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.
Lying
Sam Phillips Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And science can move my soul
If I said I'm not afraid to die
And I don't need you
I'd be lying
If I said the way he looks at me
If I said I could leave you now
And go where I could forget
I'd be lying
I've been lying all my life with silence
And I need to find the words to tell you
If I said I don't want what I don't have
And all the answers are enough
If I said I believe in myself
And that's enough
I'd be lying
Sam Phillips's song "Lying" speaks to the idea that people often deceive themselves and others by not acknowledging their true feelings and desires. The opening lines of the song indicate that even if the singer believes that their eyes and science can move their soul, or if they claim that they're not afraid to die and don't need their partner, they would be lying. These lines set the tone for the rest of the song, where the singer reflects on the ways they've been lying to themselves and others about their true feelings.
In the second verse, the singer admits that they're attracted to someone else and that they've been lying to themselves by pretending otherwise. The repeated line "I'd be lying" emphasizes the singer's acknowledgment that they've been deceiving themselves for some time.
The final verse suggests that the lies the singer tells themselves are not limited to their relationships. They admit that they often pretend that they're satisfied with their life and that they believe in themselves, but in reality, they are lying to others and themselves about their true feelings.
Overall, the song speaks to the idea that honesty with oneself and others is crucial for a fulfilling life.
Line by Line Meaning
If I said I believe my eyes
If I pretended that I trust my eyes, my own perception and how I see things
And science can move my soul
If I pretended that modern discoveries and scientific knowledge can change my emotional and spiritual core
If I said I'm not afraid to die
If I lied to myself claiming I'm not scared of my own mortality
And I don't need you
If I pretended that I can make it through life without the love and companionship of another person
I'd be lying
All the statements I made before are false, and I would be deceiving myself and others
If I said the way he looks at me
If I pretended that the way my romantic interest gazes at me doesn't affect me
Doesn't make me want to undress
If I lied that I am not sexually attracted and aroused by his behavior
If I said I could leave you now
If I pretended that I have the strength and willingness to end things with you right now
And go where I could forget
If I believed that I could go somewhere else to erase the memories of our time together
I'd be lying
All the things I just said aren't true, and I would be deceiving myself and others
I've been lying all my life with silence
I have kept many secrets and been hiding the truth to avoid confrontation and vulnerability
And I need to find the words to tell you
I want to come clean and express my true feelings and thoughts to you directly
If I said I don't want what I don't have
If I concealed my jealousy and pretended that I don't desire what others possess
And all the answers are enough
If I masked my confusion and pretended that I am satisfied with the current state of knowledge
If I said I believe in myself
If I pretended that I have unshakable confidence in my abilities and worth
And that's enough
If I pretended that self-belief alone is sufficient to tackle any challenge and fulfill my goals
I'd be lying
All the things I just said aren't true, and I would be deceiving myself and others
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: LESLIE PHILLIPS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind