Sam Phillips (born January 28, 1962 as Leslie Phillips) is a singer/songwr… Read Full Bio ↴Sam Phillips (born January 28, 1962 as Leslie Phillips) is a singer/songwriter from Glendale, California, United States.

Phillips began her musical career as a vocalist in the early 1980s, singing background parts for Christian artists such as Mark Heard, Randy Stonehill, and others. After a short time, Phillips was signed to a solo contract with Myrrh Records (under her given name) where she went on to record four Christian pop albums: Beyond Saturday Night, Dancing with Danger, Black & White in a Grey World, and, The Turning, which teamed her with producer and future husband T-Bone Burnett. Throughout the Myrrh period, Phillips wrote more and more of her own songs and several were Top 10 singles on Christian radio.

Since Cyndi Lauper was popular at the time and also had an high-pitched, idiosyncratic vocal style, Myrrh insisted on promoting her as "the Christian Cyndi Lauper." Phillips was never comfortable with this image, and it was a bone of contention between her and the label. She began using the name "Sam" professionally in 1988 when she left Myrrh Records and signed with Virgin Records, partially in order to distance herself from her somewhat embarrassing Myrrh-imposed persona.

Like many Christian artists before her, she expanded into more secular content at the new label. She released The Indescribable Wow, which featured the orchestrations of Van Dyke Parks. Cruel Inventions, which was released in 1991, included a guest appearance from close friend Elvis Costello, and she (with her husband) supported Costello on his 1991 tour. 1994's Martinis & Bikinis was widely praised by music critics and was even nominated for a Grammy Award; this was Phillips' first nomination.

In 1995, Phillips made her silver screen debut in the Bruce Willis blockbuster Die Hard With a Vengeance, in which she played a mute terrorist. She was originally supposed to have a speaking part in the film but it was decided that her character would be silent, since it made her appear much more imposing and lethal, although it also placed her in a more stereotypically femme fatale role at the same time.

In 1996, Phillips released Omnipop (It's Only a Flesh Wound Lambchop), which was more experimental musically and ended up being her worst-selling album to date. After releasing a contractual obligation "best-of" album for Virgin in 1999, the label dropped Phillips from their roster.

In 2001, Phillips signed with Nonesuch Records and released a stripped-down acoustic album called Fan Dance, which featured some of the most critically acclaimed songwriting of Phillips' career. Van Dyke Parks contributed string arrangements for a track or two. Phillips also began writing music for and scoring the television series Gilmore Girls, and even appeared on-screen during the final episode of season six, performing Taking Pictures. In 2004 she released A Boot and a Shoe, another collection of acoustic cabaret songs in the same vein as her previous album.

Sam returned with a new album don't do anything in 2008. In October 2009 Sam launched Long Play, an exclusively web-based membership site which promised subscribers 5 digital EPs and 1 full-length digital album over the course of about one year. A physical "best of" compilation of Long Play songs, titled Solid State, was released in June 2011.

Animals on Wheels
Sam Phillips Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Am I your pussycat? I know what's new
It's the oldest hat in the book
We can't get fast enough to go backwards
To take a second look

Animals on wheels faster all the time

Some want to leave us and go to another planet

And blow up the earth
They'd still be murderous, lying and they'd want it all

For whatever it's worth

Famous is fast
You don't have to be talented or do good work or be smart
It's perfect for me

But every time I go after it
My ideals run off with my heart

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Sam Phillips’s song “Animals on Wheels” seem to be a commentary about the fast pace of society and the unrelenting desire to get ahead. The opening line, “Am I your pussycat? I know what’s new,” could be interpreted as someone questioning their identity in an ever-changing world. The line “It’s the oldest hat in the book” suggests that the constant need for innovation is really just a recycled concept. The following line, “We can’t get fast enough to go backwards, to take a second look,” implies that society is moving too quickly to stop and reflect on the past.

The chorus, “Animals on wheels, faster all the time,” highlights the idea that society is always moving forward, even if it’s in circles. The second verse touches on the idea that humanity is its own worst enemy. The line, “Some want to leave us and go to another planet, and blow up the earth,” suggests that some people have given up on fixing the problems on earth and would rather start anew. However, the following line, “They’d still be murderous, lying and they’d want it all, for whatever it’s worth,” implies that human nature is the root of the problem.

The final verse is a commentary on fame and the pursuit of success. The line, “Famous is fast, you don’t have to be talented or do good work or be smart,” highlights the idea that fame is often achieved through superficial means. However, the line, “But every time I go after it, my ideals run off with my heart,” suggests that the pursuit of success can lead to compromising one’s morals and values.

Line by Line Meaning

Am I your pussycat? I know what's new
Do you want me to be your helpless pet? I can sense your true intentions

It's the oldest hat in the book
It's a cliche, a tired and overused concept

We can't get fast enough to go backwards
We try to avoid facing our past, but we can't outrun it

To take a second look
To reconsider what we left behind

Animals on wheels faster all the time
Our society is always accelerating and evolving, and we lose touch with our natural and instinctual selves

Some want to leave us and go to another planet
Some people are so dissatisfied with the world that they seek a fresh start elsewhere

And blow up the earth
They are so angry with this planet that they don't care what happens to it

They'd still be murderous, lying and they'd want it all
However, they can't escape the darker aspects of humanity - greed, dishonesty, and violence

For whatever it's worth
Regardless of the outcome or consequences

Famous is fast
Celebrity is fleeting but quick to obtain

You don't have to be talented or do good work or be smart
Fame doesn't require actual merit or effort