White's first music video, "Free", was directed by Braden Barty and produced by Tim Simms. In the video, she acts out her story as a beauty school dropout who moves to Hollywood to pursue a singing career.
White cites her musical influences as the "soulful sounds of the 70's" such as James Taylor, Carole King, Fleetwood Mac, the Carpenters, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, the Eagles, America, Carly Simon, the Bee Gees, Hall & Oates, Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt, and Phil Collins.
On February 25, 2009, she debuted her first single, "Hold Up My Heart", from her first major label album after Idol, "High Hopes and Heart Break" to be released on June 2, 2009. She performed the song on the results show of American Idol date February 25, 2009. Shortly after the performance, the song fired up and zoomed atop the iTunes Charts and has since reached a peak of #7.
Phoenix
Brooke White Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The light is shining through
Fills up my room
Living on the radio
Making mixtapes in the backyard by the pool
Thought we were so cool
Oh let the light shine down on Phoenix when it rains
Cause I can't leave here knowing all of my favorite things have changed
Oh let the light shine down on Phoenix when it rains
Cause when the sun is shining you know it feels like home
Driving through the superstition mountains
Listening to our favorite tunes
On Sunday afternoon
Mom yells out in the street it's time to eat
It's time to come on home
The sun is sinkin' low
Now I'm getting older still my memory holds on to you
Oh let the light shine down on Phoenix when it rains
Cause I can't leave here knowing all of my favorite things have changed
Oh let the light shine down on phoenix when it rains
Cause when the sun is shining you know it feels like home
I've been living far away and I've come home on a rainy day
No it's not the same but I'll take it anyway!
Oh let the light shine down on Phoenix when it rains
Cause I can't leave here knowing all of my favorite things have changed
Oh let the light shine down on Phoenix when it rains
Cause when the sun is shining you know it feels like home
Brooke White's song "Phoenix" is an ode to the memories of home that she holds onto as she gets older and moves away from the place she grew up in, Phoenix, Arizona. The song begins with White waking up in the morning and looking out into her room which is filled with light shining through the blinds. The lyrics "Early morning waking up my blinds are shut / The light is shining through / Fills up my room" evoke a sense of nostalgia and longing for home, as though she is yearning for the sun and the warmth of the desert.
The second verse describes how she used to make mixtapes and listen to music with her friends by the pool in her backyard, feeling like she was invincible and cooler than anyone else. The next part of the song is a memory of driving through the superstition mountains, listening to her favorite tunes on a Sunday afternoon, only to be called home by her mom. These lines "Driving through the superstition mountains / Listening to our favorite tunes / On Sunday afternoon / Mom yells out in the street it's time to eat" bring back memories of a carefree childhood, which she misses.
The chorus of the song repeats the lines "Oh let the light shine down on Phoenix when it rains / Cause I can't leave here knowing all of my favorite things have changed / Cause when the sun is shining you know it feels like home." These lines are a plea to the universe to let her always have the memory of Phoenix, so that she can always feel like she is home. It is a bittersweet expression, as she knows that things have changed and she can never really go back in time, but she still wants to hold on to that sense of familiarity and comfort.
Line by Line Meaning
Early morning waking up my blinds are shut
I wake up to the sunrise, although my blinds are closed, the light from outside brightens my room.
Living on the radio
Radio music helped me move forward in life.
Making mixtapes in the backyard by the pool
Mixing and creating music with my friends in the backyard.
Now I'm getting older still my memory holds on to you
Even as I get older, I still remember you and the good times we shared.
Oh let the light shine down on Phoenix when it rains
I hope the light will shine on Phoenix on rainy days, so I can always remember my favorite things about it.
Cause I can't leave here knowing all of my favorite things have changed
I cannot leave Phoenix knowing that everything I loved about it has changed.
Driving through the superstition mountains
Driving through the beautiful superstition mountains with you.
Mom yells out in the street it's time to eat
Mom calling out to us that it's time to have dinner.
Now I'm getting older still my memory holds on to you
Even as I grow up, I still cherish these memories of us together.
I've been living far away and I've come home on a rainy day
I have moved far away, and only on a cold, rainy day, I have come back.
No it's not the same but I'll take it anyway!
Even though things are different now, I will still appreciate and enjoy what Phoenix has to offer.
Cause when the sun is shining you know it feels like home
When the sun is bright and shining, it reminds me of home and brings back memories of the happy moments I had in Phoenix.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: BROOKE WHITE, DAVID W. COBB JR.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
tropicwave1
Phoenix
Brooke White
Early morning waking up my blinds are shut
The light is shining through
Fills up my room
Living on the radio
Making mixtapes in the backyard by the pool
Thought we were so cool
Now I'm getting older still my memory holds on to you
Oh let the light shine down on Phoenix when it rains
Cause I can't leave here knowing all of my favorite things have changed
Oh let the light shine down on Phoenix when it rains
Cause when the sun is shining you know it feels like home
Driving through the superstition mountains
Listening to our favorite tunes
On Sunday afternoon
Mom yells out in the street it's time to eat
It's time to come on home
The sun is sinkin' low
Now I'm getting older still my memory holds on to you
Oh let the light shine down on Phoenix when it rains
Cause I can't leave here knowing all of my favorite things have changed
Oh let the light shine down on phoenix when it rains
Cause when the sun is shining you know it feels like home
I've been living far away and I've come home on a rainy day
No it's not the same but I'll take it anyway!
Oh let the light shine down on Phoenix when it rains
Cause I can't leave here knowing all of my favorite things have changed
Oh let the light shine down on Phoenix when it rains
Cause when the sun is shining you know it feels like home
Written by: BROOKE WHITE, DAVID W. COBB JR.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
linnea449
Great tune!! She's like Colbie Calaitt's and Taylor Swift's older sister. Brooke White is such a talent!
linnea449
Love this song so much! It never fails to brighten my mood!!
ROGER NELSON
BROOKE WHITE IS ONE OF A KIND UNIQUE TALENT AND NO ONE IS CLOSE TO HER!!!!!!!!!!
Emily Praske
Best song ever!!!
Abbie Hall
love you brookie!
octaviagriffin
haha I love Taylor Swift <3, but Colbie and Brooke are great singers too :D
octaviagriffin
true, I think the same
J G
Only one comment? What's wrong with the world....