He approached his music with a new found freshness and decided to put some songs down on record. His grandmother told him he had a distant cousin in London in the music business. Borrowing money from those that would lend it, he recorded his demo and sent it off to his cousin, renowned producer and film composer, David Arnold (Bjork, James Bond). Arnold liked what he heard and provided enough money for Damien to buy his own mobile studio.
Damien Rice formerly sang with Lisa Hannigan and released his debut solo album, O, in Ireland in early 2002. In July 2002 O was released in the UK and it received widespread critical acclaim. In June 2003 O was released in the USA and Europe, with Rice appearing on The Letterman Show and receiving more acclaim from publications such as Rolling Stone, Newsweek and The Boston Globe. Arnold joined him on stage in New York to perform a version of the Björk/Arnold track Play Dead.
He gained further popularity after some of his most famous songs were included in the media. An example of this is 9 Crimes used in the soundtrack of the summer blockbuster Shrek Three and The Blower's Daughter was featured in the movie Closer. Delicate was also featured in the hit T.V. show Lost.
Damien Rice is an intense live act - with emphasis laid on emotional intensity and experiments, rather than technical perfection. At a 2005 concert, for instance, he threw out big cheeses to the audience. This can sometimes be more demanding for the listener than the radio hit edit of the song Cannonball suggests. 'Cannonball' was re-mixed in 2004, for UK radio, to make it more radio-friendly. Rice later was reported to be very unhappy with it, saying to Tom Dunne on PetSounds (Today FM) that he did not "...really like it". He stated that he had allowed the remix to go through only if he signed a contract that would forbid anyone from ever remixing one of his songs ever again.
Damien spent 2004 and 2005 recording the follow-up to O. The album, 9, was released in Ireland on November 3, 2006, on November 6 in the rest of Europe, and in North America on November 14, 2006. Even though the new album maintained Rice's sense of "emotionality," some argued that it did so through volume and intensity rather than with the reflection and lyrical commentary that characterized his first release, O.
Rice has also developed a reputation as a live performer, selling out at venues across Europe and the United States. He is a performer who gives a lot of himself to the audience.
As of March 25th, 2007, this was posted on the Damien Rice official website: After much thought and discussion Damien has decided that his professional relationship with Lisa Hannigan has run its creative course. As a result Lisa will not be appearing at any of the upcoming live shows. Lisa is embarking on her own artistic endeavours and there are no plans for them to work together in the foreseeable future. The current band on tour at the moment are - Damien Rice, Joel Shearer, Shane Fitzsimons, Tom Osander, and Vyvienne Long.
Rumors that Damien Rice is currently dating Mélanie Laurent, a French actress, has not been verified. However, there have been reports that he is working with the actress to record her debut album.
Be My Husband
Damien Rice Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Be my husband, I'll be your wife
Be my husband, I'll be your wife
Outside you there is no place to go.
If you want me to I'll cook and sew
If you want me to I'll cook and sew
If you want me to I'll cook and sew
Oh daddy now now love me good
Oh daddy now now love me good
Oh daddy now now love me good
Oh daddy now now love me good
Please don't treat me so doggone mean
Please don't treat me so doggone mean
Please don't treat me so doggone mean
you're the meanest man I ever seen
Oh daddy now now love me good
Oh daddy now now love me good
Oh daddy now now love me good
Oh daddy now now love me good
Stick to the promise man, that you made me
Stick to the promise man, that you made me
Stick to the promise man, that you made me
That you'll stay away from Rosalie
Oh daddy now now love me good
Oh daddy now now love me good
Oh daddy now now love me good
Oh daddy now now love me good
In this song, Damien Rice is covering Nina Simone's "Be My Husband," which was originally written by jazz artist Andy Stroud for his wife, Simone. The lyrics explore the dynamics of a traditional heterosexual marriage, with the repeated lines "Be my husband, I'll be your wife" emphasizing the gender roles that are expected in such a relationship. The singer of the song is offering herself as a wife to her partner, promising to cook and sew for him, and asking him to love her well.
Throughout the song, there are hints of a power struggle between the singer and her partner, with lines like "Please don't treat me so doggone mean/you're the meanest man I ever seen" indicating that he has mistreated her in the past. The singer is asking her partner to keep his promise to stay away from another woman named Rosalie, suggesting that his infidelity has caused their relationship problems.
Overall, "Be My Husband" is a song that explores the complexities of traditional gender roles and power dynamics in relationships. Through the repeated lines and sharp lyrics, the singer establishes herself as a partner who is willing to make sacrifices for her relationship but who also demands respect and equality from her partner.
Line by Line Meaning
Be my husband, I'll be your wife
I want to be your wife and spend the rest of my life with you. Will you be my husband and make our relationship official?
Outside you there is no place to go.
I am so committed to you that there is nowhere else I would rather be than by your side. Together, we are home.
If you want me to I'll cook and sew
I am willing to do anything to make you happy, even cook and sew for you. Just tell me what you need and I am ready to fulfill it.
Oh daddy now now love me good
I need your love and affection. Please shower me with your attention and make me feel wanted and cherished.
Please don't treat me so doggone mean
I am tired of being mistreated and disrespected. Please be kind and treat me with the love and respect that I deserve.
You're the meanest man I ever seen
I have never met someone as cruel and heartless as you. You need to change your ways if you want to keep me in your life.
Stick to the promise man, that you made me
You made a promise to me and I expect you to keep it. Do not break my trust and always stand by your word.
That you'll stay away from Rosalie
I know about Rosalie and I do not want you to see her anymore. I want you to be faithful to me and give our relationship the respect it deserves.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANDY STROUD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Minviela
Be my husband, I'll be your wife
Be my husband, I'll be your wife
Be my husband, I'll be your wife
Outside you there is no place to go
If you want me to I'll cook and sew
If you want me to I'll cook and sew
If you want me to I'll cook and sew
Outside you there is no place to go
Oh daddy, now now love me good
Oh daddy, now now love me good
Oh daddy, now now love me good
Oh daddy, now now love me good
Please don't treat me so dog-gone mean
Please don't treat me so dog-gone mean
Please don't treat me so dog-gone mean
You're the meanest man I ever seen
Oh daddy now now love me good
Oh daddy now now love me good
Oh daddy now now love me good
Oh daddy now now love me good
Stick to the promise, man, that you made me
Stick to the promise, man, that you made me
Stick to the promise, man, that you made me
That you'll stay away from Rosalie
Oh daddy now now love me good
Oh daddy now now love me good
Oh daddy now now love me good
Oh daddy now now love me good
<(^+^)>
Gaby
I'm really glad that I remembered this song and that these two came to mind. I love this cover so much. It's a really rich and beautiful song. 🔥❤️
Ziigmund
4 years later and her Voice still penetrates my soul.......... Lisa remains and always will be an epic reminder of the truth of the human spirit and beauty god distilled in it!
turgsh01
OMG, this is perfect... I was expecting at least one missed beat by the guy tapping on the guitar, but he did it flawlessly which is awesome... and Lisa is as usual perfect with her voice no matter the song she sings.
Wesley Andrade
she's perfect in everything that sings, she's good interpreter and musician.
Steph L
Well, I believe i've officially searched this one to death. I've heard every possible version including the original, and this one's still my favorite...great share!
Steph L
I have, I liked it very much! But to my ears,this one is perfect. I'm certain it has as much to do with the one whom I once felt this way about as it is Lisa's voice.😉It's an idendic thing. I love ed's " just thinking out loud " and have recently discovered David grey " sail away with me" definitely worth a listen..thanks for bringing me back to this post,enjoy! +גולן לין
oxXsummertimeXxo
+stephanie lowe Yeah Lisa's amazing! You know Sol Heilo's version? A very different interpretation, but I enjoyed it very much as well! Cheers.
Steph L
I did listen,and i thank you very much for the suggestion.
oxXsummertimeXxo
stephanie lowe ;)
Steph L
oxXsummertimeXxo :)!