I'd Rather Be You

"I'd Rather Be You" is a pop song by the English band Genesis. It was first released as the B-side to "Throwing It All Away" in June 1987, and later appeared permanently on the rarities compilation Archive #2 1976-1992 in November 2000.

Meaning

The song is an upbeat, commercial pop song with a bouncy Motown beat. The lyrics are AbOUT ambition and success, tempered with a trace of sarcasm ("Why worry when you're holding the Aces?/Don't throw it away 'cause you know I'd rather be you than me/Up there looking down, tell me what do you see?"), and somewhat similar to the 1982 EP track "Paperlate" ("There's no need to be nice on the way up/'Cause you're not coming down").

History

Like everything released by Genesis from 1983 to 1991, the track is accredited to all three band members: keyboardist Tony Banks, singer/drummer Phil Collins and guitarist Mike Rutherford. In reality its principal writer was Phil Collins.

Releases

Recorded during the Invisible Touch sessions in 1986, "I'd Rather Be You" was eventually released on the last single taken from the album in Britain and Germany (in the United States the instrumental "Do the Neurotic" was featured instead); "Throwing It All Away" reached #22 on the UK Singles Chart.

"I'd Rather Be You" was one of three B-sides released on singles from Invisible Touch, all of which were included on Archive #2. In 2007 they were featured on the bonus disc of the boxed set Genesis 1983-1998.