Teng’s musical style incorporates folk, pop, classical piano, and a cappella influences. She uses piano as her primary instrument and charges her lyrics with emotion, narrative, and personal history. Teng is a baseline alto but sings over a wide range.
Reaching the national spotlight at the end of 2002, pianist Vienna Teng had been an important part of the California singer/songwriter scene for a few years before then. A pianist since the age of five, Teng took piano lessons before moving on to improvisation. Writing feverishly throughout her youth, she eventually had a full album's worth of instrumentals by the age of 16.
Going to Stanford to further her education, she released an EP while going to school and recorded most of Waking Hour before she graduated. After releasing the record independently and taking it on the road with her, she scored an agreement with Virt Records and got national distribution in the fall of 2002. Comprised of many intimate songs that detailed the issues of a young adult, her music fell between the uptempo approach of Ben Folds and the theatrical chamber pop of Rufus Wainwright.
She followed up in early 2004 with the matured and critically acclaimed effort Warm Strangers, which charted on three separate Billboard charts. Touring with musicians like Joan Osborne, Shawn Colvin, and Patty Griffin over the years.
Teng next hooked up with producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Madeleine Peyroux) for her next album, Dreaming Through the Noise, issued in July 2006. That summer, she began to tour with Duncan Sheik and continued a heavy concert schedule throughout 2007.
After relocating from California to New York City in 2008, Teng began work on her fourth full-length album, Inland Territory, which was released on Zoë/Rounder in 2009.
The Tower
Vienna Teng Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
of others worthwhile
she's coming apart
right before my eyes
the one who depends on the services she renders
to those who come knocking
she's seeing too clearly what she can't be
what understanding defies
she says I need not to need
or else a love with intuition
someone who reaches out to my weakness and won't let go
I need not to need
I've always been the tower
but now I feel like I'm the flower trying to bloom in snow
she turns out the light anticipating night falling
tenderly around her
and watches the dusk
the words won't come
she carries the act so convincingly the fact is
sometimes she believes it
that she can be happy the way things are
be happy with the things she's done
reach out
but hold back
where is safety
reach out
and hold back
where is the one who can change me
where is the one
the one
the one
reach out
but hold back
where is safety
reach out
and hold back
where is the one who can save me
where is the one
the one
the one
The lyrics to Vienna Teng's "The Tower" describe a person who has always been self-sufficient and relied on their own strength and independence to survive. This person has always been a source of support and service to others, but is now struggling to maintain that facade as they feel themselves falling apart. They realize that they need someone who can understand and support their weaknesses, someone who can reach out to them and provide them with the safety and comfort they need to flourish.
The first verse of the song describes this person's struggle to reconcile their own strength and independence with their need for support and comfort. They feel themselves "coming apart" and are seeing the limits of what they can do on their own. The chorus describes their search for someone who can provide them with the emotional support they need. The second verse continues this theme, describing the person's tendency to put on a convincing act of happiness, despite feeling deeply unhappy inside. The bridge of the song repeats the chorus, emphasizing the person's search for safety and support from someone who can truly understand and change them.
Overall, "The Tower" is a poignant and introspective reflection on the struggle to balance independence and interdependence, strength and vulnerability, and the profound need for human connection and understanding.
Line by Line Meaning
the one who survives by making the lives
of others worthwhile
The person who survives by bringing happiness in others' lives
she's coming apart
right before my eyes
The person is slowly losing herself and breaking down
the one who depends on the services she renders
to those who come knocking
The person relies on her services to people in need
she's seeing too clearly what she can't be
what understanding defies
The person understands her limitations and what she cannot change
she says I need not to need
or else a love with intuition
someone who reaches out to my weakness and won't let go
I need not to need
The person wants someone who understands her and accepts her weaknesses
I've always been the tower
but now I feel like I'm the flower trying to bloom in snow
The person who has always been strong is now trying to find her way to grow despite the difficult circumstances
she turns out the light anticipating night falling
tenderly around her
and watches the dusk
the words won't come
The person is trying to let go of the day and accept the coming of the night, but she cannot express herself
she carries the act so convincingly the fact is
sometimes she believes it
that she can be happy the way things are
be happy with the things she's done
The person pretends to be okay and believes in her own lies that she is content with what she has accomplished
reach out
but hold back
where is safety
reach out
and hold back
where is the one who can change me
where is the one
the one
the one
The person wants to reach out to others but is hesitant, wondering if she will find safety and the person who will bring her change and salvation
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: VIENNA TENG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
AceofGallifrey
Vienna Teng is brilliant!! She deserves so much more recognition for her work!
Au -chan
A beautiful song by a brilliant mind. Vienna Teng has a beautiful way of expressing the most deepest feelings one can have. She's so underrated, but I'm glad to of been introduced to her music.
Айдан Аллахвердиева
really!!!!!
C. A. M. M.
Still a beautiful gem. So glad I found this brilliant artist. She has been adding charm and mystery to life for years and her work keeps getting deeper and more meaningful as time passes.
Steven Wasserman
Vienna Teng is one of a kind.... mythic.
Mandy Sun
loved this song for almost 10 year ~~
Albert Law
Since I first heard this song, I just love it
NordicTwin
It's so wonderful and deep. I love it <3
Braigwen
Absolutely beautiful.
Li Moo
love Vienna Teng' songs from my middle school years~ really a brilliant girl