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
Best I Ever Had
Vertical Horizon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Into a gray sky morning.
Now I'm here to stay,
Love can be so boring.
Nothing quite the same now,
I just say your name now.
But its not so bad,
I ever had.
You don't want me back.
You're just the best
I ever had.
So you stole my world,
Now I'm just a phony.
Remembering the girl
Leaves me down and lonely.
Sending in the weather
Make yourself feel better.
But it's not so bad,
You're only the best
I ever had.
You don't need me back.
You're just the best
I ever had.
And it may take some time
To patch me up inside.
But I can't take it
So I run away and hide.
And I may find in time
That you were always right.
You're always right.
So you sailed away,
Into a gray sky morning.
Now I'm here to stay,
Love can be so boring.
What was it you wanted?
Could it be you're haunted?
But its not so bad,
You're only the best
I ever had.
I don't want you back.
You're just the best
I ever had.
The best I ever had.
Best I ever had.
The song "Best I Ever Had" by Vertical Horizon is about a failed relationship that left the singer alone and brokenhearted. The opening lines "So you sailed away, into a gray sky morning" indicate that the person the singer was in love with has left their life, but they are still thinking about them. Despite feeling down and lonely, the singer acknowledges that the person they loved was the best they ever had. The chorus repeats this sentiment, stating that the person doesn't want them back, but they were still the best they ever had.
Throughout the song, the singer reflects on the relationship that ended, thinking about the good times they had together but also the pain they caused. The lines "Sending in the weather, make yourself feel better" suggest that the person may have intentionally hurt the singer to make themselves feel better. The singer also admits that it may take some time to heal, saying "And it may take some time, to patch me up inside. But I can't take it so I run away and hide."
The song ends with the singer asking what the person wanted and wondering if they too are haunted by the memories of their time together. Despite their pain, the singer accepts that they don't want the person back, but they will always remember them as the best they ever had.
Line by Line Meaning
So you sailed away
You left and went on your own journey, without me.
Into a gray sky morning.
You left me in a melancholic mood.
Now I'm here to stay,
I'm still here, trying to get over you.
Love can be so boring.
Our relationship had become dull and had lost its passion.
Nothing quite the same now,
Things are different without you.
I just say your name now.
You're still on my mind, even though you're not here.
But its not so bad,
Although it hurts, I'm coping with the situation.
You're only the best
You were the greatest thing that ever happened to me.
I ever had.
I'll never forget the happiness we shared.
You don't want me back.
You've moved on and don't desire a reunion.
So you stole my world,
You took everything away from me.
Now I'm just a phony.
I'm not the same person I was before; I'm a fake version of myself now.
Remembering the girl
Recalling the days when we were together.
Leaves me down and lonely.
The memories of us leaves me feeling sad and alone.
Sending in the weather
Sending mixed signals and changing the atmosphere around me.
Make yourself feel better.
You're trying to move forward with your life, and maybe doing so at my expense.
And it may take some time
It may take longer than expected.
To patch me up inside.
To fix my broken heart.
But I can't take it
It's too painful for me to bear.
So I run away and hide.
Escaping from the unbearable emotions by hiding away.
And I may find in time
Eventually, I will learn from this experience and understand why you had to leave.
That you were always right.
Realizing that our separation was for the best.
What was it you wanted?
Trying to understand your reasons for leaving.
Could it be you're haunted?
Wondering if your past is still affecting your present.
I don't want you back.
I'm not interested in rekindling our relationship; I'm moving on.
You're just the best
You were the best thing that ever happened to me, even though it ended.
The best I ever had.
You will always hold a special place in my heart.
Best I ever had.
You were the best thing that ever happened to me.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MATT SCANNELL, MATTHEW B. SCANNELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind