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.
Where the Colors Don't Go
Sam Phillips Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a cobweb of enterprise
Where the dreams sleep and fears keep
That's where the colors don't go
That's where the colors don't show
That's where the colors don't go
Half live, half ignore
An endless chase in a small place
One world, one white flag
One shopping bag and restaurant
No surprise there
Only lies there
That's where the colors don't go
That's where the colors don't show
That's where the colors don't go
I want your eyes to color my world
And hear my endless longing
That's where the colors don't go
That's where the colors don't show
That's where the colors don't go(3x)
The lyrics to Sam Phillips's song "Where the Colors Don't Go" paint a picture of a sterile and monotonous environment, where conformity and routine have supplanted creativity and vibrancy. The opening lines, "In a white room, in a white head/In a cobweb of enterprise/Where the dreams sleep and fears keep," convey a sense of stagnation and entrapment. The image of a white room and a white head suggest a void, a lack of imagination or individuality. The phrase "cobweb of enterprise" implies a web of bureaucracy or corporate culture, stifling and inhibiting those within it. The idea of dreams sleeping and fears keeping suggests a suppression of the subconscious, a denial of the full range of human experience.
The chorus, "That's where the colors don't go/That's where the colors don't show/That's where the colors don't go," reinforces the idea that this environment is devoid of creativity, passion, and individuality. The repetition of the phrase "That's where the colors don't go" serves to emphasize the starkness and emptiness of this world. The following verse continues this theme, describing an "endless chase in a small place," where the world is reduced to a single white flag and a shopping bag, and where lies are the only thing to be found.
The final verse, "I want your eyes to color my world/And hear my endless longing," represents a desire to break free from this sterile and oppressive environment, to find someone who can inject color and vibrancy into life, and who can provide an escape from the endless monotony.
Overall, "Where the Colors Don't Go" is a poignant commentary on the soullessness and conformity of modern society, and a call to embrace individuality and creativity.
Line by Line Meaning
In a white room, in a white head
In a place where there is no stimulation or creativity, enclosed within one's own thoughts and ideas.
In a cobweb of enterprise
Surrounded by a complex network of bureaucracy and corporate interests.
Where the dreams sleep and fears keep
A place where hopes and aspirations are repressed by anxieties and uncertainties.
That's where the colors don't go
A metaphor for a lack of imagination or excitement, where there is no variation or vibrancy in life.
In one take, no give
Life lived without experimentation or spontaneity, without taking risks or trying new things.
Half live, half ignore
Existing in a state of apathy or indifference, only partially engaging with the world around you.
An endless chase in a small place
A repetitive cycle of chasing unfulfilling goals in a confined or limited environment.
One world, one white flag
A singular worldview or belief system, refusing to acknowledge or embrace diversity or complexity.
One shopping bag and restaurant
A narrow perspective of life centered around material possessions and consumer culture.
No surprise there, only lies there
A lack of authenticity or genuineness, where people hide their true selves and intentions.
I want your eyes to color my world
The desire for someone to bring excitement and new perspectives into one's life.
And hear my endless longing
The need for emotional connection and for someone to understand one's deepest desires and aspirations.
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: LESLIE PHILLIPS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind