The three Genesis band members - Tony Banks, Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford - wrote the music to this song, and Rutherford wrote the lyrics. The Duke album was the first where the band wrote the songs together, typically by working up the tracks in improvised jams. Once an arrangement emerged, one member of the band would then take on the lyrics. Rutherford, whose other lyrical contributions with Genesis include "Follow You, Follow Me" and "Land Of Confusion," says that he writes the "simple" songs for the band, although fans may disagree. "Turn It On Again" begins, "All I need is a TV show," and then talks about the familiar characters on television that give the singer comfort. Rutherford might find the lyrics simple, but they explore an interesting theme: how we can work up imaginary relationships with the folks with see on TV while putting aside our real friends and family.
This continued Genesis' transformation from theatrical, progressive rock to radio-friendly pop. Many of their core fans felt they were selling out, but they had huge commercial success as a result.
Originally, this was going to be part of the bits and bobs that make up the end of the Duke album, but they decided it was good enough to expand into a full song. Notice that the first verse is repeated as the third. "We just doubled it," Tony Banks said. "We thought, we'll go around it twice and see what happens."
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