Synopsis

Phil Collins cannot decide how to make a video for "Don't Lose My Number," so he consults a succession of eccentric "directors." Each pitches a wildly different concept, from a desert Western and samurai adventure to glossy pop spectacle and post-apocalyptic action. Collins tries out the proposed styles, turning the clip into a fast-moving parody of 1980s music-video conventions. The result is a self-aware production about the difficulty of producing a music video, packed with deliberately exaggerated costumes, sets, performances, and visual references.

Factoids & Trivia

• Collins said the song's lyrics were improvised and that he did not fully understand their meaning. The video's self-referential premise provided a way to avoid forcing a conventional storyline onto an intentionally vague song.

• The clip parodies elements associated with videos by Michael Jackson, David Lee Roth, Elton John, The Police, and The Cars.

• Its cinematic spoofs also draw on Westerns, samurai films, and the post-apocalyptic style of "Mad Max 2."

• Collins' then-wife, Jill Tavelman, appears briefly in the beach sequence.

• The video's central concept had originally been developed with David Bowie in mind before being used for Collins.

• "Don't Lose My Number" was released as a single in the United States in 1985 and reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was not issued as a UK single.

• In Australia, the single was released under the title "(Billy) Don't Lose My Number," reflecting the name used in the song's refrain.