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.
Tennessee Christmas
Matt Wertz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Give us a forecast snowy white.
Can't you hear the prayers
Of every childlike heart tonight?
Rockies are calling,
Denver snow falling,
Somebody said it's four feet deep.
Give me the laughter;
I'm gonna choose to keep
Another tender Tennessee Christmas,
The only Christmas for me.
Where the love circles around us,
Like the gifts beneath our tree.
Well I know there's more snow
Up in Colorado
Than my roof will ever see,
But a tender Tennessee Christmas
Is the only Christmas for me.
Every now and then,
I got a wanderin' urge to see
Maybe California,
Maybe tinsel town's for me.
There's a parade there;
We'd have it made there;
Bring home a tan for new year's eve.
Sure sounds exciting,
Awfully inviting,
Still I think I'll gonna keep
Another tender Tennessee Christmas,
The only Christmas for me.
Where the love circles around us,
Like the gifts beneath our tree.
Well they say in l.a.,
It's a warm holiday;
It's the only place to be.
But a tender Tennessee Christmas
Is the only Christmas for me.
(ooh, yeah, yeah.)
(ohh, you know I want to be home.)
(ooo-oooh.)
Well I know there's more snow
Up in Colorado
Than my roof will ever see,
But a tender Tennessee Christmas
Is the only Christmas for me.
A tender Tennessee Christmas
Is the only christmas for me.
Matt Wertz's "Tennessee Christmas" is a song that expresses a longing for home during the holiday season. Addressing the weatherman, the singer requests snowy weather, which seems to be a crucial element of a "childlike heart" for Christmas. Wertz sings the "Rockies are calling, Denver snow falling" but it does not attract him as he wants laughter, presents, and love that he can get in Tennessee. The lyrics of the song highlight the emotional significance of a simple Christmas spent with family and friends, emphasizing that the warmth of heartfelt love is more important than a cold but beautiful winter.
The singer mentions that he feels a wandering urge to visit places such as California or Los Angeles, where there's a parade; however, he decides against it and opts to stay in Tennessee. He knows there's more snow in other places such as Colorado, but he is fine with the amount of snow he gets in his home state. In the end, the singer concludes that nothing can compare to a Tennessee Christmas where love is all around, and his heart belongs to it.
Overall, Matt Wertz's "Tennessee Christmas" is a beautiful song that communicates the emotions and nostalgia that come with the holiday season, with a focus on the warmth and love of family and friends that cannot be substituted. It highlights the significance of the place we call home and the memories associated with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Come on weatherman,
Give us a forecast snowy white.
Impatiently asking the weatherman to predict snowfall for Christmas.
Can't you hear the prayers
Of every childlike heart tonight?
People, especially children, wish for snow on Christmas Eve.
Rockies are calling,
Denver snow falling,
Somebody said it's four feet deep.
But it doesn't matter,
Even though it may snow hard in Denver, it won't matter much.
Give me the laughter;
I'm gonna choose to keep
Another tender Tennessee Christmas,
The only Christmas for me.
Laughter is more important than weather conditions on Christmas. Choosing to celebrate Christmas in Tennessee only.
Where the love circles around us,
Like the gifts beneath our tree.
Christmas in Tennessee is full of love and closeness, just like the gifts given and received.
Well I know there's more snow
Up in Colorado
Than my roof will ever see,
But a tender Tennessee Christmas
Is the only Christmas for me.
Despite the possibility of more snow in Colorado, Tennessee is the only place to celebrate Christmas for the singer.
Every now and then,
I got a wanderin' urge to see
Maybe California,
Maybe tinsel town's for me.
Occasionally, the singer considers celebrating Christmas in California.
There's a parade there;
We'd have it made there;
Bring home a tan for new year's eve.
A parade in California would make the singer's Christmas a success; they would then head home with a tan for New Year's.
Sure sounds exciting,
Awfully inviting,
Still I think I'll gonna keep
Another tender Tennessee Christmas,
The only Christmas for me.
As tempting as it is to celebrate Christmas in California, the singer is going to stay in Tennessee.
Well they say in l.a.,
It's a warm holiday;
It's the only place to be.
Los Angeles is thought to be the best place to celebrate Christmas due to its warm weather.
But a tender Tennessee Christmas
Is the only Christmas for me.
Despite the hype around LA, Christmas in Tennessee is the only option for the singer.
(ooh, yeah, yeah.)
(ohh, you know I want to be home.)
(ooo-oooh.)
Vocalizations conveying the singer's strong desire to celebrate Christmas at home in Tennessee.
A tender Tennessee Christmas
Is the only christmas for me.
A repeat of the chorus emphasizing that the singer only celebrates Christmas in Tennessee.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: AMY GRANT, AMY GRANT GILL, GARY CHAPMAN, GARY W CHAPMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kymme Ong
Best Christmas song I ever heard, fall in love with it! Thank you!
Monique Writes
This is so beautiful! So accurate as a Tennessean. He perfectly explained what its like in Tennessee in December.
Robin Sena
I like it!!! This song is so warm and touching!!! I cried... Thank you! Thank you very much.
Holly Tree
I love it!!! You are destined to be big, but this Tennessee girl hopes you always stay small enough in your heart to fit in a snow globe. Too many "big" folks out there in the world.