The 10 Best Phillip Phillips Songs of All-Time
Phillip Phillips is the singer-songwriter who won American Idol’s 11th season. Subsequently, he has done quite well for himself. After all, Phillips released a debut studio album called The World from the Side of the Moon that went platinum in the United States.
Furthermore, he has continued releasing studio albums, as shown by Behind the Light in 2014 and Collateral in 2018. As such, if people enjoy the more pop or folk-flavored sorts of rock, they might want to check out Phillips’s repertoire.
Here are the 10 best Phillip Phillips songs released so far:
10. Hold On
“Hold On” comes from Phillips’s debut studio album. It is an interesting song with a fair amount of emotion packed into it. However, that emotion is restrained through the singer’s skill, thus enabling it to be expressed in a more controlled, more pleasing fashion than otherwise possible.
9. Drive Me
“Drive Me” is another song from Phillips’s debut studio album. It is a very different sort of song from “Hold On,” which makes sense because it is driven by love and lust rather than a more complicated mix of thoughts and feelings. Still, good execution makes a world of difference, which is the case for this song. Thanks to that, it is energetic rather than eye-roll-worthy.
8. A Fool’s Dance
Phillips has a real talent when it comes to writing lyrics. Thanks to that, he can express even much-written-about topics in novel and intriguing ways. Here, Phillips expresses the whirling confusion of a romantic relationship in shambles, which is captured perfectly by the title “A Fool’s Dance.”
7. Where We Came From
“Where We Came From” is another song about a romantic relationship in crisis. The lyrics make it clear that a fight has happened between the viewpoint character and his significant other. However, those lyrics also make it clear that the viewpoint character hopes to reconcile by evoking the memories of their shared past, which will hopefully enable them to make it over this hurdle. Much has been penned about that particular emotion. Here, suffice it to say that it is beautiful, meaning that one can’t help but hope for the viewpoint character to be successful.
6. Wicked Game
Emotions aren’t rational. As such, we can be driven to do something that we are perfectly capable of realizing won’t end well for us. “Wicked Game” is a very entertaining example of a viewpoint character trying not to fall in love with what is best described as not a lot of success. The most curious thing is that there is no indication that the person making him feel this way is encouraging this, meaning the title isn’t quite as straightforward as it seems on initial inspection. After all, people can’t play games unless they know what is going on, thus opening up a wide range of extra ways to interpret the song.
5. Man On the Moon
We are very good at pattern recognition. Indeed, we are a bit too good at pattern recognition, which is why we sometimes see coherent images even though there is nowhere near enough information to support such conclusions. Historically speaking, people often thought they saw something meaningful on the face of the moon.
Some cultures thought they saw a rabbit. In contrast, others thought they saw a man. Phillips used the latter to wonderful effect on this song. The lyrics are a bit confusing, but to be fair, personal interactions are often like that. Certainly, “Man On the Moon” isn’t describing what anyone would consider a smooth, uncomplicated relationship.
4. Tell Me a Story
Chances are good interested individuals can think of examples of people doing things for their loved ones that they wouldn’t do under any other circumstance. After all, it is one of the most celebrated aspects of the human experience, which makes sense because it is one of the things that distinguishes us as a species.
Translating that kind of emotional attachment into comprehensible words is a serious challenge, though Phillips made a very good try on “Tell Me a Story.” His use of celestial imagery is particularly nice. The viewpoint character’s significant other isn’t just the sun that illuminates his path. They are also the moon that draws him forward through its gravitational pull.
3. Raging Fire
“Raging Fire” came from Behind the Light, which came out in 2014. It is yet another love song. What makes “Raging Fire” is the assumption that everyone will die and everything will pass. As such, what matters is what people choose to do with themselves from moment to moment.
Phillips’s answer seems to be that people’s love for one another should burn that much brighter because it is what truly makes us real in an often uncertain world. People may or may not agree with the sentiment, but it is the sort of answer that commands respect because of the sheer passion running through it.
2. Gone, Gone, Gone
“Gone, Gone, Gone” is the second single from Phillips’s debut studio album. It did quite well. The song never went number one in the United States, but the song did reach the number one position on both the country’s Adult Alternative Songs and Adult Contemporary charts. Moreover, “Gone, Gone, Gone” went platinum, which doesn’t happen without real popularity to back it up. It isn’t one of the more danceable songs begging for reciprocated love. Despite that, its vocals and its lyrics make it one of the more memorable ones.
1. Home
Unsurprisingly, “Home” tops the list. For those unfamiliar, it was Phillips’s first single, which sold so well that it saw higher sales than any other American Idol coronation song. As for its performance on the charts, “Home” managed the same positions as “Gone, Gone, Gone.”
On top of that, it secured a higher ranking on the Billboard Hot 100 by peaking at the number six position. To an extent, “Home” achieved these things because of a cleverly-chosen subject. It doesn’t go into great detail about the importance of a home. Everyone knows that.
Instead, it shines because of the viewpoint character’s determination that he and his loved one will make a home together despite their unfamiliar, sometimes outright frightening surroundings. A sentiment that resonated and continues to resonate with many people.
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