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.
Turn Smile Shift Repeat
Phantom Planet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like a heard of cattle rumbling in
The exchange has officially begun
Now all the offices are buzzing
The executives are busy bees
They watch the gears turn in the employees
They just turn smile shift repeat
There's a crowd forming on Wall Street
Near the tallest building on the block
A suit has lost his fortune to the stocks
There was no time to see his fatal flaw
The madness set in with the loss
Now he cuts at throats to watch the heads fall off
They just turn smile shift repeat
Turn smile shift repeat
Turn smile shift repeat
Turn smile shift repeat
And decimal points and dollar signs
And taxes penalties and fines
He's come to cut you down
And numbers passwords protocol
It's not enough to save your soul
He's come to cut you down
Bringing you right back to zero
The lyrics in Phantom Planet's song "Turn Smile Shift Repeat" offer an introspective look into the world of business and finance, and how it can consume individuals to the point of self-destruction. The song begins with the arrival of businesspeople to their offices - likened to a herd of cattle rumbling in - signaling the start of exchange on Wall Street. The executives are depicted as "busy bees" who watch the gears turn in the employees with the incessant drive for more profits.
The chorus "they just turn smile shift repeat" serves as a reminder of the vicious cycle of the corporate world, where individuals are expected to put on a facade of cheerfulness and go through their work absent-mindedly. The song then delves into the story of a man who loses his fortune to the stocks and descends into madness, cutting at throats and watching heads fall off. The final verse mentions the futility of trying to hold on to one's soul in a world that prioritizes decimal points, dollar signs, and protocol. The imagery of being brought back to zero at the end highlights how dehumanizing the corporate world can be, reducing people to mere numbers on paper.
Overall, "Turn Smile Shift Repeat" is a critique of the soulless nature of the corporate world and how it can lead to individuals becoming lost in the chase for profits. The chorus is particularly powerful in highlighting the repetition and monotony of the work, and how it can break down an individual's spirit.
Line by Line Meaning
Here they come the business men
A group of businessmen are approaching
Like a herd of cattle rumbling in
They are moving fast and in an organized manner
The exchange has officially begun
The stock exchange has started
Now all the offices are buzzing
The offices are busy and active
The executives are busy bees
The high-level employees are always working
They watch the gears turn in the employees
They monitor their workers as if they were machines
They just turn smile shift repeat
The employees mindlessly complete their tasks without much thought
There's a crowd forming on Wall Street
Many people are gathering on Wall Street
Near the tallest building on the block
They are near the tallest building in the area
A suit has lost his fortune to the stocks
A person in a professional suit has lost a significant amount of money due to the stock market
There was no time to see his fatal flaw
The person did not realize their mistake until it was too late
The madness set in with the loss
The person is becoming overwhelmed with negative emotions
Now he cuts at throats to watch the heads fall off
The person is now figuratively trying to bring others down with him in his misfortune
And decimal points and dollar signs
Numbers and financial values continue to be important
And taxes penalties and fines
Financial penalties and consequences are a risk in the world of business
He's come to cut you down
Someone is trying to bring you down
And numbers passwords protocol
Rules and requirements involving numbers and passwords are strict
It's not enough to save your soul
Following rules is not necessarily a moral victory
Bringing you right back to zero
Mistakes in the world of business can lead to a complete loss of progress
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Alexander Greenwald
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@flovosky4792
F came from WSB but this is definitely a after loss song
@andreitarkovsky3214
wsb?
@flovosky4792
@@andreitarkovsky3214 Wall Street bets
@Slytherin88
Love this song 🙂
@uncaringzebra7sevensquad46
Me too. Such an underrated band.
@Silocy
r/WSB
@kgaster25
Got me
@clairvoyance6847
gang here 😤
@TheSpelledMilk
Such a Good One
@Mxhonda51X
Thanks sage