On September 19, 2006, Matt released his third studio album, Everything In Between.
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An excerpt from the Matt Wertz facebook fan page (as of 12/17/09)
Hi. My name is Matt Wertz, and this is my bio. Usually these aren’t written by the artist, at least at this level- but as I was trying to decide who could tell my story the best, I felt like that person was me. So, I’d like to be the one to tell you where I come from, why I write music, what I’ve seen happen along the way, and where I see things going according to my finite vision.
I’m from Liberty, Missouri, but have called Nashville, Tennessee, home for the last seven years. It seems fitting that I would be writing my own biography on the cusp of my first major label release, just as I did eight years ago before releasing my first independent album. This time, though, I’m not trying to play it off like I didn’t write it.
I grew up in a home where I was encouraged to explore and dive into whatever grabbed my attention. Sports? Sure. Art? You bet. Girls? Yep. Music? Obviously. There was no expectation other than to do my best “and let God do the rest,” as my Mom always says. With that kind of freedom end encouragement, I did just that—I played sports for the fun of them, made art because I loved to create, and eventually, I wrote and performed music… because I had to.
My love for visual art led me eight hours from home to the University of Illinois, where I studied Industrial Design. As a result of that experience, music became my respite—my escape from the responsibility of class work. Dorm life served to provide a small, built–in audience who graciously embraced my first attempts at songwriting. Before I knew it, I was recording versions of those songs on my roommate’s computer and burning copies for my new cohabiting fans. Eventually I started playing concerts outside the walls of Scott Hall and made the leap to register my name as a dot-com. That may not seem like a big deal today, but at the time, those were the early, shaky steps I took toward a full-fledged career in the music industry.
Early on, I was shown many graces—like a loan from my parents to pay for the first 1,000 copies of my debut record, Somedays (2001). To assuage their fear that I was throwing my life away, I democratically assured them that I’d get a job after the summer was over. Needless to say, that never happened.
What did happen was that my summer burst at the seams with bookings at camps for high schoolers… which spilled over into a fall schedule of touring their hometowns… which set up a spring full of shows at colleges… followed by more summer camps. Rinse, wash, repeat—and you have the first few years of my career.
The days between then and now have been a series of “baby steps” that have somehow afforded me success as an independent artist. All these things really kicked into gear after the release of Twenty Three Places (2003), the first record I recorded with producer and friend, Ed Cash. The album featured some of the songs that set the tone for the rest of my career—“Everything’s Right,” “Marianne,” “Red Meets Blue,” and “Counting to 100”— songs that are still staples in my set today.
On the heels of the Twenty Three Places release, people started taking notice. Creative Artists Agency got involved booking my shows. Nettwerk took over my management. And a bunch of record labels started knocking down my door. But none of them felt like a good fit. So what did I do? I did what I’d always done: I recorded another record on my own and kept touring.
Ed and I began working on Everything in Between in February 2005, hitting the studio sporadically whenever I had breaks from the road. “The Way I Feel” was the first song we approached and it provided the compass for the record, ushering in an energy and musical depth that redirected my career to a new level. The tone of the record was my musical response to what I learned playing hundreds of clubs a year—I realized the need for up-tempo, lively songs to get the room going. The album also meant a lot to me personally—it was written and recorded during my first dating relationship since college, and much of the album followed the progress of the relationship. “5:19” was written on July 7, 2005, at 5:19 p.m., while I waited for the phone call that would inevitably be the end of that relationship.
Everything in Between was the first record I released with any kind of organized push behind it. We came out of the gates strong, charting high on the iTunes pop charts and filming a video for the song “Carolina.” Some of the songs landed in unexpected places—on TV’s “Brothers and Sisters” and in theaters via movies like My Super Ex-Girlfriend.
Since the start of my career, I’ve sold around 75,000 albums, played shows with Ben Folds, Jamie Cullum, and One Republic, as well as headlined sold-out clubs around the country. This was all done, mind you, as an independent artist. Over time, momentum built and more labels took notice, including Universal Republic. Finally I encountered a label that felt right, a label that could pull the trigger, a label that understood where I was coming from. And so, I signed.
The record that will be released on Universal Republic is called Under Summer Sun and it is a combination of my favorite songs from my first few independent releases, like “5:19” and “Everything’s Right,” as well as four new songs. Among the new tracks are “Waiting,” an introspective bedroom song that deals with the fear that I’m “growing old but not quite growing up,” and “Summer Sun,” my best effort at a nostalgic summer love song in the vein of Stevie Wonder musically and Don Henley emotionally. And the rest of the songs will strike a chord with anyone who enjoys soulful, carefree, singer-songwriter pop music.
How do I know? Because these songs emanate from the pages of my life, and I’ve seen first-hand the way that people have connected with them from their own experiences. In eight years of touring through hundreds of venues, playing three albums’ worth of songs for thousands of listeners, that connection is what fuels my passion. Ultimately, the thing that you and I have here—between the words and the chords and the lights and the beats—that is the thing that encourages me to keep singing.
Comfort
Matt Wertz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and my entire being won't rest till these feelings do
So why do I do this all of the time
jump in head first, forgetting the devine
And you comfort me
and you help me to see
Feeling drained, I look to you for strength
And I seem to break down
at the thought of that night
Why is my need for the girl
stronger then my love for God
Would you tell me here, right now
'Cause you comfort me
and you help me to see
Feeling drained, I look to you for strength
and you rest, out your name
(Unwrap me, help me
I'm resting while you're near)
Why do I worry about these things
So small, yet they seem so big
It's just that I'm not the best with the ladies
and I want someone to hold
And you comfort me
and you helped me to see
Feeling drained, I look to you for strength
and you rest me and you're near...me (you rest me)
Down by the riverside, down by the riverside
down by the riverside
You take me down, take me down
take me down to the riverside
will you, take me down
take me down, take me down to the riverside
will you, take me down, take me down
take me down to the riverside
will you wash me clean away
you wash me clean away
with your blood-stained hands,
you washed me
with your blood-stained hands,
wash me...away
The lyrics of the song "Comfort" by Matt Wertz express the struggles of the singer when it comes to relationships and faith. He is consumed by his thoughts of a girl and his feelings won't let him rest. He wonders why he keeps making this mistake, forgetting the divine. The singer relies on the girl for comfort and strength, even though he knows that his love for God should be stronger. He wants to be helped, to be unwrapped, and to be rested while she is near him.
The chorus emphasizes the comfort and clarity that he derives from the girl, while he goes through a difficult time. He doesn't understand why he worries about such small things, but he wants someone to hold him. The bridge of the song brings in the topic of the redemption of the soul. He goes down by the riverside, where he asks to be washed clean away by someone with blood-stained hands. This can be viewed as a parallel to the purity of his soul, which is tarnished by his weaknesses.
Line by Line Meaning
I am consumed with thoughts of you
My mind is filled with thoughts of you, and I can't focus on anything else
and my entire being won't rest till these feelings do
I won't be able to find peace until these intense feelings go away
So why do I do this all of the time
I question why I keep doing this to myself
jump in head first, forgetting the devine
I act impulsively without considering my faith or higher power
And you comfort me
You bring me comfort
and you help me to see
You give me clarity and understanding
Feeling drained, I look to you for strength
When I feel exhausted, I turn to you for support and energy
and you rest me and you're near
You provide me with rest and comfort by being close to me
And I seem to break down
I feel like I'm falling apart
at the thought of that night
Thinking about that night is overwhelming
Why is my need for the girl
I question why my desire for a girl is so strong
stronger than my love for God
I feel like my devotion to God should be more important than my desire for the girl
Would you tell me here, right now
I ask for guidance and answers
'Cause you comfort me
I turn to you for comfort and peace
Feeling drained, I look to you for strength
When I feel exhausted, I turn to you for support and energy
and you rest, out your name
You make me feel at ease, as if you're giving me rest just by being with me
Why do I worry about these things
I question why I'm so concerned about trivial matters
So small, yet they seem so big
Although these things are insignificant in the grand scheme, they feel significant to me
It's just that I'm not the best with the ladies
I'm admitting that I'm not very skilled with romantic pursuits
and I want someone to hold
I want to feel loved and held by someone special
Down by the riverside, down by the riverside
This line is repetitive and may not have a deeper meaning
You take me down, take me down
You bring me down to a place of peace and safety
take me down to the riverside
You bring me to a calm, natural setting
will you, take me down
I'm asking for your help and guidance
will you wash me clean away
I'm asking to be cleansed of my troubles and stresses
with your blood-stained hands,
This line may reference Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross for sins
you washed me
You have cleansed me and washed away my sins
wash me...away
I want to be fully cleansed, washed away from all of my troubles
Contributed by Connor D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Bruno Guimarães
I am consumed with thoughts of you
and my entire being won't rest till these feelings do
So why do I do this all of the time
jump in head first, forgetting the divine
And you comfort me
and you help me to see
Feeling drained, I look to you for strength
and you rest me and you're near
And I seem to break down
at the thought of that night
Why is my need for the girl
stronger then my love for God
Would you tell me here, right now
'Cause you comfort me
and you help me to see
Feeling drained, I look to you for strength
and you rest, out your name
(Unwrap me, help me
I'm resting while you're near)
Why do I worry about these things
So small, yet they seem so big
It's just that I'm not the best with the ladies
and I want someone to hold
And you comfort me
and you helped me to see
Feeling drained, I look to you for strength
and you rest me and you're near...me (you rest me)
Down by the riverside, down by the riverside
down by the riverside
You take me down, take me down
take me down to the riverside
will you, take me down
take me down, take me down to the riverside
will you, take me down, take me down
take me down to the riverside
will you wash me clean away
you wash me clean away
with your blood-stained hands,
you washed me
with your blood-stained hands,
wash me...away