Celebrating Behind the Light: Song of the Week 11- Don’t Trust Me

In the musical and emotional roller coaster ride that is Behind the Light, no song reaches a higher musical and emotional peak than “Don’t Trust Me,” the second additional track on the deluxe version of the album, and the fifth written solely by Phillip. Little is known about this song, though Phillip recently indicated in a tweet that it’s an older song he wrote when he was younger.

While Phillip is still very young, “Don’t Trust Me” certainly captures an energy that’s a little different from the one we find throughout Behind the Light, and which I think actually finds its parallel on another older song, the amazing opener from Phillip’s first album, The World from the Side of the Moon, “Man on the Moon.” Like “Moon”, “Don’t Trust Me” explores some big themes lyrically, while also highlighting Phillip’s talent for delivering rich, fast-paced, rhythmically strong lyrics that take almost precedence from the music, the message flowing almost like a stream of thought, guiding the song much more than the music does.

This doesn’t mean that the music in “Don’t Trust Me” takes a back seat, quite the opposite, as the more complex the ideas get, the richer the music becomes, going from a bare bass line and snare drum on the verses, to beautiful, dream-like strings on the bridge, to a full band accompaniment–including a gorgeous horn arrangement–by the end of the song. The effect is exhilarating, inspiring, transformational–a lot to take in, specially coming from a song that’s only three and a half minutes long.

Still, this powerful effect is due very much to the lyrics, which remain the driving force of the song, both because of their form–long, rich sentences that often have no clear beginning or end– and because of the ideas they explore: identity, self-doubt, self-discovery; the quest to understand one’s place in the world. In the process, Phillip transforms probably very personal experiences into universal themes, touching on ambition and humility, luck and free-will, on the idea of individual potential and fulfillment. Ultimately it’s about being present, fully conscious of being alive and able to seize all the opportunities that come our way.

I have said before that trying to understand Phillip’s lyrics is like trying to find shapes in the clouds, we could make them out to be about almost anything we want. This is certainly true of “Don’t Trust Me.” Still, when a song is able to touch us, to make us curious, to move us in ways we haven’t been moved before, it must mean that we are able to recognize ourselves in it, however intuitively or briefly.

In the end, “Don’t Trust Me” conveys a vertiginous feeling, that of understanding the vastness of the universe and our place in it: we remain small and insignificant, yet each of us unique and capable of the extraordinary. The feeling is also that understanding is fleeting, but that we go on, our quest for meaning, eternal.

Listen to an awesome live version of “Don’t Trust Me” below. And, if you haven’t gotten it already, click here to get Behind the Light!

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Read about our previous “Songs of the Week.”

Phillip Phillips At Walmart Soundcheck

Phillip recently visited the Walmart Soundcheck studio to do a very special performance and interview. Phillip, together with guitarist Errol Cooney, rocked the songs in another inspired performance.
[floated align=”right”]Setlist:
1. Man On The Moon
2. Where We Came From
3. Gone Gone Gone
4. A Fool’s Dance
5. Home[/floated]

During the interview, Phillip talked about his passion for performing live and the difference between playing with a full band or just acoustically with another guitar player. He also talked about songwriting and how he hopes the next album will be completely written or co-written by him.

Check out the wonderful videos right here!

Man on the Moon

Where We Came From

Gone Gone Gone

A Fool’s Dance

Home

picture_10 picture_09 picture_08 picture_07 picture_06 picture_05 picture_04 picture_03 picture_02 picture_01-1

On Playing Live 
[quote style=”2″]To me, if you can’t play a song live then there’s no point of putting it on the album. I like to change up the songs and make ’em different.[/quote]
On Writing 
[quote style=”2″]I’m all about the writing. I wanna have a connection with it so when I get up on stage I feel something towards it and I can go back and remember why I wrote it[/quote]
On How it Began 
[quote style=”2″]I picked up a guitar when I was 14 and fell in love with it. I had a little karaoke machine I would play CD’s or cassette tapes out of. I didn’t start singing until about 17 or 18 and that’s when it really inspired me to start writing.[/quote]
On New Fame
[quote style=”2″]I don’t know how to take it sometimes. I’m trying to figure it all out. I say it every night I’m just thankful for all the fans. I’d never be here without ’em.[/quote]

Source: Wallmart Soundcheck

Phillip Phillips fans celebrate TWFTSOTM Anniversary

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Phillip Phillips’ debut album, The World From The Side Of The Moon is one year old today!
Interscope Records is re-releasing the album along with a three-song Live EP recorded in the summer during Phillips tour in support of John Mayer.

In honour of the 1st anniversary of the album, and its special edition re-release, we decided to make a video to celebrate all its success.

Phillips’ fans are passionate about the album, so we asked them what their favourite song on The World From The Side Of The Moon was and why. We received many beautiful answers and we wish we could have used them all. Thank you to all the fans that contributed!

You can order the special edition of the album + three-song Live EP here.
Watch the video below!


Phillip Phillips fans celebrate TWFTSOTM… por PhillPhillcom

Phillip Phillips Debuts New Song in Ohio

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photo by jasminemaeflower

Phillip Phillips played at  the Midland Theatre in Newark, Ohio, last Saturday, November 9.

After his usual high-energy set, Phillips surprised the lucky audience when he debuted a brand new song during the encore.

Playing by himself and accompanied only by his guitar, the short song has a delicate, mournful melody and dark, haunting lyrics. The video was captured by a fan at the show. “Ghostly Man”, as the fans have unofficially titled the song, is not the first song Phillips has debuted while on tour. Last year he debuted “Take Me Away” during a performance at a radio show, and during his solo tour earlier this year, he played at least two or three, so far unreleased and unnamed songs.

The beautiful, fan-given title comes from a line in the song:

“…A ghostly man, you cannot see
I’m dead to you as you are to me”

If this moving song (as well as all the other new, unreleased ones)  is any indication, Phillips’ next album will showcase even more the deep, darker style of song writing that was evident in many of the songs he wrote for The World From The Side Of The Moon

Check out the full set list, video and audio of the song below!

Set list for the night:

Get Up Get Down
Man On The Moon
Drive Me
Gone, Gone, Gone
Wanted Is Love
Where We Came From
Tell me A Story
Take Me Away
Home
New song “Ghostly Man”
In The Air Tonight

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Thanks: EllaEriksen