Born Ezekiel Christopher Montanez in Los Angeles, California, Montez was brought up in Hawthorne, California. His early musical influences included the latino music played and performed by residents of his neighborhood, as well as Ritchie Valens. After the release of the highly successful "Let's Dance" on Monogram Records, Montez spent several years touring with artists such as Sam Cooke, The Platters, and Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, as well as The Beatles, then relatively unknown outside of Liverpool.
Early in 1963, Montez would score another hit with "Some Kinda Fun". Reaching #43 on the charts, the song utilized the same catchy keyboard instrumentation as did "Let's Dance"; fittingly, both were million sellers, and were awarded gold discs. 1963 also saw the release of Montez's only album on Monogram, Let's Dance and Have Some Kinda' Fun!!!. Shortly before Monogram folded, Montez was paired up with Kathy Young, releasing two singles as the duo Chris & Kathy, most notably surf rock classic "Shoot That Curl". While at Monogram, Montez wrote, or co-wrote, several of his own songs, such as "Chiquita Mia", "Let's Do the Limbo" and "No No No".
Two years later, Montez was practically a non-entity in the music business; however, Herb Alpert, co-founder of A&M Records, cordially invited Montez to resume his recording career at A&M. When Montez attempted to replicate his earlier rock 'n' roll success, however, Alpert personally suggested that Montez try a different approach: a middle of the road, soft ballad sound. While not particularly interested in changing his style of music, Montez decided to trust Alpert's instincts.
"Call Me", a cover version of a Petula Clark song, was the first single from his 1966 album, The More I See You / Call Me, earning Montez his biggest hit in years, eventually reaching #22. The song has since become an easy listening standard. The album's title cut, Montez's second single, was a source of confusion for certain radio disc jockeys who were unfamiliar with Montez' past as a rocker; when back-announcing the song, they would often refer to Montez as being female, likely owing to Montez's falsetto singing style. This confusion would be cleared up by the time the album, bearing Montez's pictures on the front and back sleeve, was released.
Montez would record three more albums for A&M: Time After Time (1966), Foolin' Around (1967), and Watch What Happens (1968). Although quite stylistically similar to his first hit album on A&M, they failed to mirror its success, although Time After Time's title cut and "Because of You" both managed to crack the Hot 100. In 1968, Montez departed from A&M on a three-year sabbatical. In 1972, Montez released a big hit single in Brazil, "Loco por ti". By this time, he had returned to his rock roots, albeit with more noticeable pop influence than before.
Two years later, now with CBS Records, Montez released The Best of Chris Montez, a compilation consisting of both old and new material, the newer bearing little to no resemblance to his past hits. While at CBS, he released one more album: Raza: Ay no digas, which fared well in international markets but failed to make an impact in the US. In 1983, Montez released his final album, Cartas de Amor, all of its songs being sung in Spanish. Although his recording career appears to be behind him, Montez is still an active musician, performing to mostly foreign audiences.
In 2008, Frozen Pictures announced plans to make a documentary on Montez's life and career, El viaje musical de Ezekiel Montanez: The Chris Montez Story. The film, focusing on Montez's multi-faceted musical career and considerable influence, has been previewed at several film festivals, but has not seen domestic release.
I Ran
Chris Montez Lyrics
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Well I was standing on the corner of 4th and Main
A policeman came along and asked me "What's you Name?"
And I ran, and I ran
'Cause it's fine loving me and wanna stay free
So I ran
Well I was goin' with a girly by the name of Sue
Until she said "Hey boy I wanna marry you"
And I ran, and I ran
'Cause it's fine loving me and wanna stay free
So I ran
Let's run, oh yeah baby
I like the way you run
I got a letter in the mail, it was addressed to me
It said "You've been selected for the infantry"
And I ran, and I ran
'Cause it's fine loving me and wanna stay free
So I ran
My uncle Charlie past away and left me all his dough
Then Uncle Sam came knockin' and man don't you know
And I ran, and I ran
'Cause it's fine loving me and wanna stay free
So I ran
And I ran, and I ran
Chris Montez's "I Ran" is a song that was released in 1965. The song's lyrics tell of the singer's various experiences of wanting to avoid anything that would take away his freedom. The opening line "Kansas City here I come" can be seen as a metaphor for the idea of running away and escaping from the different situations presented in the song. The first verse describes the singer standing on the corner of 4th and Main, being questioned by a policeman. The singer then runs away, presumably due to fear of being caught for any wrongdoing that he might have been accused of. In the second verse, the singer describes being in a relationship with a girl named Sue who wants to marry him. However, he runs away from her too, as he values his freedom more than he values love and commitment. The third verse tells of the singer receiving a letter that he has been selected for the infantry. Again, he chooses to run away from the situation because he values his freedom more than serving in the military. Finally, the singer inherits some money from his uncle Charlie, but once again he has to run away from Uncle Sam and the obligation to pay taxes on his inheritance.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh yeah baby, Kansas City here I come
Excitement about going to Kansas City
Well I was standing on the corner of 4th and Main
Narrative of where the singer was at the time
A policeman came along and asked me "What's you Name?"
Interaction with a police officer who asked for identification
And I ran, and I ran
Immediate reaction to flee the police
'Cause it's fine loving me and wanna stay free
Reason for wanting to avoid being caught and to remain free
So I ran
Continuation of the story of evading the police
Well I was goin' with a girly by the name of Sue
Introduction of another character in the story
Until she said "Hey boy I wanna marry you"
Proposal of marriage by Sue
Let's run, oh yeah baby
Encouragement to the singer's partner to run away together
I like the way you run
Compliment to the partner on their running ability
I got a letter in the mail, it was addressed to me
Receiving a letter with significant news
It said "You've been selected for the infantry"
Contents of the letter which informed the singer they were drafted
My uncle Charlie past away and left me all his dough
Inheritance of a significant amount of money from an uncle
Then Uncle Sam came knockin' and man don't you know
Government request for the singer to join the military service
And I ran, and I ran
Reaction to avoiding the draft
'Cause it's fine loving me and wanna stay free
Reason for wanting to avoid the draft and remain free
So I ran
Continuation of the story of evading the draft
And I ran, and I ran
Repetition to emphasize the theme of running from problems
Contributed by Sophia K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
marty valens
Great tune