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
Lighthouse
Vertical Horizon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So far away, so much safer then
I can't be erased, I can't replace the truth
And I can't wash this stain
I'm honestly trying to
Ooh, my eyes are hurting i've been searching
For a lighthouse ooh, in all this darkness
A sound, a voice, a distant hope released
A haze, a maze, a solitary piece
I won't discern, I can't return there
To that farthest land
I've gotta begin again here
Ooh, my eyes are hurting i've been searching
For a lighthouse ooh, in all this darkness
Just when it's hardest a lighthouse
Ooh, I tried believing i keep dreaming
Of a lighthouse ooh, my eyes are hurting
I keep searching for a lighthouse
It's leaving time, I need to go
I can't rest here tonight
I can't remember why
It's getting dark, it's getting cold
I really need the light, I can't remember why
It's leaving time, I need to go
I can't rest here tonight
I can't remember why
It's getting dark, it's getting cold
I really need the light, I can't remember why
Ooh, my eyes are hurting i've been searching
For a lighthouse ooh, in all this darkness
Just when it's hardest a lighthouse
Ooh, I tried believing i keep dreaming
Of a lighthouse ooh, my eyes are hurting
I keep searching for a lighthouse
(It's leaving time, I need to go)
Ooh, my eyes are hurting
(I can't rest here tonight
I can't remember why) i've been searching
For a lighthouse
(It's getting dark, it's getting cold)
Ooh, in all this darkness
(I really need the light
I can't remember why) just when it's hardest
A lighthouse
(It's leaving time, I need to go)
Ooh, I tried believing
(I can't rest here tonight
I can't remember why) i keep dreaming
Of a lighthouse
(It's getting dark, it's getting cold)
Ooh, my eyes are hurting
(I really need the light
I can't remember why) i keep searching
For a lighthouse
In "Lighthouse" by Vertical Horizon, the lyrics delve into the themes of hope, searching for guidance, and the struggle to find one's way in the darkness. The opening lines express a longing to believe and a desire for safety, as the singer feels distant and disconnected. The reference to being unable to wash away the stain implies the lingering pain or burden the singer carries, which they are honestly trying to overcome.
The chorus amplifies the longing for a lighthouse, a symbol of guidance or a beacon of light in the darkness. The singer's eyes hurting suggests the strain or weariness from searching, emphasizing the intensity of their quest. The repeated emphasis on "in all this darkness" highlights the pervasive feeling of being lost and the need for something or someone to provide illumination. The desperate yearning for a lighthouse speaks to the singer's vulnerability and the hope that it will appear when they need it the most.
The second verse mentions a distant hope being released, indicating the possibility of finding solace or a way forward. The haze and maze represent the confusion and complexity of the singer's journey, while the refusal to return to the past illustrates the necessity of starting anew. The remaining lyrics reinforce the urgency and desperation to find the lighthouse, as it becomes a lifeline amidst the growing darkness and coldness.
Overall, "Lighthouse" captures the struggle to find hope, navigation, and guidance in the midst of darkness and uncertainty. It portrays a yearning for something or someone to provide clarity and light in challenging times.
Line by Line Meaning
A touch, a dream, I wanna believe again
I long for the feeling of hope and excitement, wanting to restore my belief in something greater
So far away, so much safer then
The distant past holds a sense of security and comfort, shielding me from current difficulties
I can't be erased, I can't replace the truth
The essence of who I am and what I believe cannot be eliminated or substituted with falsehood
And I can't wash this stain
I am unable to rid myself of the mark or burden that weighs me down
I'm honestly trying to
I am genuinely making an effort to overcome the challenges I face
A sound, a voice, a distant hope released
The emergence of a sound or voice represents a glimmer of optimism and a distant possibility
A haze, a maze, a solitary piece
Feeling lost and trapped in confusion, I am just a single fragment of a larger puzzle
I won't discern, I can't return there
I refuse to understand or revisit a troubled place from the past
To that farthest land
Referring to an emotional state or distant memory that feels long gone and unreachable
I've gotta begin again here
I need to start anew in my current reality, leaving behind what cannot be changed
It's leaving time, I need to go
The time has come for me to move on and depart from this current situation
I can't rest here tonight
I am unable to find peace or contentment in this place, even for a single evening
I can't remember why
I have forgotten the reasons or motivations that once held me back or kept me attached
It's getting dark, it's getting cold
As time passes, the environment becomes increasingly gloomy and unwelcoming
I really need the light, I can't remember why
I crave illumination and guidance, although I cannot recall the exact reasons behind it
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MATTHEW B SCANNELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
PositiveLastAction
Love how this song starts out so simply and then adds layers of complexity. Such a beautiful track!!
Sam syed
PositiveLastAction Was ghhh
Treehousewizard
"ooo my eyes are hurting" .... literally.....from the smoke in the ongoing Oregon wildfires of 2020. Had to evacuate my house. Then the wind changed and I was able to come home. I feel like the 'lighthouse' is a symbol of hope ... a beacon that will show us the way out when we feel like hope is lost. Thank you Vertical Horizon for writing a song that can apply to so many different scenarios of human desperation and how we, as survivors and problem solvers, can find our way out of those situations.
RicMTheGM Moh
Love this song. It has such amazing lyrics
Hans B.
Just perfect !!! Great Bass & Voice
Cindy Griff
Beyond Beautiful!!
Garffey
Just love this album!....And have only just discovered 'VH....wow!... 'I seriously missed out!'
Jesus in the Colosseum
Garffey go check out Go.2 or Running on Ice.
Garffey
@Jesus in the Colosseum Just bought Go.2 cd....I'll check out the other one too, Thx!
Jesus in the Colosseum
Garffey I’m so happy to see someone take the step to amazing music, welcome!