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.

Power World
Sam Phillips Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Look at how they've washed your brain
Down the info TV drain
You're back before you ever came
To find out what you need

You try too hard, you try too soft
You're afraid of getting lost
As impostor number one

You left your record out in the sun
All the signs of life aren't clear and straight and always right

Our ideas of perfect are so imperfect

Love doesn't pay attention to
The metal teeth of ugly rules
He was everybody's fool
For squandering his love on her

Thomas when you told the truth
They electrocuted you

I'll pick up my zero and follow through
The perfect power world

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Sam Phillips's song Power World are a commentary on the way in which our views and beliefs are shaped by the media and those in positions of power. Phillips is critical of the "info TV drain" that we are subjected to, which "washes our brains" and leaves us disconnected from the truth. She suggests that we need to "find out what we need" in order to avoid being misled by these forces.

Phillips speaks to the struggle of finding a balance in life, one that is not too hard or too soft, and the fear of getting lost in the process. She references the idea of being "imposter number one" and leaving your "record out in the sun." These lines suggest the struggle to find authenticity in a world that often values conformity over individuality.

The final verse references the story of Doubting Thomas, who was punished for telling the truth. Phillips sees this as a warning against those who hold power and control the media, using it to shape our perceptions of reality. She ends with a vision of a "perfect power world," which seems to be a dubious and dangerous place.

Overall, the lyrics of Power World suggest that we need to be aware of the forces that shape our views of the world and take control of our own beliefs and values.

Line by Line Meaning

Look at how they've washed your brain
Consider how others have influenced your thoughts and beliefs

Down the info TV drain
Through exposure to television and media sources

You're back before you ever came
Returning to an earlier state of mind

To find out what you need
In search of true meaning or purpose

You try too hard, you try too soft
Struggling to find a balance between two extremes

You're afraid of getting lost
Fearful of losing your way in life

As impostor number one
Feeling like a fake or fraud in your own life

You left your record out in the sun
Unwittingly exposing yourself to harm or damage

All the signs of life aren't clear and straight and always right
Life can be unpredictable and full of challenges

Our ideas of perfect are so imperfect
Our definitions of perfection are inherently flawed

Love doesn't pay attention to
Love is not influenced by