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
Finding Me
Vertical Horizon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you see my face
I guess you're waiting
To spin me around again
Wheels I guess are turning
Somewhere inside my head
I know that this is
But you're coming back again
You don't mean to waste my time
But you're coming back so
[Chorus]
Don't tell me
How to be
'Cause I like some suffering
Don't ask me
What I need
I'm just fine
Here finding me
Me
I've already given
Up on getting through
I never question
Who I'm talking to
Oh so much for nothing
But nothing means so much
I know it's touching
But I've been out of touch
And it's all that I can do
I'm a sight for my sore eyes
But it's all I am so
[Chorus]
I don't think you notice
When I can't reach out
I guess you're waiting
On somebody else again
Oh so much for talking
It's all been said before
I'm hearing something
But I wish you'd just say more
But you're going off again
When I try to just hold on
But you're going off so
[Chorus]
The lyrics of Vertical Horizon's song Finding Me depict a sense of self-discovery and self-appreciation in the midst of interpersonal struggles. The singer seems to address a person who keeps returning and leaving again, causing mixed signals and confusion. The singer appears aware that the other person does not understand the depth of their internal struggles and thoughts. The line "I know that this is deeper than you get" conveys this feeling of disconnection and highlights the challenge of making someone understand what is going on within oneself.
The chorus of the song has a theme of self-acceptance in spite of personal struggles. The lines "Don't tell me how to be 'cause I like some suffering" and "Don't ask me what I need, I'm just fine here, finding me" show that the singer is comfortable with their current situation and doesn't need someone else to tell them how to cope. It's almost as if the singer is saying that they are good at handling their own emotional pain, and they don't need someone else to guide them. The repetition of the phrase "finding me" reinforces the idea of the singer's self-search or self-discovery journey, as they navigate the ups and downs of their relationships and personal life while remaining focused on their inner self.
In the last verse, the singer seems frustrated with the ambiguous communication from the other person. The line "I'm hearing something, but I wish you'd just say more" shows that the singer is open to connecting with the other person, but their communication is not sufficient. The last part of the chorus repeats with emphasis, as if the singer is reaffirming to themselves that they don't need to rely on anyone else to find themselves, ultimately finding solace in themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't think you notice
I don't believe you pay attention
When you see my face
When you look at me
I guess you're waiting
I assume you are looking forward
To spin me around again
To manipulate me again
Wheels I guess are turning
Metaphorical wheels are spinning in my head
Somewhere inside my head
Inside my mind
I know that this is
I know this is
Deeper than you get
More complex than you understand
But you're coming back again
You keep returning
You don't mean to waste my time
You don't intend to use my time inefficiently
But you're coming back so
But you keep returning
Don't tell me
Do not instruct me
How to be
How to behave
'Cause I like some suffering
Because I find some comfort in hardship
Don't ask me
Do not inquire from me
What I need
What I require
I'm just fine
I'm doing okay
Here finding me
Discovering myself here
Me
Myself
I've already given
I've already provided
Up on getting through
Given up on overcoming obstacles
I never question
I never doubt
Who I'm talking to
Who I'm conversing with
Oh so much for nothing
All that effort for no gain
But nothing means so much
But that means a lot
I know it's touching
I recognize it's moving
But I've been out of touch
But I've been disconnected
And it's all that I can do
This is the only thing I can do
I'm a sight for my sore eyes
I am visually pleasing to myself
But it's all I am so
But that is all I have left
When I can't reach out
When I am unable to contact you
On somebody else again
On someone else once more
Oh so much for talking
All that conversation for nothing
It's all been said before
Everything has already been expressed
I'm hearing something
I perceive a message
But I wish you'd just say more
But I wish you would elaborate
But you're going off again
But you are leaving once more
When I try to just hold on
When I try to hang on
But you're going off so
But you are leaving once more
Don't tell me
Do not instruct me
How to be
How to behave
I'm just fine
I'm doing okay
Here finding me
Discovering myself here
Me
Myself
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MATT SCANNELL, MATTHEW B. SCANNELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind