1 “Invisible Touch” in 1986. This resulted in a bit of Phil Collins fatigue and somewhat of a backlash in the ’90s, when some critics targeted him as a symbol of schlocky pop music.

In a 2010 interview with Rolling Stone, Collins admitted that the criticism hurt, and said it contributed to some suicidal thoughts. In the article, he pointed out that he wasn’t the one playing his songs over and over — he was just making the music. A few months later, Collins announced his retirement, but seemed to be in a better place, encouraged by the words of his fans that offered support. Wrote Collins: “I am stopping so I can be a full time father to my two young sons on a daily basis.”