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
We Are
Vertical Horizon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take a lover on the radio
Ask her if she's got an answer
Do you know
Time enough to get a good one
Though they never seem to get done
I am standing for a reason
[Chorus]
'Cause I don't know how
And I don't know where
We are we are
And I don't know why
I don't know if
We are we are
Seven days and not a return
Seven lives and not a thing learned
Take a lover on the highway
Do you know?
'Cause I am sleeping on a time bomb
And I am waiting for the light to come
You and I could get away now
Do you know
[Chorus]
I get up sometimes
Like somebody else
Am I just wasting time
For somebody else
Take a listen through the window
Another lover on the radio
Ask her if she's got an answer
Do you know?
[Chorus]
The lyrics of We Are by Vertical Horizon explores the singer's confusion and longing for answers about their place in the world. The song opens with the singer urging the listener to take a step back and observe the world through their window, indicating their desire for introspection and contemplation. They also implore the listener to tune into a radio station and ask the DJ if she has answers to their questions, creating an impression of the singer's desperation for clarity.
The second verse of the song expresses the singer's struggle with time and their frustration at the lack of answers despite investing significant time in search of them. They declare that they are "standing for a reason," confronted with the question of whether they are on the right path. In the chorus, the singer admits their confusion about their place in the world, acknowledging that they do not know how or where they fit in.
The third verse echoes the singer's frustration with their attempts to find answers. However, it also showcases their desire for companionship and escape in the form of "taking a lover on the highway." The chorus serves as a refrain, highlighting the singer's uncertainty about their place in the world.
The final verse expresses the singer's self-doubt and their desire to connect with others. The song ends with the singer repeating the opening verse's plea to the listener, urging them to take a listen with a renewed sense of urgency.
Overall, We Are by Vertical Horizon is a poignant reflection on the universal human struggle to find one's place in the world and the uncertainty that accompanies that search.
Line by Line Meaning
Take a listen through the window
Listen carefully to what's happening outside
Take a lover on the radio
Find a person to love through music
Ask her if she's got an answer
Ask the person on the radio if she knows what's going on
Do you know
Do you have the answers?
Time enough to get a good one
There's enough time to find an answer
Though they never seem to get done
Finding answers is difficult
I am standing for a reason
I have a purpose
Do you know
Do you understand my reason/purpose?
'Cause I don't know how
I don't know how to fix things
And I don't know where
I don't know where to start
We are we are
We are lost
And I don't know why
I don't know why things are like this
I don't know if
I don't know if things will get better
Seven days and not a return
Time is passing with no progress
Seven lives and not a thing learned
We keep living the same way with no improvement
Take a lover on the highway
Find love while traveling
Do you know?
Do you understand?
'Cause I am sleeping on a time bomb
I am living in fear of something bad happening
And I am waiting for the light to come
I am waiting for a solution
You and I could get away now
We could leave our problems behind
Do you know
Do you agree?
I get up sometimes
I have moments of motivation
Like somebody else
Like someone who has their life together
Am I just wasting time
Am I not doing enough with my life?
For somebody else
For the benefit of others
Take a listen through the window
Pay attention to what's happening around you
Another lover on the radio
Another opportunity for love
Ask her if she's got an answer
Find out if there's a solution to our problems
Do you know?
Do you understand the importance of finding answers?
We are we are
We need help
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MATT SCANNELL, MATTHEW B. SCANNELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jerry P
Check out live stages.
They had 2 albums before then, but just acoustic mellow stuff. Good, but not this.
The live stages album is rockier versions of stuff from first 2 albums.
When I got this cd....this was not what I was expecting.
Tooke a while to take to it...but it is great.
Finding me is one of my favs.
And.... search for fast car/wash away live.
Oh so good
ROCKaholic
A very, VERY underrated song. ALWAYS SING TO THIS IN THE CAR! Thumbs up for 90's kids!!!
Michael Menillo
@Odee Dillon 0
Brantley and linds8
scotsirishlass
Same
Patrick Peterson
and a very underrated band
Odee Dillon
Absolutely 100% true!
Tommy.
This song is like the energized bunny, just keeps on rocking no matter what year it is.
Sonny Bruschetta
@Michael Rogottie It's 2021 now!
Michael Rogottie
Here it is 2018 & still going strong!
Scott DeCesare
Opened for "Third Eye Blind" at N.J. Garden State Arts Center in the mid 1990's . Brought my wife , kids, niece and nephew they were young but the two bands introduced them to the world of "live" music and gave me a memory to cherish forever ' Great Band.
Larry A
One of the best ending chords ever!