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.
Shadows
Phantom Planet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Madness left to discover
It's so bad
Cos we're all gone way from home
Chorus:
When the lights go out
Our shadows sing in silence
Don't don't close your eyes for an instant
Goes so fast
It'll all be over soon
Chorus
The song "Shadows" by Phantom Planet highlights the theme of feeling lost and uncertain in life, as well as the inevitability of change and the fleeting nature of time. The lyrics suggest that the singer is going through a period of madness and uncertainty, feeling like they are wandering aimlessly away from home. There is a sense of urgency in the song, a feeling that time is running out and that the singer is racing against it to find something they have yet to discover. The chorus encourages the listener to keep their eyes open and not to let life pass them by, for when everything is over, they might regret not having savored the moment.
The title "Shadows" can be interpreted in different ways, but it can be seen as a metaphor for the fleeting nature of life. A shadow is impermanent, constantly changing and disappearing as the light shifts. It's a reflection of something that's there but not really there, just like life can seem so real and tangible but ultimately proves to be elusive and transitory. The song's somber tone and slow tempo emphasize the bittersweet nature of existence, with a hint of regret and nostalgia for things that are irretrievably lost.
Line by Line Meaning
Hell, haven't you thought you were coming
Have you ever felt like you were on the brink of something big, something exciting and new, but at the same time terrifying?
Madness left to discover
There's still so much chaos and confusion in the world for us to explore and try to understand.
It's so bad
The world can be a truly terrible place, filled with tragedy and heartbreak.
Cos we're all gone way from home
No matter where we are, we are all ultimately strangers and outsiders in this vast and complicated world.
When the lights go out
In the darkness, all of our secrets and fears come to light.
Our shadows sing in silence
Even when we are alone, our subconscious selves still make themselves known.
Don't don't close your eyes for an instant
Don't let your guard down or take your eyes off the world around you, even for a moment.
When it's all gone you might miss it
Sometimes we don't realize how precious someone or something is until it's gone forever.
Goes so fast
Life can feel like it's moving at a breakneck pace, and it's all too easy to feel left behind.
It'll all be over soon
Ultimately, we are all just fleeting blips in the grand scheme of things, and our time in this world is fleeting and finite.
Contributed by Carson J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Florencio Llanos
Thank you thank you thank you for posting this! Genuine heartfelt music!! Phantom planet lives!!!