Phantom Planet are: Alex Greenwald on vocals, Sam Farrar on bass, Darren Robinson and Jeff Conrad, who replaced original drummer Jason Schwartzman after he left to continue pursuing his acting career.
They played their first show ever in 1995 at The Dragonfly in Hollywood. Most of their friends couldn't attend because they were still in high school, while the Dragonfly only serves customers that are 21 and over. Two of the songs they played are featured on the bonus material of the Chicago, Chicagogoing, Chicagogone DVD. Among the songs performed were "My Friend Liz's Dad" (misprinted as "My Friend Liz Is Dead on the DVD), and a cover of the Beastie Boys' 1994 song "Sabotage".
Phantom Planet has appeared on the televison programs "Sabrina the Teenage Witch", Performing So I Fall Again, and "American Dreams", playing British rock band The Zombies. They have appeared in the remake of the feature film The Bad News Bears, playing a band called The Bloodfarts. In 2005 they covered the CSNY track, Our House for the movie The Chumscrubber.
The band is named after the theme song of a 1961 b-movie called The Phantom Planet. They decided on the name in 1994 in a Pizza Hut.
The band has opened for many well-known artists, including Sting, Elvis Costello, Incubus, Guided By Voices, The Hives, American Hi-Fi, Maroon 5, and even Ludacris.
Lead singer and song writer Alex Greenwald became a popular model and the familiar face of many commercials for clothing retailer Gap. Greenwald also played a sociopath in the 2001 film Donnie Darko. Bassist Sam Farrar is the son of John Farrar, the singer/songwriter known best for notable songs from the movie Grease ("You're the One That I Want" and "Hopelessly Devoted to You") and other hits sung by Olivia Newton-John.
Ex-drummer Jason Schwartzman is the son of actress Talia Shire, brother of Rooney singer Robert Schwartzman and nephew of famed director Francis Ford Coppola. Schwartzman is now an acclaimed actor. He starred in Rushmore, I Heart Huckabees, Shopgirl, Roman Coppola's CQ, Bewitched, and appeared in his cousin Sofia Coppola's film Marie-Antoinette.
The band released their fourth and most recent album in April 2008 called Raise the Dead.
They announced, on November 25th, 2008, that they are on an indefinite hiatus.
On November 4, 2011, an official Phantom Planet reunion Twitter account was created which stated they would be reuniting in 2012. Since then, they have held their first practice in 3 years. In late January 2012, Phantom Planet announced their first reunion show, June 13, at The Troubadour in Los Angeles. On January 31, they announced the addition of a second Troubadour show to be played June 14, 2012. Former member of the band, Jacques Brautbar, joined them for songs at the June 13th show.
Also on January 31, guitarist Darren Robinson hinted at a Phantom Planet tour with the following Facebook status update: "Preparing for June shows for 5 months, in a huge positive way." No tour was announced.
In Augusts of 2013, the band, under Alex Greenwald & Phriends, performed a new song titled Balisong, which ended up being on Greenwald's solo album. This performance did not have bassist Sam Farrar because he was touring with Maroon 5. He was replaced by Jamiroquai bassist Stuart Zender.
A Phantom Planet Instagram account was created on January 19, 2019, indicating that the band could be reforming. Additionally, band members posted the logo on their personal social media accounts. It was confirmed that the band played a small secret private show January 19, 2019, at No Name on Fairfax in Los Angeles.
On March 18, 2019, the band officially announced "Hiatus. Over." They announced their first "public" show in over 7 years at Hanson's "Hop Jam" Music and Beer Festival in Tulsa, OK on May 19, 2019. Before that event, they scheduled three shows across Southern California.
1st Things 1st
Phantom Planet Lyrics
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'Cause if you've worn your lipstick off, I want to hear about it
And telling me would be such a breeze, say it if you want to leave
I think I'm getting the drift
You want some time with your friends, on the nights and weekends
You take the time for yourself both of us used to spend
Before you make it better, before you make it worse
I don't think it's an accident, you treat me like a dummy
Hold on, hold on
Well I've been asking for the truth, at least just tell me something
Hold on, hold on
And telling me would be such a breeze, let me know, don't let me be
It's almost too easy
I'm holding you by the hand, more like the nape of your neck
Why don't you draw up a list you have to frequently check?
And put some things in order and lose it in your purse
First things first
I'm holding you by the hand, more like the nape of your neck
Well what your trouble is, you have to frequently check
And put some things in order and lose it in your purse
First things first
You spend all that time with your friends on every night and weekend
You take the time for yourself both of us used to spend
Before you make it better, before you make it worse
First things
First things
First things
First things first
The lyrics of "1st Things 1st" by Phantom Planet talk about a conflicted relationship in which the singer is questioning the honesty of their partner. They want their partner to be truthful and straightforward with them about why they are spending less time with them and more with their friends. The singer seems frustrated that their partner is avoiding explaining the situation directly to them and asks them to "get their story straight" before they start to doubt the relationship. The refrain of "first things first" emphasizes that the truth needs to be laid out before any progress can be made in the relationship.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of tension and frustration as the singer tries to get to the bottom of what is going on. They mention holding their partner by the hand and the nape of their neck, suggesting a physical need to be close to them and understand what is happening. The line "draw up a list you have to frequently check" implies that their partner may be avoiding addressing the situation head-on and needs to take charge of their own emotions and actions in order for the relationship to work.
Line by Line Meaning
You should get your story straight, before I start to doubt it
Make sure your explanation is clear and truthful, or else I will begin to question it
'Cause if you've worn your lipstick off, I want to hear about it
If you've been out doing something, I need to know the truth
And telling me would be such a breeze, say it if you want to leave
Being honest with me should be easy, especially if you want to end things between us
I think I'm getting the drift
I'm starting to understand what's going on
You want some time with your friends, on the nights and weekends
You want to spend some time with your friends on weekends and nights
You take the time for yourself both of us used to spend
You are now taking time for yourself that we used to spend together
Before you make it better, before you make it worse
Before things get any better or worse, we need to address what's going on
First things first
We need to deal with the most important issues first
I don't think it's an accident, you treat me like a dummy
I don't believe it's a coincidence that you're treating me like I'm unintelligent
Hold on, hold on
Wait a minute
Well I've been asking for the truth, at least just tell me something
I've been asking you to be honest with me, so please tell me something
And telling me would be such a breeze, let me know, don't let me be
Telling me the truth should be simple, so please don't keep me in the dark
It's almost too easy
Being honest with me is so simple, it's almost suspiciously easy
I'm holding you by the hand, more like the nape of your neck
I'm being forceful with you, grabbing you by the neck like I'm trying to control you
Why don't you draw up a list you have to frequently check?
Why don't you make a list of things you need to do regularly to make sure everything is in order?
And put some things in order and lose it in your purse
Organize the list, and keep it somewhere safe and convenient so you can refer to it regularly
First things first
We need to deal with the most important issues first
You spend all that time with your friends on every night and weekend
You're devoting a lot of time to your friends on weekends and nights
You take the time for yourself both of us used to spend
You are now taking time for yourself that we used to spend together
Before you make it better, before you make it worse
Before things get any better or worse, we need to address what's going on
First things
We need to deal with the most important issues first
First things
We need to deal with the most important issues first
First things
We need to deal with the most important issues first
First things first
We need to deal with the most important issues first
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Alexander Greenwald
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind