Originally Posted by Stu @ M Developments

Ive dug this off google to save me explaining wrongly...

The myth (or urban legend, if you will) surrounding Phil Collins' haunting "In The Air Tonight" has been circulating since the song was released on his Face Value album in 1981. Here's the part of the song that started the rumor mills:

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,
Saw it with my own two eyes.
So you can wipe off that grin, I know where you've been.
It's all been a pack of lies.

According to the myth, Collins watched a close friend drown from a nearby cliff, too far away to help, while a man standing nearer to the drowning man stood idly by. Collins then supposedly wrote the song, gave the man a front-row ticket to the show where the song was premiered, then sang the song as the spotlight illuminated the man.

The supposed results of Collins' musical revelation vary: the invited stranger is humiliated (sometimes leading to a divorce or job loss), commits suicide or is arrested by waiting policemen. In another telling, Collins never learns the man's identity and sings the song at every concert as an anonymous accusation. There are as many variations of the tale as there are people to spread it--including infamous rapper Eminem, who included the myth in the lyrics of "Stan" on his Marshal Mathers album released this year:

So there you have it

To highlight the story somewhat, here are the lyrics...

I can feel it coming in the air tonight, Oh Lord
I've been waiting for this moment, all my life, Oh Lord
Can you feel it coming in the air tonight, Oh Lord, Oh Lord

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

And I can feel it coming in the air tonight, Oh Lord
I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, Oh Lord
I can feel it in the air tonight, Oh Lord, Oh Lord
And I've been waiting for this moment all my life, Oh Lord, Oh Lord

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
The hurt doesn't show; but the pain still grows
It's no stranger to you or me

And I can feel it coming in the air tonight, Oh Lord...