Sam Phillips - Zero Zero Zero!
Big numbers go by
I close my eyes
I never count a large amount
My lucky number is below one
You never know when you might need a zero
When Sam Phillips and producer T Bone Burnett entered the studio to follow up her hit Grammy nominated Martinis & Bikinis album, they enlisted a bevy of A-list players such as Jon Brion, Jim Keltner, Matt Chamberlain, Don Heffington, Greg Leisz, Jerry Scheff and Marc Ribot, among many others, to craft an original musical soundscape – a retro-futuristic pop collection dubbed “Omnipop.”
Among Omnipop’s often overlooked gems include a co-write with REM (“Slapstick Heart”), and, an enduring personal favorite, “Zero Zero Zero!” Perhaps “Zero” is channeling the likes of Esquivel and his ilk, we don’t know… what we do know is that this pop nugget puts a big smile on our face whenever we hear it.
So, take a peek into what we think Sam Phillips’ space-age bachelor(ette) pad might sound like. You never know when you might need a zero…
Contact & Licensing info:
Master controlled by EMI Music Group, http://www.emicapsm.com/contact.aspx
Published by Eden Bridge Music (ASCAP), administered by Some Kind of Music, LLC, A Notable Music company
Okay – I have a new favorite song. How have I never heard this??? Amazing.
I’m so glad you’ve drawn attention to this song! It’s always been a favourite of mine. An absolutely perfect arrangement which manages to sublimate a number of cheesy lounge elements into a glorious, transcendent bundle of joy. And the music brilliantly illustrates the concise lyrics, in which conventional wisdom is turned on its head in true Chestertonian fashion. Sam elevates the humble, the powerless and the downtrodden, a theme she is later to revisit on songs such as “Don’t Do Anything” and “Magic For Everybody”.
Even the fact that the “chorus” has no words and no vocals is deeply poignant.