In 2003, Morris recorded and released an independent album titled, UnSpoken.
He performed at 2008's Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival and, on September 23, 2008, released a five song EP entitled "Backstage at Bonnaroo and Other Acoustic Performances".
In fall 2008 he toured extensively with Joan Osborne.
Morris is currently signed as a recording artist to Tennman Records. His debut album on Tennman, When Everything Breaks Open, was released on January 12th, 2010
What is it that separates Matt Morris from so many other recording artists? When you peel back all the layers – the diverse moods, styles and topics he sings about – there is one common denominator: They reflect Matt’s dedication to living and writing about a meaningful life.
In an increasingly rushed and rude world, in which politicians and talk radio hosts hurl epithets and insults, where honest disagreements are shouted down by dishonest rhetoric, Matt Morris gives voice to our best instincts. “We’re looking for a way to make it better/Looking for a way to change the weather,” he sings in “Live Forever” from his new album When Everything Breaks Open on Tennman Records. On the album, Matt embraces the personal and political, the romantic and the spiritual, in a way that recalls Stevie Wonder’s 1970s streak of masterworks.
He can build epic emotional epiphanies such as “Forgiveness” and “Eternity,” and switch gears with the rhythmic “Money.” He is bold and fearless with sarcasm on “The Un-American,” where Morris holds up a mirror to the demagogues of divisiveness and asks: “What if you’re the un-American?” The dynamic singer is also at home with the ambitious “Don’t You Dare”, on memorable love songs like “Just Before the Morning,” and shows his compassion with his message in “In This House.”
When Everything Breaks Open was produced in Austin, Texas, and in Los Angeles by Charlie Sexton and Tennman label founder Justin Timberlake – two names you wouldn’t intuitively expect to team up in the studio. “Charlie and Justin can be seen as representative of different sides of my music,” Morris says. “There is an earthy, rooted, sometimes melancholy side to some of my writing that is in line with Charlie’s personality and approach. There is a playful, high-energy, soulful side that speaks to who Justin is, as a person and producer. The two people are very different from one another, but they both have impeccable instincts.”
Morris has known Timberlake since the early 1990s, when the two were child co-stars of that era’s edition of “The All New Mickey Mouse Club.” Morris was on the show for four seasons, from 1991-1995. Even before what was popularly known as MMC, Morris was a stage savvy performer. His father is country artist Gary Morris, former Broadway actor and once one of country’s biggest stars. His parents divorced when he was young; he lived with his mother in Denver, but on summer vacations, he would often join his father not just on the road, but on stage.
In addition to Timberlake, Morris’ friends and contemporaries from the show included luminaries such as Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Keri Russell, Ryan Gosling, and JC Chasez. While many of his cohorts leveraged their Disney Channel exposure to successful pop and acting careers, Morris craved teenage normality, and the family headed back to Denver. “At 15, all I really wanted to do was hang out, get my learner’s permit, and not work” Morris says. “I didn’t want to be a celebrity; I wanted to be a kid."
During the summer between his Junior and Senior years in high school, Matt worked as a volunteer health activist for the non-profit organization, Amigos de las Americas. He worked in a remote village in Paraguay, South America, teaching hygiene to locals and assisting with sanitation. Matt’s experience with Amigos was a precursor to the work he would do as a partner artist with the Flobot’s non-profit, FightWithTools.org, an organization committed to providing support on many levels to communities in need.
Morris reunited as a collaborator for some of his fellow Mouseketeers as they pursued their music careers. Morris and Aguilera co-wrote five songs on her Stripped album, including the hit “Can’t Hold Us Down”; they also wrote Kelly Clarkson’s hit, “Miss Independent.” Morris teamed up with Timberlake to craft “The Only Promise That Remains” – a duet performed by Timberlake and Reba McEntire for the Reba Duets album. The pair also wrote “All Over Again (Another Song)” produced by mega-producer Rick Rubin, for Justin’s 2008 FutureSex/LoveSounds.
“To write for another person is to channel that person’s artistic vision,” Morris says. “I work to become aligned with their intentions, and allow my words to speak as close to their perspectives as possible. I think that’s why it is so easy for me to write with Justin, and why my time with Christina yielded so many songs. I know them; we have a shared context.”
Morris’ own music occupies a time and space entirely different from the songs he has collaborated on. In 2003, Matt released the DIY album, UnSpoken, and over the last couple of years has toured with Grammy award winners The Indigo Girls and Joan Osborne. In 2008, he performed at the Bonnaroo Music Festival, which spawned a five song EP – Backstage at Bonnaroo and other Acoustic Performances.
All these years of work paved the way for When Everything Breaks Open, which was conceived in a Middle Eastern restaurant in New York City. “Justin had just performed on “Saturday Night Live” for the first time, and I was there to support him and watch the show. At dinner after the show, he told me he was going to start a label of his own, and that he wanted to sign me as his artist. He said he was going to help me share my music with the world, and I believed him.”
On When Everything Breaks Open, Matt Morris has grown from an award-winning songwriter to a multi-talented recording artist with the first ambitious release of 2010.
Love
Matt Morris Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Beneath my heart, behind my lungs
In-twined with veins, filled tight with blood
Is something pure and hot and good
It's something ripe and real and full of super human stuff
Having dust
It's like an angel kissed my lips and then held me close and it said this is love
Love, inspite of what you have heard
Love, is perfect and plenty enough
It's plenty enough
Love, for lack of a better word
Love, inspite of what you have heard
Love, is perfect and plenty enough
It's plenty enough
Deep inside the earth
Beneath the stones under my foot
And above the power lines and building lights
Between the spaces of our words
There is a love that flows like water to the roots of Edens trees
Growing truth from every branch
Changing colours with the seasons
Giving shade to cool the weary
Giving strength to house the needy
Holding you and I completely
Ooooh love is, love is
Love, for lack of a better word
Love, inspite of what you have heard
Love, is perfect and plenty enough
It's plenty enough
Love, for lack of a better word
Love, inspite of what you have heard
Love, is perfect and plenty enough
It's plenty enough
Ooh loooooooveee
Love, for lack of a better word
Oh Love is perfect and plenty enough
It's plenty enough
Love, for lack of a better word
Love, inspite of what you have heard
Oh love is perfect and plenty enough
It's plenty enough
It's plenty enough
It's plenty enough
It's plenty enough
It's plenty enoooouuugh, of love
Oh loooooooveee
The lyrics of Matt Morris's "Love" express the idea that there is a deep and pure love within everyone that is beyond human explanation or understanding. The song talks about this love being present in the most unexpected places, such as beneath the stones and between spaces of words. It is described as something that is powerful, nurturing, and all-encompassing, capable of providing shade and strength to those in need. The repetition of the phrase "Love, for lack of a better word" emphasizes the point that there is no word that can fully grasp the essence of this love.
The metaphorical language used in the song creates vivid imagery that helps convey the idea of this profound love that exists within everyone. The use of terms like "pure and hot," "full of super human stuff," and "growing truth from every branch" paint a picture of something that is powerful, transformative, and divine. The final lines of the song, where Morris elongates the word "love" in a powerful and passionate manner, reinforces the idea that this love is something that cannot be contained or fully expressed.
Overall, the message of the song is that even though love may be hard to define, it is something that exists within us all and has the power to transform lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Somewhere in my gut
Deep down, inside me, there is something special and unique
Beneath my heart, behind my lungs
It is located underneath my heart and behind my lungs
In-twined with veins, filled tight with blood
It is intertwined with my veins and is full of my life force
Is something pure and hot and good
It is something pure, passionate, and good
It's something ripe and real and full of super human stuff
It is something mature, genuine, and full of extraordinary qualities
Having dust
Despite being surrounded by imperfections and flaws
It's like an angel kissed my lips and then held me close and it said this is love
It feels like an angel kissed me and said that this is what love feels like
Love, for lack of a better word
The word 'love' is not enough to express the depth and significance of this emotion
Love, inspite of what you have heard
Despite what people may say about love, it still holds true and powerful
Love, is perfect and plenty enough
Love is perfect just the way it is and there is plenty of it to go around
It's plenty enough
There is an abundance of love in the world
Deep inside the earth
Buried deep within the earth
Beneath the stones under my foot
Below the stones that I walk on
And above the power lines and building lights
And above the man-made structures that illuminate our world
Between the spaces of our words
In the silences and pauses between our conversations
There is a love that flows like water to the roots of Edens trees
There is a love that is all around us, nourishing and sustaining life, just like water that feeds the roots of trees in the Garden of Eden
Growing truth from every branch
This love is constantly growing and nurturing truth in every aspect of life, just like branches on a tree
Changing colours with the seasons
Just like the colors of the leaves on trees change with the seasons, this love changes and adapts with the changes in life
Giving shade to cool the weary
This love provides comfort and shelter to those who are tired and burdened
Giving strength to house the needy
This love gives strength to those who are weak and provides a home for those who are in need
Holding you and I completely
This love holds us completely, without reservation or hesitation
Ooooh love is, love is
This is what love truly is
Ooh loooooooveee
Love is something that fills us with joy and excitement
Oh Love is perfect and plenty enough
Love is perfect and there is plenty of it to go around
It's plenty enoooouuugh, of love
There is more than enough love in the world
Contributed by Aaron E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.