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Genesis: Their 40 Best Songs Ranked, From Prog Rock To Pop Hits

Genesis helped to invent progressive rock. But unlike their peers, they were able to transition to a more streamlined rock sound, dominating rock radio in the early ’80s. And later,…

Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins and Tony Banks of Genesis

TORONTO, ON – SEPTEMBER 05: (L-R) Musicians Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins and Tony Banks pose before talking about their band Genesis during a press conference before the dress rehearsal of the 20 city North American leg of their “Turn It On Again” tour at the Air Canada Centre on September 5, 2007 in Toronto, Canada.

(Photo by Darryl James/Getty Images)

Genesis helped to invent progressive rock. But unlike their peers, they were able to transition to a more streamlined rock sound, dominating rock radio in the early '80s. And later, they went on to become rather unlikely pop superstars, while never totally ditching their prog roots. Even when they were topping the pop charts, they always included a proggy epic or two on each album.

The members of the most popular lineup included drummer/singer Phil Collins, along with founding members Mike Rutherford (guitar and bass) and Tony Banks (keyboards). The trio wrapped their reunion/farewell tour in March 2022. Their final show took place before a sold-out crowd at London's O2 Arena. As we previously reported, Collins honored the historic moment in dry fashion.

"It’s difficult for us to believe that, uh, you still came out to see us!" said Collins. "Yes, after tonight we’ve all got to get real jobs."

Peter Gabriel was famously in the audience during their final show. Gabriel, of course, was the band's singer from 1967-1975. So, why did he want to attend the band's final show?

He explained his decision to Mojo bluntly saying, "Me going was a rite of passage, really. I’d been part of the creation of Genesis, so I wanted to be there at the end."

To put a capper on the end of the band, Collins and Genesis sold the music rights to their catalogs in September 2022 to Concord Music Group Inc. The sale, which included some of the music of Rutherfod's other band, Mike + the Mechanics, was reportedly worth $300 million.

In honor of the band's incredible legacy, we are ranking their greatest songs, spanning the entire Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins eras. (Yeah, we know about their final album, 1997's Calling All Stations featuring singer Ray Wilson, and with all due respect, none of those songs make the Genesis top 40). As you'll see, we love the prog-rock Genesis, but we also love their hits as well. What did we miss? We're sure you'll let us know on social media. So, this is pretty much a definitive list that we won't need to update: there aren't many outtakes that they haven't released in some form, and it seems highly unlikely that any iteration of the band will get back together to put out more new music. But for nearly three decades, they were one of the best bands in the world, with a wider range than most.

40. “Jesus He Knows Me” from ‘Live: The Way We Walk, Volume One: The Shorts’ (1992)

Atlantic

39. “Since I Lost You” from ‘We Can’t Dance’ (1991)

Atlantic

38. “The Brazilian” from ‘Invisible Touch’ (1986)

Atlantic

37. “Paperlate” from ‘Three Sides Live’ (1982)

Atlantic

36. “Behind The Lines” from “Duke” (1980)

Atlantic

35. “Los Endos (live)” from “Live Over Europe, 2007” (2007)

Atlantic

34. “Squonk (live)” from ‘Seconds Out’ (1977)

Atlantic

33. “Your Own Special Way” from ‘Wind And Wuthering’ (1976)

Atlantic

32. “Ripples” from ‘A Trick Of The Tail’ (1976)

Atlantic

31. “Anyway” from ‘The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway’ (1974)

Atlantic

30. “Keep It Dark” from ‘Abacab’ (1981)

Atlantic

29. “Where The Sour Turns To Sweet” from ‘From Genesis To Revelation’ (1969)

Cherry Red

28. “Never A Time” from ‘We Can’t Dance’ (1991)

Atlantic

27. “Back In N.Y.C.” from ‘The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway’ (1974)

Atlantic

26. “Misunderstanding” from ‘Duke’ (1980)

Atlantic

25. “Man On The Corner” from ‘Abacab’ (1981)

Atlantic

24. “Follow You Follow Me” from ‘And Then There Were Three’ (1978)

Atlantic

23. “After The Ordeal” from ‘Selling England By The Pound’ (1973)

Atlantic

22. “In Too Deep” from ‘Invisible Touch’ (1986)

Atlantic

21. “Get ‘Em Out By Friday” from ‘Foxtrot’ (1972)

Atlantic

20. “That’s All” from ‘Genesis’ (1983)

Atlantic

19. “The Musical Box” from ‘Nursery Cryme’ (1971)

Atlantic

18. “Invisible Touch” from ‘Invisible Touch’ (1986)

Atlantic

17. “The Knife” from ‘Trespass’ (1970)

UMG

16. “Home By The Sea/Second Home By The Sea” from ‘Genesis’ (1983)

Atlantic

15. “Cinema Show” from ‘Selling England By The Pound’ (1973)

Atlantic

14. “Tonight, Tonight, Tonight” from ‘Invisible Touch’ (1986)

Atlantic

13. “In The Cage” from ‘The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway’ (1974)

Atlantic

12. “Fading Lights” from ‘We Can’t Dance’ (1991)

Atlantic

11. “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway” from ‘The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway’ (1974)

Atlantic

10. “Throwing It All Away” from ‘Invisible Touch’ (1986)

Atlantic

9. “Watcher Of The Skies (live)” from ‘Genesis Live’ (1973)

Rhino

8. “Mama” from ‘Genesis’ (1983)

Atlantic

7. “I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)” from ‘Selling England By The Pound” (1973)

Atlantic

6. “Land Of Confusion” from ‘Invisible Touch’ (1986)

Atlantic

5. “Abacab (live)” from ‘Three Sides Live’ (1982)

Atlantic

4. “The Carpet Crawlers” from ‘The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway’ (1974)

Atlantic

3. “No Reply At All” from ‘Abacab’ (1981)

Atlantic

2. “Dancing With The Moonlit Knight” from ‘Selling England By The Pound’ (1973)

Atlantic

1. ”Turn It On Again (live)” from ‘Three Sides Live’ (1982)

Atlantic
Brian has been working in pop culture and media for about three decades: he’s worked at MTV, VH1, SiriusXM, CBS and Loudwire. Besides working as a writer and an editor-in-chief, he’s also appeared on air as a pundit, guested on radio shows and hosted podcasts. Over the years, he’s interviewed the surviving members of Led Zeppelin, the members of U2, Beyonce, Pink, Usher, Stevie Nicks, Lorde… and is grateful to have had the chance to interview Joe Strummer of the Clash and Tom Petty.