Two solo albums under his belt, Phil Collins headed straight to the dance floor with his 1985 track "Sussudio".
Released as a single in January, "Sussudio" emerged as the first track off Collins' third solo studio album, No Jacket Required. The former Genesis drummer fashioned the tune off a pile-driving beat, a Prince-inspired synth line and of course, the song's irresistible made-up word that gives the song its title.
"This is one of those examples of improvising lyrics," Collins explained during a 1997 episode of VH1 Storytellers. "I set up this drum-machine pad, and I got some chords, and I started to sing into the microphone, and this word came out, which was 'sus-sussudio.'"
Collins also credited his daughter for the origins of the word, as he continued "My older daughter's got a horse called Sussudio, and I'm sure there are children all over the world with the name Sussudio, so I apologize for that."
The funky, nonsensical tune would launch Collins back to the top of the charts as "Sussudio" hit No. 1 for the week of July 6, 1985, marking his second chart-topping entry that year (his first being "One More Night") before Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill" would take over. Collins had the last laugh at the end of the year when No Jacket Required Grammy Album of the Year in 1985.
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