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.
White Light
Vienna Teng Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And everyone concerned is looking down
Guilty party is right here in the room
But no one can assume the high ground
Oh it almost caught up with you
Caught up with you then
Oh you should've thought of this my friend
You don't know, you didn't mean to, it slipped your mind
And it feels so good to feed a habit
You're just making the most of your borrowed time
Waiting for the white light
Heading home you swear that you'll be good
Do everything you should, and know the facts
But in the morning you're back to petty needs
Tragedy recedes to photographs
Oh it hasn't caught up with you
Caught up with you yet
No it hasn't taught you when to quit
If you knew it was wrong why did you do it
You don't know, you didn't mean to, it slipped your mind,
It is OK because everybody does it
This whole party is rolling on borrowed time
Waiting for the white light
Shine down
Wipe it all out again,
Show me how
It doesn't matter in the end
If you knew it was wrong why did you do it
You don't know, you didn't mean to, it slipped your mind
It is OK because everybody does it
No laws are broken if we're all committing the same crime
But I know it's wrong, why do I do it
I don't know, I don't mean for it to slip my mind
It just takes so much to break a habit
Even when I'm aware we are out of time
Am I waiting for a white light
The song "White Light" by Vienna Teng appears to be a commentary on the nature of human weakness and our tendency to rationalize our own bad behavior. The lyrics describe a scene where everyone present knows that someone in the room has done something wrong, but no one wants to take responsibility for calling them out. The guiltiest person in the room is aware of their own bad behavior, but they continue to make excuses for it, ignoring the consequences of their actions. Teng suggests that this behavior is a form of addiction, and that even when we know what we're doing is wrong, it's hard to stop because it feels so good in the moment.
The chorus of the song, "Waiting for the white light," is a reference to death, and the idea that we'll all "see the light" and be held accountable for our actions when we die. Teng seems to be suggesting that this is a dangerous way of thinking, and that we should be more aware of how our actions affect others. She acknowledges that it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that "everybody does it," but ultimately this kind of thinking leads to a kind of moral relativism where no one is willing to take a stand against bad behavior.
Overall, "White Light" is a thought-provoking commentary on the nature of human behavior, addiction, and moral responsibility.
Line by Line Meaning
All of a sudden the conversation turns
The topic of discussion suddenly changes to something uncomfortable
And everyone concerned is looking down
People seem ashamed and avoid eye contact
Guilty party is right here in the room
The person who did something wrong is present
But no one can assume the high ground
No one is in a position to pass moral judgment
Oh it almost caught up with you
The consequences of your actions almost caught up with you
Caught up with you then
But it didn't happen yet
Oh you should've thought of this my friend
You should have considered the consequences beforehand
If you knew it was wrong why did you do it
You were aware of the wrongdoing, yet you chose to do it
You don't know, you didn't mean to, it slipped your mind
You might deny having done something intentionally
And it feels so good to feed a habit
You enjoy doing something, although it's not healthy or right
You're just making the most of your borrowed time
You're trying to enjoy yourself, despite knowing that you shouldn't
Waiting for the white light
You're waiting for a sign or moment of clarity
Heading home you swear that you'll be good
You promise to act responsibly in the future
Do everything you should, and know the facts
You're aware of what's right and what's wrong
But in the morning you're back to petty needs
You quickly revert to your old ways
Tragedy recedes to photographs
The importance of past events fades away
Oh it hasn't caught up with you
The negative consequences have not yet caught up with you
Caught up with you yet
Although it might happen in the future
No it hasn't taught you when to quit
You haven't learned when to stop doing something
No laws are broken if we're all committing the same crime
You might justify your actions by saying that everyone else is doing it too
But I know it's wrong, why do I do it
You're aware that your actions are immoral, yet you continue to do them
I don't know, I don't mean for it to slip my mind
You might not know why you're doing something, but you're not doing it intentionally
It just takes so much to break a habit
It's difficult to stop doing something that you're used to doing
Even when I'm aware we are out of time
You know that you should stop doing something, but you continue to do it anyways
Am I waiting for a white light
You wonder if you're waiting for a sign or opportunity to change your behavior
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: VIENNA TENG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
F0kx
So beautiful! Thank you Deity in the sky for blessing us with this amazing person; a voice straight from an Angel.
excusemejimchim
Very catchy tune, I love it. Vienna Teng is so good, I wish a lot more people knew her and appreciated her, she has good talent
midsummersky
She's so versatile <3 I love herr ♥
demonofthefullmoon
nice song ^_^