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
Back To You
Vertical Horizon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You need to watch me as I drop
Lying here in the wreckage of a life
Hit me hard, push me down
While you stand your holy ground
Blame it all on the one you blew away
All of your kindness
All of your blindness
I hope you realize this
I'm giving it back to you
All of your hatred
That you hold so sacred
I am elated
To give it back to you
Tell me how it's for the best
You left me such a pretty mess
Cast away like flowers on the floor
Swimming in your scent and all the words you never meant
But you always knew to leave me wanting more
But don't you look so nice
All of your kindness
All of your blindness
I hope you realize this
I'm giving it back to you
All of your hatred
That you hold so sacred
I am elated
To give it back to you
I've had enough of the blood and the blame
Down in the dust and the rust and the shame
All of your kindness
All of your blindness
Do you realize this
It's all coming back
All of your kindness
All of your blindness
I hope you realize this
I'm giving it back to you
All of your hatred
That you hold so sacred
I am elated
To give it back to you
Back to you
It's not enough to tear you up
I need to watch you as you drop
The lyrics to Vertical Horizon's song, "Back To You," seem to be directed towards a person who has hurt the singer. The opening lines of "It's not enough to tear me up, you need to watch me as I drop" suggests that this person actively delights in the suffering of the singer. The following lines, "Lying here in the wreckage of a life, hit me hard, push me down while you stand your holy ground" further solidify this idea, as the singer is left feeling broken and powerless while this other person stands on their proverbial pedestal. The lines "Blame it all on the one you blew away, but don't you just feel fine" suggest that this person is blaming the singer for their own mistakes, and is either actively or passively enjoying the resulting turmoil.
The chorus is a powerful moment, where the singer declares that they are giving back all the pain and anger that has been inflicted upon them. They state, "All of your kindness, all of your blindness, I hope you realize this, I'm giving it back to you, all of your hatred that you hold so sacred, I am elated to give it back to you." This shows that the singer has had enough of being a victim and is now taking control, refusing to be defined by the actions of this other person. The second verse continues this feeling of empowerment, with the lines "Tell me how it's for the best, you left me such a pretty mess, cast away like flowers on the floor" suggesting that the singer is no longer listening to the delusions and lies of this other person.
In the final chorus, the singer declares that they have had enough of the "blood and the blame" and are taking back control. The repeated lines of "All of your kindness, all of your blindness, do you realize this, it's all coming back" show that this person can no longer escape the consequences of their actions, and that the singer is no longer willing to suffer in silence.
Line by Line Meaning
It's not enough to tear me up
Simply hurting me isn't enough for you, you also want to watch me suffer as I fall apart.
You need to watch me as I drop
You derive pleasure from seeing me hit rock bottom and suffer the consequences of your actions.
Lying here in the wreckage of a life
I am left to deal with the destruction you have caused in my life.
Hit me hard, push me down
You enjoy causing me pain and you exert your power over me to keep me down.
While you stand your holy ground
You feel superior and unshakeable, as if you're standing on a pedestal above me.
Blame it all on the one you blew away
You refuse to take responsibility for your actions and instead blame someone else for the outcome.
But don't you just feel fine
You take pleasure in causing me pain and leaving me in a broken state.
All of your kindness
You pretend to be kind, but it's all a facade to manipulate and control me.
All of your blindness
You refuse to see the truth and choose to believe your own distorted version of reality.
I hope you realize this
I want you to finally see the damage you have caused and take responsibility for it.
I'm giving it back to you
I refuse to carry the burden of your actions and am returning it to you.
All of your hatred
Your toxic emotions towards me, which stem from your own insecurities and issues, are unacceptable.
That you hold so sacred
You cling onto your hatred as if it gives you power or control over me.
I am elated
I am overjoyed at the thought of returning your negativity to you and freeing myself from your grasp.
To give it back to you
I am taking back control of my life and refusing to let your toxic behavior continue to affect me.
Tell me how it's for the best
You try to justify your hurtful actions by claiming they were for my own good.
You left me such a pretty mess
Your actions have left me in a state of chaos and destruction.
Cast away like flowers on the floor
You discarded me as if I were nothing, like a lifeless flower petal cast aside onto the ground.
Swimming in your scent and all the words you never meant
I am drowning in the memories of you, even though they were filled with empty promises and lies.
But you always knew to leave me wanting more
You purposely gave me just enough to keep me hooked, but never enough to satisfy me emotionally.
But don't you look so nice
You may seem put-together on the outside, but your true nature and intentions are anything but.
I've had enough of the blood and the blame
I am tired of carrying the weight of our past on my shoulders and am ready to move on.
Down in the dust and the rust and the shame
I feel trapped in a dark and dirty place, where I am weighed down by the guilt and embarrassment of our past.
Do you realize this
I want you to comprehend the full extent of the damage you have caused and how it has affected me.
It's all coming back
The negative energy you have sent my way is returning to you, and you will have to face the consequences of your actions.
Back to you
I am refusing to carry the negative energy and damage you've caused any longer, and I am returning it to you where it belongs.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind