Elizabeth Clark Phair is an American singer and songwriter. Born in New Hav… Read Full Bio ↴Elizabeth Clark Phair is an American singer and songwriter. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Phair was raised primarily in the Chicago area. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1990, she attempted to start a musical career in San Francisco, California, but returned to her home in Chicago, where she began self-releasing audio cassettes under the name Girly-Sound. The tapes led to a recording contract with the independent record label Matador Records.

Phair's 1993 debut studio album, Exile in Guyville, was released to acclaim; it has been ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Phair followed this with her second album, Whip-Smart (1994), which earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, and Whitechocolatespaceegg (1998). Ten years after the release of her debut, Phair's fourth album, Liz Phair (2003), released on Capitol Records, moved towards pop rock, earning her a mainstream audience but alienating critics.

After the release of her fifth album, Somebody's Miracle (2005), Phair left Capitol and released her sixth album Funstyle independently in 2010. In 2018, it was announced that Matador Records would be releasing a retrospective set for Phair's debut album Exile in Guyville which includes remastered recordings from her original Girly-Sound demo tapes. Phair released her seventh studio album, Soberish, in 2021.

Johnny Sunshine
Liz Phair Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You took the car
It was my favorite one
Little white Dart
And drove it to Idaho
You took the horse
It was a thoroughbred
Saddled it up
Out on the interstate

You killed the cat
Burned it in antifreeze
Dumped in the trunk
With the rest of the cattlefeed
You took the house
You went and changed the locks
Now I am stuck
Living out of a box

You took the car
It was my favorite one (I think I've been taken)
Little white Dart
And drove it to Idaho
You took the horse (for everything I own)
It was a thoroughbred
Saddled it up
Out on the interstate
You killed the cat (I've been hurt so badly)
Burned it in antifreeze
Dumped in the trunk
With the rest of the cattlefeed
You took the house
You went and changed the locks
Now I am stuck
Living out of a box

You left me nothing
You left me nothing
Johnny Sunshine

You left me nothing
You left me nothing
Johnny Sunshine

You left me nothing (I think I've been taken)
You left me nothing (for everything I own)
Johnny Sunshine (I've been hurt so badly)

You left me nothing (I'm alone, baby, I'm alone)
You left me nothing (I'm alone, baby, I'm alone)
Johnny Sunshine

You left me nothing
You left me nothing
Johnny Sunshine

You left me nothing
You

Overall Meaning

left me nothing
Johnny Sunshine

The lyrics to Liz Phair's song "Johnny Sunshine" are a portrayal of a relationship that has taken a bitter turn. The singer's lover, Johnny, has not only taken all her possessions but has also burned her cat, leaving her completely alone and with nothing. The song is about a character who is seeking solace in Johnny, someone who is supposed to be the light of her life, but instead has betrayed her. Johnny Sunshine, who is supposed to be a symbol of warmth and hope, has left nothing but emptiness and pain.

The lyrics depict the shattered trust and an immense sense of betrayal that the singer feels towards Johnny. She is left alone and bewildered as she watches everything she owns get taken away one by one. The song is a raw and honest reflection of the pain caused by a broken relationship caused by someone who was expected to bring sunshine into their life.

Line by Line Meaning

You took the car
I think I've been taken

Little white Dart

And drove it to Idaho

You took the horse
For everything I own

It was a thoroughbred

Saddled it up

Out on the interstate

You killed the cat
I've been hurt so badly

Burned it in antifreeze

Dumped in the trunk

With the rest of the cattlefeed