literary criticism applied to popular music

One of Phil Collins’s most recognizable and best-selling hits, “In the Air Tonight” can be analyzed using the tools of literary criticism. The formalist approach takes the text at face value, ignoring extraneous elements that would interfere with the meanings embedded in the text. A biographical approach takes into account Collins’s personal history and how it impacts the lyrics of “In the Air Tonight.” Finally, the psychological approach to literary criticism lends a psychoanalytic lens towards the embedded meaning of Collins’s lyrics.
The formalist approach focuses on the literal interpretation of the lyrics, which initially stress the titular motif of air. The speaker can “feel it coming in the air tonight,” intuiting a new inspiration. With the words “Oh Lord,” the narrator also reveals a prayerful state of mind, which builds tension throughout the song. The lyrics also indicate the underlying bitter tone of the song, with lines like “You can wipe off the grin, I know where you’ve been / It’s all been a pack of lies.”
The biographical approach takes into account what Collins may have been going through in his personal life when he wrote the song, also incorporating important elements from his background. In recent interviews, Collins has admitted that “In the Air Tonight” is about his reaction to a painful divorce (“Phil Collins shares the real story behind 'In the Air Tonight'” p. 1). Therefore, the lyrics of the song can be interpreted to show the singer’s bitterness about the divorce, clarifying the meaning behind the lines indicating a possible infidelity: “I was there and I saw what you did...I know where you’ve been / It’s all been a pack of lies.”
Finally, the psychological approach to literary criticism delves deeper into Collins’s psyche. Analyzing the lyrics of “In the Air Tonight” allow for an assessment of the song’s symbolism and the subtext of the language. For example, the phrase “feel it coming in the air tonight” has a sexual connotation. The anger Collins expresses in the song is therefore related to the Oedipus complex and the sexual tension repressed since childhood. To the object of his anger, Collins states, “I would not lend a hand” if she were drowning. The aggression in this statement showcases the psychological and sexual meaning in the text.
References
Collins, P. (n.d.). In the air tonight. [Song Lyrics}.
“Phil Collins shares the real story behind 'In the Air Tonight'” The Sound. https://www.thesound.co.nz/home/music/2017/08/phil-collins-shares-the-real-story-behind--in-the-air-tonight-.html
Lyrics
[Chorus]
I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord
I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord
Can you feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord, oh Lord

[Verse 1]
Well, if you told me you were drowning
I would not lend a hand
I've seen your face before my friend
But I don't know if you know who I am
Well, I was there and I saw what you did
I saw it with my own two eyes
So you can wipe off the grin, I know where you've been
It's all been a pack of lies

[Chorus]
And I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord
Well I’ve been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord
I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord, oh Lord

[Verse 2]
Well I remember, I remember don't worry
How could I ever forget?
It's the first time, the last time we ever met
But I know the reason why you keep your silence up
No you don't fool me
Well, the hurt doesn't show; but the pain still grows
It's no stranger to you or me

[Drum solo]

[Chorus]
And I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord
Well, I've been waiting for this moment all my life, oh Lord
And I can feel it in the air tonight, oh Lord, oh Lord
Well, I've been waiting for this moment all my life, oh Lord, oh Lord