Squonk

Written by Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford, the title of this song refers to an imaginary creature. According to the legend, the Squonk dissolves into a pool of tears to escape from being captured. The Squonk was mentioned by Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges in his book El Libro de los Seres Imaginarios (Book of Imaginary Beings) edited on 1969. This was an expanded edition from his original book from 1957: Manual de Zoologia Fantastica (Handbook of Fantastic Zoology). The first book where the creature was ever mentioned is Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods, With a Few Desert and Mountain Beasts (1910) written by William Thomas Cox.

This was the song that convinced the band that their new lead singer was right under their nose. When Peter Gabriel left, they auditioned new singers. One guy made it through auditions, but when they tried him on "Squonk," it was clear he sang in the wrong key for Genesis. The band's drummer, Phil Collins, gave it a shot and nailed it. He became their new vocalist. A Trick Of The Tail was their first album without Gabriel.

One of the heavier Genesis songs, this is one of Phil Collins' favorites. "'Squonk' was a musical standout," he said on the A Trick Of The Tail DVD. "That was always our Zeppelin kind of song, kind of a bit of 'Kashmir,' a bit of 'When The Levee Breaks.' When you listen to it, it doesn't sound like that, but that's what it was meant to be, with the heavy guitar chords and my John Bonham hat on."