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
Gotta Go
TobyMac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yo Tob, what's up?
A whole lot
What you doing?
Hangin' with Truett, tryin' to make music, hustlin' Gotee, I'm getting no sleep -
Yo, uh, you mind if I call you back next week
I gotta go, I'm 'bout to do a show
I can't sing with this hanging over me
But the show must go on, Lord, set me free
Hello
Yo Tob, what's up?
Too much
What you doing?
Same as yesterday, I'm here with John Reuben
Yo, tell him I said 'hey'
What's your name?
Yo, it's Cupid
Cupid?
Yeah man, I gave you a demo, on the cover there's a halo
Uh yeah, I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet.
Yo, could you hold on dude, my wife is beepin' in.
Baby, I know I'm s'posed to be home at 6, I'm just finishing this mix - they're burnin' me a disc.
I got some dude named Cupid on the other line. I love you ... baby?
Yo T, uh, it's still me man
Oh
Sorry, I'm not much for conversation
I need some time with God and a mental vacation
TOBYMAC can't get to the phone.
Please leave a message after the tone.
I'm just a little man tryin' to fit in God's plan
In TobyMac's song "Gotta Go," the singer is speaking to a friend on the phone while trying to balance his music career and personal life. He mentions that he's hanging with someone named Truett and working on music, but he's getting no sleep. He has to abruptly end the call because he's about to do a show and needs to give it his all without the stress from the phone conversation. Later in the song, he talks to someone named Cupid, who gave him a demo, but Toby hasn't had a chance to listen to it yet. He also has to take a call from his wife and apologize for being late. He then tells Cupid he needs to go because he needs some time with God and a mental vacation.
One interpretation of the song is that Toby is expressing the struggles of balancing a busy career and personal life. He wants to give his best in all areas but realizes that he needs to prioritize his mental and emotional health as well. The repeated line "I gotta go" can also be seen as a reflection of the fast-paced and demanding nature of the music industry.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, hello
TobyMac greets the person on the other end of the phone call.
Yo Tob, what's up?
The person on the other end of the phone call asks how TobyMac is doing.
A whole lot
TobyMac responds that he is busy with a lot of things.
What you doing?
The person on the other end of the phone call asks what TobyMac is doing.
Hangin' with Truett, tryin' to make music, hustlin' Gotee, I'm getting no sleep -
TobyMac lists some of the things he is doing, including spending time with his son and working on music.
Yo, uh, you mind if I call you back next week
The person on the other end of the phone call asks if they can talk to TobyMac later, and he agrees.
I gotta go, I'm 'bout to do a show
TobyMac tells the person on the other end of the phone call that he has to leave to perform a show.
Can't take the stress wanna give you my best, Lord
TobyMac hopes to do well during the show, but acknowledges that he is feeling stressed.
I can't sing with this hanging over me
TobyMac feels like he cannot perform well while feeling stressed.
But the show must go on, Lord, set me free
Despite feeling stressed, TobyMac hopes to perform well and asks for God's help.
Too much
The person on the other end of the phone call says that they have a lot going on.
Same as yesterday, I'm here with John Reuben
TobyMac says that he is working on music with John Reuben.
Yo, tell him I said 'hey'
The person on the other end of the phone call asks TobyMac to say hello to John Reuben.
What's your name?
TobyMac asks the person on the other end of the phone call what their name is.
Yo, it's Cupid
The person on the other end of the phone call introduces themselves as Cupid.
Yeah man, I gave you a demo, on the cover there's a halo
Cupid reminds TobyMac that they gave him a demo CD with an image of a halo on the cover.
Uh yeah, I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet.
TobyMac tells Cupid that he has not had a chance to listen to the demo CD yet.
Yo, could you hold on dude, my wife is beepin' in.
TobyMac asks if he can put the person on the other end of the phone call on hold because his wife is calling.
Baby, I know I'm s'posed to be home at 6, I'm just finishing this mix - they're burnin' me a disc.
TobyMac talks to his wife on the phone, telling her that he will be late coming home because he is working on a music mix.
I got some dude named Cupid on the other line. I love you ... baby?
TobyMac tells his wife that he has someone named Cupid on hold, then realizes that the person is still on the line and apologizes.
Sorry, I'm not much for conversation
TobyMac tells Cupid that he cannot talk for very long.
I need some time with God and a mental vacation
TobyMac tells Cupid that he needs some time to relax and spend time with God.
TOBYMAC can't get to the phone.
TobyMac's phone goes to voicemail.
Please leave a message after the tone.
The voicemail prompts the caller to leave a message.
I'm just a little man tryin' to fit in God's plan
TobyMac acknowledges that he is not perfect, but is trying to do what God wants him to do.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: JEFF SAVAGE, RANDY CRAWFORD, TOBY MCKEEHAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind