The ascension of TobyMac’s solo career has been nothing short of spectacular. In an era of declining music sales he has consistently defied the odds and has seen his sales increase with each new album release. This is no small feat. With his fourth studio album TONIGHT released on Feb. 9, he is poised to take things higher yet again.
Having climbed the mountain once with the group dcTalk (4 Grammys, more than 8 million albums sold), TobyMac knows how difficult the journey can be and how much work the process actually takes. Rarely does an artist get to soar to great heights for a second time, but soar he has. He took home his first Grammy as a solo artist last year after receiving Grammy nominations for each of his first four solo projects (Momentum, Welcome To Diverse City, Portable Sounds, Tonight). And last year TobyMac topped 2 million in total albums sold during his solo career. TobyMac has also remixed the Welcome to Diverse City album and Momentum, calling the new albums Renovating Diverse City and Re:Mix Momentum, respectively. He has done it with a combination of talent, hard work and humility which has produced songs that resonate with people from all walks of life .
Upon embarking on his solo career, Toby sought to surround himself with a talented and diverse cast of characters, aptly named the Diverse City Band. The result has been a musical fusion that radiates with an unquenchable energy and a penetrating message.
A self-professed perfectionist when making records—he’s been known to relentlessly tweak and massage every little thing in an inexorable effort to make it sound better—Toby is the first to admit that he has to work really hard to make great music. “That’s what drives me,” he says. “I feel like I have to work harder than other people to get there. Sometimes I feel like I’m slightly under-gifted; I usually don't sit down and write a great song in just a few minutes like others can. But I think my work ethic makes up for that.”
Starting with dcTalk, and then going solo when the group disbanded in 2000, Toby still clings to such rootsy notions as hard work, persistence, patience and—perhaps most relevant of all—the power of music, which he insists is still what keeps him going.
“It’s the truth,” he says. “I still believe that a song can penetrate a heart. I believe God can use a song to open someone’s mind and heart. Other songs can just drop what I call, 'the joy bomb' on somebody. I fight really hard to remain unjaundiced—to keep believing that you can actually walk into a studio and write a song that breathes life. That’s the hardest fight for a guy who’s been doing this for a while; it’s easy to fall into the trap of just making it your job. But I still believe that songs matter.”
The songs on TONIGHT certainly matter—everything from the prayerful first single “City On Our Knees” to the testimonial “Changed Forever,” from the worshipful “Captured” to the confessional “Start Somewhere,” and even down to the put-on-your-party-hat grooves of “Funky Jesus Music” and “ShowStopper.” One theme that runs loud and clear throughout is the idea that we all need God, and we need him now—this morning, this afternoon, tonight.
“Right here, right now / Under the stars / I promise You my heart / ’Cause it starts tonight,” Toby sings on the chorus of the title track. “If you gotta start somewhere why not here? If you gotta start sometime why not now?” he asks on “City on Our Knees.” And “I wanna straighten this before the sun goes down tonight,” he proclaims on “Start Somewhere.”
“There’s definitely a sense of urgency on this record,” says co-producer Chris Stephens, who has worked on TobyMac’s last three CDs. “And it’s an album that speaks of unity, of coming together and finding common ground to worship God.”
Toby has long had a passion for racial reconciliation and unity, a recurrent theme in his music. TONIGHT includes songs of reconciliation of another kind—between husband and wife. Toby and Amanda have been happily married for 15 years, but like all couples, it can be hard work sometimes. For Toby, who best expresses his emotions through music, it was a natural step to write about it. In “Hold On,” he sings, “If you move just a little bit closer / You can put your head on my shoulder . . . / Wipe away those tears / This one’s for you.” And on “Start Somewhere,” he’s downright confessional: “I said some things that I regret / And if I could, I’d take ’em back / But here I am, and there you are / The space between us is not so far / I’m reaching out my hand in love.”
“‘Hold On’ is very personal,” Toby says. “Many lines are there to encourage my wife, but I know those lines could encourage anybody in a relationship. As for ‘Start Somewhere,’ any time you’re in love with somebody, you’re going to bang heads from time to time. I don’t know how many times I’ve been lying in bed, sweating it out and thinking, How am I going to make this right? But then you reach that moment of apology and forgiveness. That’s one of my favorite songs on the record; it’s a personal perspective on confrontation and reconciliation.”
And then there’s “Wonderin’,” in which Toby reminisces about the past with Kevin Max and Michael Tait in dcTalk, one of Christian music’s biggest acts in the 1990s. “We was ridin’ in style, clockin’ them miles / With the songs that He put down deep in our hearts . . . / I’m wonderin’ ’bout the way I spend my days / Wonderin’ if it’s even worth the chase / Wonderin’ if they’re stealin’ me from you.”
“It’s just a warm look back at dc Talk,” says Toby, almost wistfully. “It’s reminiscing about Michael and Kevin and what we did together, and recognizing their influence on me. I love what I do today, but there are times when I wonder,What if we stayed together? I’ve got these dreams I’m pursuing now, but are they stealing me from you? I think about Kevin and Michael on every song I write. That's the truth man, we climbed a mountain together.”
Sonically, TONIGHT is typical TobyMac in many ways—an eclectic mix of rap, rock, pop and funk, all laden with catchy hooks and melodies just itching for airplay and audience singalongs. There’s even a healthy dose of reggae on the album closer “Break Open the Sky,” where Toby flexes his Jamaican family ties while Israel Houghton provides guest vocals. Other visiting vocalists include Skillet’s John Cooper on “Tonight” and Relient K’s Matthew Thiessen on “Wonderin’.”
Of course most of the vocals belong to the artist himself. Stephens says Toby “has stretched himself as a vocalist, he writes about things he is passionate about and his vocals reflect that urgency''. Toby agrees: “I do more singing on this record than ever before. I’m learning to use my vocal instrument in different ways, and I’m getting more comfortable with it everyday''.
It all adds up to a project that reflects one man’s desire to push himself beyond “very good,” to dig deep in the quest for that other country where greatness resides. He certainly reached for it. Hard.
“I’ve worked very hard not to fall into the trap of making this just a gig,” he says. “If it is a labor, it’s a labor of love. I know music can’t change the world, but who says God can't speak through a song."
Right here, right now. TONIGHT.
TobyMac is usually styled tobyMac or TOBYMAC
Catchafire
TobyMac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm feelin' luke warm like the water in my tub
Started out and we was hot, looked up and now we're not
We had that fire like we was boilin' in a pot
Whoopsi-daisy, whoopsi-daisy, whoopsi-daisy
Come, we gonna catch that
Then we'll fan the flame up into something bigger
Started out and we was hot, looked up and now we're not
We gonna catch a fire, catch a fire for God
Whoopsi-daisy, whoopsi-daisy, whoopsi-daisy
Come, we gonna catch that
Whoopsi-daisy, call me crazy, whoopsi-daisy
Come, we gonna catch that
Fire, takin' it from warm to hot
Fire, gotta give it all we got
Fire, whoopsi-daisy, call me crazy, whoopsi-daisy
Come, we gonna catch that
Spark to a flame, I'm flippin' up my game
I caught the fire and I'll never be the same
So unexplainable I can't contain it, son
And my retaining it would only be a shame
So let me hear you say
Heat, like the Kingston concrete
There ain't no stoppin' the fire
We're straight breakin' ground
There ain't no cooling this thing down
We burnin' up and keep'n it krunk as we know how
Hear me now people
Catch a fire let it burn within
Catch a fire let it burn for him
The lyrics to TobyMac's song Catchafire are a plea to reignite the passion and intensity that was once felt towards their faith in God. The song stresses the importance of not allowing complacency to overtake the fervor that once existed. The artist imagines a scenario in which he and others have let their spiritual flames dwindle, becoming lukewarm and ho hum. This lack of passion is compared to the water in a bath that has gone cold. The lyrics mourn the loss of the fire that once burned within and acknowledge that this is a problem for many people.
However, the song doesn't just dwell on this loss but rather calls for action. The chorus speaks of catching fire for God, of expressing an intense and focused devotion to their faith. The song recognizes that this passion must be fought for and rekindled. It compares the process to going from warm to hot, fanning a flicker into something much larger. The artist emphasizes that this isn't just their own fight, but a fight for everyone. The song is a call to action for others to join in, to catch the fire and keep it burning within.
Overall, the song is a powerful call to arms, an exhortation to rekindle the fire of faith that once existed. It recognizes the easy slide into complacency and the ever-present ongoing struggle to maintain passion in our daily routines. It serves as a rallying cry, reminding listeners of the importance of keeping their faith strong and burning bright.
Line by Line Meaning
Slackin' off like a bum, I'm feelin' ho hum
I am feeling uninspired and unproductive like a lazy person.
I'm feelin' luke warm like the water in my tub
I am feeling indifferent and unenthusiastic like lukewarm water.
Started out and we was hot, looked up and now we're not
We were once passionate and energetic, but now we have lost that spark.
We had that fire like we was boilin' in a pot
We were once full of energy and enthusiasm, as if we were boiling in a pot.
Whoopsi-daisy, whoopsi-daisy, whoopsi-daisy
Oops! We have made a mistake.
Come, we gonna catch that
But we are not going to let it hold us back; we are going to catch that spark again.
Fire, I'm feenin' for a flicker
I am craving that energy and inspiration that will light my fire.
Then we'll fan the flame up into something bigger
Once we reignite that spark, we will grow it into something greater.
Whoopsi-daisy, call me crazy, whoopsi-daisy
Even if it seems foolish or crazy, we are going to take that risk.
Fire, takin' it from warm to hot
We are going to turn up the heat and take it from a lukewarm state to a passionate one.
Fire, gotta give it all we got
We have to put our all into it and give it our best effort.
Spark to a flame, I'm flippin' up my game
I am taking that initial spark and turning it into a raging flame, by elevating my game.
I caught the fire and I'll never be the same
Once I found that inspiration and energy, I felt transformed and never looked back.
Heat, like the Kingston concrete
The fire we have is strong and unrelenting, like the concrete of Kingston.
There ain't no stoppin' the fire
Once that fire is ignited, there is no stopping it.
We're straight breakin' ground
We are making new and powerful strides, that were not achievable before.
There ain't no cooling this thing down
The fire we have cannot be extinguished or dampened.
We burnin' up and keep'n it krunk as we know how
We are blazing hot and keeping our spirits high even when it is hard.
Catch a fire let it burn within
We are urging others to find that fire within them and let it burn strongly.
Catch a fire let it burn for him
We want others to ignite that fire in honor of God.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: HAYLEY CARLINE, MAREK ROBERT MAKLES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind