Matthew West's Blog

New Music Friday-"Something To Say"

Traditionally, the title cut for any record has been the hardest for me to write. So much seems to weigh on the shoulders of a title cut. I always view it as sort of a summary for the rest of the album. A Cliff’s Notes, if you will. It has to paint the message of the entire record with broad strokes, leaving room for the each individual song on the record to add more specific highlights and colors.

By now, your saying to yourself, “He’s over thinking this…” And you may be right. Well, good news is, I ditched the traditional “Battle of the Title Cut,” and had some fun with this one. I somehow wrote this song minus all the pressure of capturing the message of an entire album. And what do you know? That’s precisely what this song wound up doing!

Here’s the crazy thing. I had begun writing these words down over and over again in my journal, “Something To Say.” Something told me that should be the title of my next record. I can’t really explain it. It just felt right. And at the time, I was thinking the significance of the title would be that after two records I still had something to say as a singer and songwriter. In reality, I had no idea that “Something To Say” was about to take on a whole new meaning in my life.

EMI bought me out of my deal at Universal. It had take about six months. I had been waiting to make another record, and finally my chance had come. I had all the songs written, the title picked, producer selected, and the schedule booked. The wheels had been set into motion. Then, in April of this year my voice felt different. Not a good kind of different. I was having trouble singing.

  One visit to the Vanderbilt Voice Center brought all of my plans to a screeching halt. The doctors looked at my vocal chords and ordered a complete shutdown of all vocal activity. The prescription? Silence. No talking, no singing, no studio, no tours, no interviews, nothing to say. I was devastated. In my mind I kept thinking, “I just can’t catch a break.” After a few weeks of vocal silence, I found out that surgery was the only option if I hoped to sing or speak normally again. So, in May I had to undergo surgery on the instrument that I rely so much on to do what I do, my vocal chords.

To say I felt helpless would be an understatement. To say I wasn’t scared about the future, would be a lie. I was both. Helpless and scared. But in the middle of my silence, I saw way too much irony for mere coincidence. There was a reason why I had jotted those words “Something To Say” down in my journal. And it took having nothing to say for me to understand what this song, and this record is really about.  Before my surgery I was focused on what I had to say to the world through my words and music.

But after the surgery, I can see the pathway of a fool. Being silent, allowed me the priceless opportunity to be still, and let God do the talking. He spoke into my life and I heard him in a more real, more tangible way than I ever had before. Now I get it. It’s not about what any of us have to say. It’s about what God and His love have to say through us, and through all of our lives everyday. 

Webisode #5

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New Music Friday-"Save A Place For Me"

It's new music Friday, and I have posted another new song on my myspace from "Something to Say," for you to hear before it comes out on 1/15. I hope you like it. Here is the story behind the song. Also, below I posted the first of 7 webisodes we took from my documentary titled Nothing To Say. Hope you enjoy and check back for a new song and video next week!

"Save A Place For Me"

She can't speak. Not anymore. The stroke she suffered took that way. She can't walk. Her 86 years of life have left her paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. She is my grandmother, Luella Jane West. Five years ago, the doctors told the family she wasn't going to make it. I remember getting the phone call from my dad. I remember the trip to Iowa. I remember the hospital room. I remember saying goodbye.
My family cried, laughed, and cried some more in the waiting room of the hospital as we remembered and celebrated her life. And it truly was a life worth celebrating. Grandma was a mother of ten children who loved God with all her heart, and believed in the power of prayer. I will always remember cards and letters she would send me. They were filled with encouraging words and scriptures to live by. I will not soon forget her example of how to live a life that really says something.
What my family didn't expect was exactly what happened. Five years later, my grandmother has defied the doctors and is still with us. And though she has lost her voice, her life still speaks. Today, there is another Luella Jane West here with us. She is my daughter. And you should see Grandma's eyes light up when she sees her namesake! Someday when Lulu asks about her name, I will be proud to tell her about a life that had something to say.
I know that my grandmother won't be here much longer. She knows it too. So, this song is dedicated to her. Celebrating a life while it is still being lived. I read a recent interview with Billy Graham in Newsweek that summed up the heart behind "Save a Place for Me." When asked about the passing of his wife, Rev. Graham said, "I know God has prepared a home for her in Heaven. I just hope she saves a room for me."