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.
taking pictures
Sam Phillips Lyrics
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It's only a photograph, the city is gone
The places I go are never there
The places I go are never there
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
I can only picture the disappearing world
When you touch me
He brought me the air of Paris in a bottle
The record caught the air of London, nineteen sixty-five
The places I go are never there
The places I go are never there
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
I can only picture the disappearing world
When you touch me, when you touch me
When you touch me
The lyrics to Sam Phillips's song Taking Pictures are both poignant and thought-provoking. The singer takes photographs of the city, but when she looks at them later, the city has disappeared. The physical world around her seems to be disappearing, leaving only memories behind. The nostalgic feeling of the past is not enough to bring it back, and while the singer can capture moments on film, they are fleeting.
Throughout the song, the singer references the air of different locations- Paris and London, specifically. The idea of capturing the essence of a place in a bottle or on a record is intriguing, but ultimately, it is not the real thing. The singer seems to be searching for something concrete, something that won't disappear the way the city seems to, but can only find it when touched by someone else.
Overall, the song is a meditation on the transience of life and the ephemeral nature of our experiences. Nostalgia, while comforting, cannot bring back what has been lost. Touch, connection, and human interaction are what make our experiences tangible and real.
Line by Line Meaning
When I take a picture of the city, it disappears
Capturing an image of the city does not preserve its actual existence, it vanishes like a mirage.
It's only a photograph, the city is gone
No matter how real the image is, it only represents the past and shows a city that has already vanished.
The places I go are never there
Wherever I visit, it seems like it's never really there, as everything keeps perpetually changing.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
The feeling of yearning for a lost time and place is not as powerful as it used to be, as memories get distorted with time.
I can only picture the disappearing world
All that remains is an image of the places, people, and memories that were once cherished.
He brought me the air of Paris in a bottle
A remnant of the past, like a scent, can bring back memories of a place, time, or person that has disappeared or changed.
The record caught the air of London, nineteen sixty-five
Music has a unique ability to preserve a moment, an atmosphere and convey the spirit of a bygone era.
When you touch me
The only time I feel truly connected to something is when I'm touched by another.
When you touch me, when you touch me
The only way to keep memories alive is to share them with others, to touch them, and to feel the emotions they evoke.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: SAM BURNETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind