Vertical Horizon is an alternative rock band that was formed in 1990 by Geo… Read Full Bio ↴Vertical Horizon is an alternative rock band that was formed in 1990 by Georgetown University undergrads Matthew Scannell and Keith Kane. They're best known today for their 1999 mega-hit "Everything You Want", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. After their graduation in 1991, the duo relocated to Boston, in which they got started seriously recording. In 1992, they self-released their debut album, titled 'There and Back Again', which they had recorded in Matt's old high school over a period of a few days.

Matt and Keith together played all the instruments appearing on that album, with its name taken from 'The Hobbit' by J.R.R. Tolkien, though they both mostly played acoustic guitar. Both also contributed to writing all the songs and both sang for 'There and Back Again'. The duo toured for several years after this, mostly appearing with similar bands such as Jackopierce. By 1995, they were ready to record again. The resulting album, titled 'Running on Ice', again had Matt and Keith playing acoustic guitar and singing, but it also featured the addition of other guest musicians to play other instruments. Guests included members of Jackopierce band as well as Carter Beauford (of the Dave Matthews Band) on drums.

More touring followed, and soon Matt and Keith were joined by Ed Toth on drums. In 1997, a live album, Live Stages, was released. This featured Matt, Keith, and Ed, as well as Ryan Fisher on bass. Live Stages signaled a departure from the original acoustic guitar-based music, and featured heavy emphasis on electric guitar. Also, by this time, the band was explicit in their intent to find a major record label; band members have said that it was no accident that the first track of Live Stages opens with the sounds of a large cheering audience. Their wishes came true, and the band was signed to RCA Records.

Ryan had never intended to join the band permanently, so the three other members held auditions for a permanent bass player. Their first audition was Sean Hurley, and everyone liked him immediately. There were many more auditions, but they eventually came back to Sean, and he officially joined Vertical Horizon.

The band's major label debut, "Everything You Want", was released in 1999. The title track, released as the second single from the album, skyrocketed up the charts and ended up as one of the most played tracks on radio in 2000. One of the stand out tracks "You're A God" got on several compilation CD's and featured in the Box Office smash Bruce Almighty

The follow up to "Everything You Want", titled "Go", was delayed several times until finally being released in 2003. "I'm Still Here", the first single from Go, was released with little fanfare and faded quickly. VH ended their relationship with RCA in 2004 and re-signed with Hybrid Recordings. "Go" was re-released with an additional track in 2005. A second single, "Forever", was released prior to the re-release and received moderate airplay but did not match the earlier success of Everything You Want.

In 2005, drummer Ed Toth got what he considered the dream gig of a lifetime when he was invited to join the Doobie Brothers following the death of drummer Keith Knudsen. While Toth had hoped to juggle both bands, he quickly realized it would not be possible and announced his departure from Vertical Horizon in July 2005.

In 2007, realizing as Matt says, “there was more to do” and “thinking the timing was just right to start working on a new album,” the band began writing and recording, Burning The Days. The album is slated for release on September 22, 2009 with the first single, “Save Me From Myself” recently sent to radio. The single has been extremely well-received and is currently climbing the Hot AC charts with strong airplay in McAllen, Modesto, Monterey-Salinas, El Paso, and New Orleans.

Independent of label constraints, Burning The Days was produced by Scannell and recorded at his studio over the course of the past 2 years. For the band, it was a complete return to their beginnings of working at their own pace and “nurturing those moments of inspiration.” According to Matt, the album is “sonically as good as anything we have ever done. I take great pride in this album and feel that our renewed sense of creativity will resonate with our fans.” The album also features virtuoso drummer Neil Peart of Rush on “Save Me From Myself,” “Even Now” and “Welcome To The Bottom” as well as Richard Marx playing piano on “Here” and producing two of Matt’s lead vocal tracks.

“I’m actually in a pretty positive place right now,” says Scannell. “Of course I still have that underlying fear of everything falling apart and crumbling to the floor, but it is not the first thing on my mind, like it’s been at times in the past.” And so one of the main themes of Burning The Days is about finding balance in a journey from hardship to peacefulness – knowing that the up must follow the down, and vice versa. “It’s about being okay with things going well, and also finding strength to get through the tough times.”
The first single, “Save Me From Myself,” is about “the danger of getting so lost in your own struggles and personal demons that you can’t help the people you love, and you won’t let the people you love help you. You’re too far away in your own head to do anything but spin off in self-criticism and doubt. There’s a lot of anger and frustration in that song.” Conversely, “The Lucky One” is one of the album’s most upbeat tracks, a fact that took the song’s author a bit of time to get used to. “I’m usually wary of songs that have really upbeat messages, but this song resonated for me because I tend to be the last one to believe when things are really going well. Songs where everything is perfect and everyone’s in love make me suspicious, but this song has enough of a gray area to feel real for me.”

Other highlights on the album are “Afterglow,” “All Is Said And Done” and “The Middle Ground.”
To support the album’s September 22nd release, the band plans on doing targeted performance dates throughout the summer with a nationwide tour in the fall.

Offical web site: http://www.verticalhorizon.com

All Of You
Vertical Horizon Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

So you say
I'm too quiet
Holding things
Up in my head

I say so much
But you don't buy it
I don't want to wake up

Alone in my head

Oh say that you'll never go now
Don't go
Don't go

[Chorus]
I need a lot of you
I want a lot of you
I need a lot of you
All of you

I tend to think
I'm getting nowhere
I drag it out
Whenever I can

Someday
I'll get back there
And find the world
You dropped from your hand

Oh but some things you'll never show now
I know
I know

[Chorus]

Watch you coming up
Out on top now
Watch you coming up

[Chorus]

Overall Meaning

The song "All of You" by Vertical Horizon is about a person who is struggling to communicate their thoughts and feelings to their partner effectively. The opening lines portray the singer as someone who is quiet and tends to keep their thoughts and ideas to themselves. Their partner, on the other hand, wants the singer to be more expressive and open with them.

The singer acknowledges that they do express themselves, but their partner doesn't believe them. They fear being alone with their own thoughts and want their partner to stay with them. The chorus reinforces this idea of needing their partner in every sense of the word. They desire not only physical presence but also emotional and mental connection with their partner.

The second verse reveals that the singer is dissatisfied with where they are in life and feels stagnant. They hope to find inspiration and motivation from their partner's perspective but are met with resistance. Despite this, the singer is aware that there are some things their partner will never show, and they must accept this fact.

Overall, the song is a plea for communication, connection, and intimacy. The singer desires a whole person, not just a physical presence, and is struggling to navigate their own thoughts and emotions.

Line by Line Meaning

So you say
You point out

I'm too quiet
I don't talk enough

Holding things
Keeping thoughts, feelings or secrets

Up in my head
Inside my mind

I say so much
I talk a lot

But you don't buy it
You don't believe me

I don't want to wake up
I don't want to realize

Alone in my head
I am isolated in my own thoughts

Oh say that you'll never go now
Please promise you won't leave me

Don't go
Stay with me

Don't go
I need you