"Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand" is a song by American alternative rock group Primitive Radio Gods. Their debut single, it was released from the soundtrack to the 1996 black comedy film The Cable Guy and was also included on the band's first album, Rocket. Its chorus consists of a sample from the 1964 B.B. King song "How Blue Can You Get", and the enigmatic lyrics of the song describe a troubling relationship in which two people cannot connect on an emotional level. The song was released in the United Kingdom on March 18, 1996, and was serviced to US radio on June 11, 1996. "Standing" peaked at number one on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks and Triple A charts. It became a crossover radio hit over the following few months, reaching number two in Canada and number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart. Primitive Radio Gods have not had another chart hit, making them a one-hit wonder. The success of the song bolstered sales for Rocket, helping it sell over 500,000 copies.

Background

The song's title is a reference to the unrelated song "Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand" by Bruce Cockburn, from his 1978 album, Further Adventures Of. Primitive Radio Gods frontman Chris O'Connor stated that he was struggling to name his new song, so he picked up Further Adventures Of and adapted the title "Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand" from it. Like the rest of Rocket, O'Connor recorded the song on an Ampex 16-track recorder inside a friend's garage. Afterwards, O'Connor tried to sign onto a record label, but none were interested. Several months later, he tried again by sending tapes of his songs to the labels, this time attracting the attention of Columbia Records, with whom he eventually signed.

Composition

"Standing" is a modern rock song whose lyrics, which are seemingly nonsensical, describe the relationship between a man and his partner, who are unable to connect emotionally. The song starts with a quiet bass guitar and a clacking percussion beat, then transitions to the main instrumentation with a vocal sample from "How Blue Can You Get", a 1964 song by American singer-songwriter B.B. King. The sound of church bells can be heard intermittently throughout the song, and a piano solo constitutes the track's bridge. Toward the end of the song, O'Connor sings the sampled line of "How Blue Can You Get": "I've been downhearted baby / ever since the day we met".

Reception

AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote "With its loping, unthreatening hip-hop beats and its looped B.B. King sample, 'Standing' had all the appeal of an adult novelty for most listeners—it was something that was out of the ordinary, to be sure, but not something that you would want to investigate much further."

Track listings

UK 7-inch and cassette single UK maxi-CD single Australian maxi-CD single

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the UK maxi-CD single and US promo CD liner notes. Studios Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history