Genesis

Band

Photo: Distributed by Atlantic Records · Public domain
Active 1967-2000, 2006-2007, 2020-2022
Origin Godalming, England
Albums 15
Tracks 152
Most frequent collaborator David Hentschel · 40 tracks
Genres Progressive RockArt RockPop Rock
Complete Artist
100%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 152 of 152 tracks

Who wrote Genesis's songs?

The band, together, for most of their run. Tony Banks appears on 137 of the 152 album tracks and Mike Rutherford on 128, the two who were there from 1967 to the end. Phil Collins has 92, Peter Gabriel 58 and Steve Hackett 46.

By the Numbers

15
Studio Albums
152
Tracks Credited
100%
Self-Written
between 100 million and 150 million
Records Sold
33
Years Active
8
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 152 / 152 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 152 tracks: how many Genesis wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Genesis has a writing credit100%
99%
1%
Sole author151tracks99%
Co-written1tracks1%
Outside writers0tracks0%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Genesis's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 152 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)97%
Composer (music)100%
Producer83%
Performer100%

Member Credit Breakdown share of tracks each member is credited on

Percentage of all 152 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.

MemberPeriodLyricsMusicProductionPerformance
Tony Banks 1967-2000, 2006-2007, 2020-2022
71%
90%
7%
0%
Mike Rutherford 1967-2000, 2006-2007, 2020-2022
66%
84%
7%
0%
Phil Collins 1970-1996, 2000, 2006-2007, 2020-2022
45%
61%
0%
0%
Peter Gabriel 1967-1975
38%
38%
0%
0%
Steve Hackett 1971-1977
29%
30%
0%
0%
Anthony Phillips 1967-1970
14%
14%
0%
0%
Ray Wilson 1996-1998
2%
2%
0%
0%
Chris Stewart 1967-1968
0%
0%
0%
0%
John Silver 1968-1969
0%
0%
0%
0%
John Mayhew 1969-1970
0%
0%
0%
0%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Genesis's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
1969From Genesis to Revelation
1970Trespass
1971Nursery Cryme
1972Foxtrot
1973Selling England by the Pound
1974The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
1976A Trick of the Tail
1976Wind & Wuthering
1978...And Then There Were Three...
1980Duke
1981Abacab
1983Genesis
1986Invisible Touch
1991We Can't Dance
1997Calling All Stations
Early · 100% written
Mid · 100% written
Late · 100% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

100%
1960s
From Genesis to Revelation
100%
1970s
Trespass, Nursery Cryme +6 more
100%
1980s
Duke, Abacab +2 more
100%
1990s
We Can't Dance, Calling All Stations

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Genesis sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Genesis
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Backstreet Boys25%
Rod Stewart40%
Kelly Clarkson49%
One Direction57%
Jesse McCartney67%
Phil Collins78%
Fleetwood Mac88%
100%Genesis
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Your Own Special Way
Wind & Wuthering
Written by Mike Rutherford, Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford
Wrote it
Follow You Follow Me
...And Then There Were Three...
Written by Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins, Tony Banks, Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford, Philip David Charles Collins, Anthony George Banks
Wrote it
Misunderstanding
Duke
Written by Phil Collins, Philip David Charles Collins
Wrote it
Turn It On Again
Duke
Written by Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, Anthony George Banks, Philip David Charles Collins, Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford
Wrote it
Abacab
Abacab
Written by Mike Rutherford, Anthony George Banks, Philip David Charles Collins, Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford
Wrote it
No Reply at All
Abacab
Written by Phil Collins, Anthony George Banks, Philip David Charles Collins, Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford
Wrote it
Man on the Corner
Abacab
Written by Phil Collins, Philip David Charles Collins
Wrote it
That's All
Genesis
Written by Phil Collins, Anthony George Banks, Philip David Charles Collins, Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford
Wrote it
Illegal Alien
Genesis
Written by Mike Rutherford, Anthony George Banks, Philip David Charles Collins, Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford
Wrote it
Taking It All Too Hard
Genesis
Written by Mike Rutherford, Anthony George Banks, Philip David Charles Collins, Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford
Wrote it
Mama
Genesis
Written by Phil Collins, Anthony George Banks, Philip David Charles Collins, Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford
Wrote it
Invisible Touch
Invisible Touch
Written by Phil Collins, Anthony George Banks, Philip David Charles Collins, Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford
Wrote it
In Too Deep
Invisible Touch
Written by Phil Collins, Anthony George Banks, Philip David Charles Collins, Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford
Wrote it
Tonight, Tonight, Tonight
Invisible Touch
Written by Phil Collins, Anthony George Banks, Philip David Charles Collins, Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford
Wrote it
Land of Confusion
Invisible Touch
Written by Mike Rutherford, Anthony George Banks, Philip David Charles Collins, Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford
Wrote it
Throwing It All Away
Invisible Touch
Written by Mike Rutherford, Anthony George Banks, Philip David Charles Collins, Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford
Wrote it
I Can't Dance
We Can't Dance
Written by Phil Collins, Anthony George Banks, Philip David Charles Collins, Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford
Wrote it
No Son of Mine
We Can't Dance
Written by Phil Collins, Anthony George Banks, Philip David Charles Collins, Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford
Wrote it
Hold on My Heart
We Can't Dance
Written by Phil Collins, Anthony George Banks, Philip David Charles Collins, Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford
Wrote it
Never a Time
We Can't Dance
Written by Mike Rutherford, Anthony George Banks, Philip David Charles Collins, Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford
Wrote it
Jesus He Knows Me
We Can't Dance
Written by Phil Collins, Anthony George Banks, Philip David Charles Collins, Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford
Wrote it

Discography 15 albums

All fifteen studio albums. The live albums and compilations sit outside this catalogue.

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Genesis152 tracks
DH40David Hentschel, 40 tracks JB31John Burns, 31 tracks ND23Nick Davis, 23 tracks HP17Hugh Padgham, 17 tracks JK13Jonathan King, 13 tracks JA13John Anthony, 13 tracks DH6Dave Hitchcock, 6 tracks MB1Mick Barnard, 1 track

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. DH David Hentschel · JB John Burns · ND Nick Davis · HP Hugh Padgham · JK Jonathan King · JA John Anthony

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Banks and Rutherford are the only two who were there for all of it, and the credits show it. Phil Collins has 92 tracks across the twenty-one years he was in the band, Peter Gabriel 58 in his eight, Steve Hackett 46 in his six. From 1976 the sleeves start naming who wrote the words while the music stays a three-way split, so the lyric credit becomes the only place a single voice shows up.

Quick Facts

  • The two constantsTony Banks on 137 tracks, Mike Rutherford on 128
  • The singersPhil Collins on 92 tracks, Peter Gabriel on 58
  • Music and words splitFrom 1976 the sleeves name the lyricist separately
  • SalesBetween 100 million and 150 million albums worldwide
  • Hall of FameRock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted 2010
  • GrammyBest Concept Music Video for "Land of Confusion"

Creative Fingerprint

Two constants under everything, with the music shared three ways and only the lyrics ever attributed to one person.

The Story

Genesis credited the whole band for a decade, then split music from lyrics and kept sharing anyway. Tony Banks is on 137 of the 152 album tracks and Mike Rutherford on 128.

Awards & Recognition

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted 2010
Grammy Award for Best Concept Music Video for "Land of Confusion"

Frequently Asked Questions Genesis

Who wrote Genesis's songs?
The band, together, for most of their run. Tony Banks appears on 137 of the 152 album tracks and Mike Rutherford on 128, the two who were there from 1967 to the end. Phil Collins has 92, Peter Gabriel 58 and Steve Hackett 46.
Who wrote "Invisible Touch"?
Banks, Collins and Rutherford wrote the music together, as they did for the whole album, and Phil Collins wrote the words. It reached number 1 on the Hot 100.
Who wrote "Land of Confusion"?
The same three on the music, with Mike Rutherford on the lyrics. It reached number 4 on the Hot 100 and won a Grammy for its video.
Did Peter Gabriel write the early albums alone?
No. Through 1974 the sleeves credit the whole band on every song, so Gabriel's name sits alongside Banks, Rutherford, Collins and Hackett rather than above them.
When did the credits change?
A Trick of the Tail in 1976 was the first Genesis album to credit songwriters individually instead of the band as a whole.
How many albums did Genesis release?
Fifteen studio albums between 1969 and 1997. The six live albums and the compilations sit outside this catalogue.
What happened after Phil Collins left?
Ray Wilson sang on Calling All Stations in 1997 and shares three of its eleven tracks with Banks and Rutherford, who wrote the rest.
How well did they sell?
Between 100 million and 150 million albums worldwide, which puts them among the best-selling acts of all time.
Are Genesis in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Yes, inducted in 2010 by Trey Anastasio of Phish.
Who is on every album?
Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford, the only two members present from the first record to the last.

Sources

Wikipedia: Genesis Wikipedia: Genesis discography Wikipedia: List of Genesis band members Wikipedia: Tony Banks (musician) Wikipedia: Mike Rutherford Wikipedia: Phil Collins Wikipedia: Peter Gabriel Wikipedia: Steve Hackett Wikipedia: Anthony Phillips