Barthel and Carter were friends since junior high school. Barthel pursued a visual arts degree while Carter formed the experimental band Grand Habit. In the summer of 2007 they reunited and worked on finishing some beat ideas Carter made earlier. The duo was originally called Charlie Everywhere when performing around the Saratoga Springs area on the local label Sub-Bombin Records. When they signed to BBE Records they changed the name to Phantogram, to avoid legal issues.
In March 2009, they self-released a five song EP, Phantogram EP, which featured four songs that ended up being on the full length. In the same year they released another EP, Running From the Cops on BBE Records.
The band's debut album Eyelid Movies was released in September 2009, on BBE Records in Europe, and in February 2010, on Barsuk Records in the US. The album received generally favorable reviews. The singles "Mouthful of Diamonds", "When I'm Small" and "As Fas As I Can See" supported the album.
Phantogram have supported acts such as Metric, The xx, J-Live, Brazilian Girls and have toured with The Slip, Zero 7 and Minus the Bear.
Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter were inspired by artists like J Dilla, Serge Gainsbourg, My Bloody Valentine, Madlib, Sonic Youth, The Beatles and David Bowie.
In 1 November 2011, the band issued the EP Nightlife. This EP includes the single "Don't Move".
The duo collaborated with Big Boi from OutKast on three songs from his second studio album, Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors: "Objectum Sexuality (feat. Phantogram)", "CPU (feat. Phantogram)" and "Lines (feat. A$AP Rocky & Phantogram)". Phantogram are also credited as producers for the song "Objectum Sexuality".
Official site: http://www.phantogram.net
Celebrating Nothing
Phantogram Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And all the time I waste on celebrating nothing
How many times can I blow it all
How many times will I burn it down
Give me a reason to stay alive
I've got the feeling we're gonna die
I hide behind my eyes and lies and broken mirrors
And every day I say this time around my vision's getting clearer
How many times can I blow it all
How many times will I burn it down
Give me a reason to stay alive
I've got the feeling we're gonna die
Give me a reason to stay alive
I've got the feeling we're gonna die
How many times can I blow it all
How many times will I burn it down
How many times can I blow it all
How many times will I burn it down
Give me a reason to stay alive (We're gonna die)
I've got the feeling we're gonna die (We're gonna die)
Give me a reason to stay alive (We're gonna die)
I've got the feeling we're gonna die
The lyrics of Phantogram's song Celebrating Nothing are a reflection on the sense of purpose and hopelessness that the singer feels. The first lines, "Tell myself I'm fine in celebrating nothing, And all the time I waste on celebrating nothing," speak to the emptiness that comes with pursuing empty celebrations that offer no true fulfillment. Despite the lack of substance in these celebrations, the singer still finds themselves caught in their cycle.
The second stanza, "How many times can I blow it all, How many times will I burn it down," suggests that the singer may have turned to self-destructive behavior in an attempt to feel alive or find purpose. The repetition of these lines emphasizes the inability to break free from this cycle and find a reason to stay alive.
The chorus, "Give me a reason to stay alive, I've got the feeling we're gonna die," captures the singer's desperation for a reason to keep going, despite a fear of death. The repetition of the lines "How many times can I blow it all, How many times will I burn it down" in the third stanza further emphasizes the sense of hopelessness and despair that permeates the song.
The final stanza, "I hide behind my eyes and lies and broken mirrors, And every day I say this time around my vision's getting clearer," suggests that the singer is struggling with self-deception and may be unsure of their own perceptions of themselves and the world around them. Despite this, they still hold out hope for clarity and a way forward.
Overall, Celebrating Nothing is a poignant reflection on the challenges of finding purpose and hope in our day-to-day lives, and the fear of mortality that underlies these struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell myself I'm fine in celebrating nothing
I try to convince myself that it's okay to not have anything to celebrate
And all the time I waste on celebrating nothing
I spend a lot of time and energy on things that don't truly matter
How many times can I blow it all
How many mistakes can I make and start over again?
How many times will I burn it down
How many times will I fail and have to start again from scratch?
Give me a reason to stay alive
I feel lost and need a purpose to keep going
I've got the feeling we're gonna die
I have a sense of impending doom, like life is meaningless
I hide behind my eyes and lies and broken mirrors
I hide my true self behind a false image and distorted perceptions
And every day I say this time around my vision's getting clearer
But I am trying to be more self-aware and honest with myself
Give me a reason to stay alive (We're gonna die)
I am desperate for a reason to live despite my sense of impending death
I've got the feeling we're gonna die (We're gonna die)
I can't shake the feeling that life is meaningless and will end poorly
How many times can I blow it all
Repeating the same mistakes and starting over
How many times will I burn it down
Continuing to fail and lose everything
Give me a reason to stay alive (We're gonna die)
Asking for a purpose to keep living despite the inevitability of death
I've got the feeling we're gonna die (We're gonna die)
Telling myself that life is hopeless and meaningless
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: SARAH BARTHEL, JOSHUA CARTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-bk1ow7ws1z
Tell myself I'm fine in celebrating nothing
And all the time I waste on celebrating nothing
How many times can I blow it all
How many times will I burn it down
Give me a reason to stay alive
I've got the feeling we're gonna die
I hide behind my eyes and lies and broken mirrors
And every day I say this time around my vision's getting clearer
How many times can I blow it all
How many times will I burn it down
Give me a reason to stay alive
I've got the feeling we're gonna die
Give me a reason to stay alive
I've got the feeling we're gonna die
How many times can I blow it all
How many times will I burn it down
How many times can I blow it all
How many times will I burn it down
Give me a reason to stay alive (We're gonna die)
I've got the feeling we're gonna die (We're gonna die)
Give me a reason to stay alive (We're gonna die)
I've got the feeling we're gonna die
@SpareTheGoryDetails
For the past few days, this is the first song I've wanted to listen to when waking up. By far the most beautiful thing they've done yet. And that's saying something. Stick with this band, people. I'm glad I did.
@felandismarks5314
That's a false judgment. This is not the most beautiful thing they've done.
@becomingknown
Felandis Marks You can't say that it is a false judgement, seeing how it is their opinion. In your opinion there is other stuff that's better. In mine and apparently SpareTheGoryDetails' opinion this one is the best. No one's opinion is false.
@sincerelyxdee
SpareTheGoryDetails I absolutely agree. I take the long way home just so I can listen to this song a few more times after work every night.
@felandismarks5314
becomingknown If you make an uninformed public statement about a thing (a song, etc.), you make a false judgment. "All Dried Up," is equal to this song - the soul of the song is the same, especially in the lyrical content. "16 Years," is, I think, a little bit more soulful than this song. This song is just more upbeat, so ppl tend to think it's better than the more soulful songs this band makes. I admit, it's a great song, very beautiful. But it is not the most beautiful. If anything it is almost equal to the most beautiful songs this band creates. Back up your false opinion and I'll gladly change my mind. Prove to me that this song has more soul than "16 Years."
Soul is Music, by the way.
@funnyaf
TemporaryFamineShip LOOOOOOOOL
@Dank951
Someone in the comments mentioned that this song is suitable for windows down, wind blowing car rides...it's true, because that's exactly how I first heard this song.
June 2020: three months into the pandemic. I was dealing with bad anxiety and isolation due to the circumstances and quarantine mandates. I honestly thought that I wasn't going to survive the pandemic and was preparing for my "exit". I ended up catching COVID a year later but that's a story that doesn't need any explaining.
Anyway, I had gone out to a bonfire with coworkers and on the 40 minute ride back home, another coworker puts this song on and I just remember feeling a mix of happiness and sadness that blended perfectly together. It was one of those rare moments where I fully appreciated life in every aspect.
Sadly, I lost contact with those former coworkers...but I will remember that car ride home forever.
@Munnwort
thanks for sharing
@gabis.3053
this is one of those songs that you blast on long car rides with the windows down and the wind blowing
@RawkL0bster
I don't want sand and dirt getting into the inside of my car though. :c