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.
Holding On To The Earth
Sam Phillips Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm afraid I won't wake up
If I stop and listen
I'm afraid I'll hear too much
Trying to hold on to the earth
Holding on for what it's worth
marble hot tub in the back
Champagne waterfall
solid gold question mark twenty feet tall
Try to paint a world of shapes
Over the holes as we're falling
The tightened grip is our mistake
As we're trying to hold on to the earth
Looking for his name
wet on brave lips carved on road
Look for flame and mercy
Hope that tired hands can hold
The opening lines of Sam Phillips's song Holding On To The Earth are about fear and insecurity. The singer is hesitant to close their eyes because they are afraid they won't wake up or to listen too closely because they might hear too much. These fears are indicative of a person who is struggling to hold on to their sense of self and their place in the world. The refrain "trying to hold on to the earth, holding on for what it's worth" suggests that the singer is fighting to maintain their grasp on life, to stay grounded and sane despite the chaos that surrounds them.
The second stanza describes a luxurious lifestyle, with a long black Cadillac, a marble hot tub, and a champagne waterfall. These extravagant items are juxtaposed against the solid gold question mark twenty feet tall, which suggests a sense of uncertainty and insecurity. The singer is trying to paint a world of shapes, to create a sense of order and stability in a world that feels chaotic and uncertain. But this grip is a mistake because it only perpetuates the illusion of control. The final stanza suggests a search for meaning and purpose, something to cling to in the face of this uncertainty. The singer looks for the name of someone, wet on brave lips carved on road, and hopes for flame and mercy. This is a poignant and powerful image that captures the essence of the song - the struggle to hold on to hope and meaning in the midst of great uncertainty.
Line by Line Meaning
If I close my eyes
I fear that sleeping will lead me to death
I'm afraid I won't wake up
I fear that closing my eyes will lead to my ultimate end
If I stop and listen
I dread knowing the innermost thoughts in my head
I'm afraid I'll hear too much
I'm frightened of the innermost thoughts that I'll be exposed to
Trying to hold on to the earth
Making efforts to maintain a position of stability
Holding on for what it's worth
'Holding on for what belongs to me'
I've got a long black Cadillac
I have a powerful car that serves as a symbol of status and strength
marble hot tub in the back
A bath-like structure built with fine materials that is located at the rear of my powerful car
Champagne waterfall
The bubbly drink is cascading down like a waterfall
solid gold question mark twenty feet tall
An enormous letter that is a symbol of a puzzling or uncertain condition
Try to paint a world of shapes
It's essential to strive and build a world composed of various forms
Over the holes as we're falling
Above the pitfalls that form when we topple, we must create our universe of shapes
The tightened grip is our mistake
Clutching or holding steadfastly is our misfortune
As we're trying to hold on to the earth
As we struggle to maintain a stable stance
Looking for his name
Looking for an identity that belongs to him
wet on brave lips carved on road
A name that has been etched onto the road with courage and bravery
Look for flame and mercy
Seeking kindness and compassion
Hope that tired hands can hold
Desiring that hands that are weary can maintain a grip on something
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: LESLIE PHILLIPS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
TighelanderII
The whole album is great.
Tymn
Simply, or perhaps complicatingly, phenomenal! Leslie Phillips, performing under the guise of her super-songstress pseudonym "Sam", is both a slap and a kiss that's sure to get your attention. A lyrical enchantress weaving words into ideas with a smirk and an overabundance of uncanny wit. A chanteuse mystically concocting mild melodic hallucinogens in her very own apothecary of creativity. This particular song is exquisitely drenched in psychedelia. For those who will take time to listen, her entire album "The Indescribable Wow" is a hidden gem, offering anxious and thrill-seeking ears the most pleasurable aural sex in stereo from beginning to end. Truthfully, this woman's whole artistic catalogue is a Rubik's Cube of expressiveness and unorthodox constructs that not only entertain but also challenge. Through music she cunningly lures participants to her surreal carnival rides, lowers the lap-bar, and carries them on acid-washed quarter notes and half notes to more places than a global Rand McNally. She tickles and wildly fascinates the human imagination by regaling and disorienting it with more off-kilter stories than an Edward Lear Book of Nonsense, and she has the ability like ancient Biblical scripture to pry open one's soul with surgical precision and keen self-assurance in order to cleverly attempt modification of even an unwilling heart and mind. Each unique opus she carefully chooses to wave before us is well myelinated, proudly flaunting a barrage of synaptic blitzkriegs, giving clear indication that these are songs that do indeed think and feel while boldly daring us to do the same. She is the Mayor of Quirkyville and at the core, she is the very definition of post-modern musical aesthetics with a generous smattering of winks and nods to the sonic paths which brought us here. And what a trip it is. Sam Phillips exists in Time-Space as one of a kind. The Universe couldn't possibly make two of her and as has often been said...why improve upon perfection.
Stefanthenautilus
This was the right place to come for my trip today.
Kwadwo Holloway
You can hear 1960s influences in Sam Phillips's music.
LeavingIt Blank
Incense and Peppermints
Electronbluepearl
Love Sam!
agutterfan
Brilliant. For some strange reason the opening organ riff always reminds me of "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." - don't know why.
James Brent
The end credits of "Ruby in Paradise" (1993) brought me here. The version from the film is slower than this. Still a great track.
Green Cheek
She was married to T Bone Burnett, a legend.
itsyoureternalsoul
Only 32 years ago. No way to get back from here to Leslie Phillips the Christian artist powerhouse