White houses- Vanessa Carlton

The song White Houses by Vanessa Carlton might seem at first just another girly song, an up-beat composition about teenagers enjoying their summertime respite from education. It is undeniably catchy.  but if listened carefully enough (thinking outside the box!!), Vanessa's White Houses is full of symbolism and hidden meanings. The symbol of “white houses,” through its repetition and use as the title, stresses the importance of the loss of virginity as a formative act in the transition to adulthood. While the whiteness of the houses obvious symbolizes purity and virginity. “It’s alright and it’s nice not to feel so alone but I hold onto your secrets in white houses,” Vanessa is employing the idea of the narrator’s pure heart; in the next verse, in which the phrase in preceded by the line “but I put myself in his hands,” “white houses” indicates her untouched body; immediately afterwards, with: “love, or something ignites in my veins And I pray it never fades in white houses,” she is speaking again about her heart and how she doesnt know if it's love or lust what she feels.

She sings about a guy with a red shirt, symbolizing passion/love and "I sneak into his car, black leather seats", again using color, black to symbolize uncertainty, fear, abandonment, and evil. Additionally, the poem suggests to girls that losing one’s virginity will most likely be unpleasant "rush of blood, and a little bit of pain, on a cloudy day". Repetition is used in this song, once again when she states "My first time..." and then " He's my first mistake". Even the upbeat song symbolizes the teenager period of life, full of color and fun. A song full of meaning that a recommend everyone to listen very carefully.