Early life
LaMontagne was born in Nashua, New Hampshire, in 1973, one of six children raised by his mother. In his early teens he lived in Morgan, Utah, and was more interested in drawing images of Dungeons & Dragons than in his school work. After graduating from high school, LaMontagne moved to Lewiston, Maine, and found work in a shoe factory. LaMontagne also spent a significant amount of time in Wilton, Maine. Other sources state that by his teen years he was living in Maine, spending time in Turner and Buckfield.
Style
LaMontagne has a unique vocal style which he says is created by singing through his gut instead of through his nose. He cites Stephen Stills, Richard Manuel, and Rick Danko as strong musical influences while critics have compared LaMontagne's music to that of The Band, Van Morrison, Nick Drake, and Tim Buckley.[failed verification] A Rolling Stone review of his album Supernova referred to his voice as an "impeccably weathered tenor croon" and his phrasing as "marble-mouthed."
Awards
For his debut album, LaMontagne won four awards, including three Boston Music Awards (Best Male Singer-Songwriter, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year) and an XM Nation Music Award for Acoustic Rock Artist of the Year. LaMontagne has received a nomination from the Pollstar Concert Industry Awards for Best New Touring Artist, the BRIT Awards for International Breakthrough Act, the MOJO Awards for Best New Act, and was given the title of Best Voice in 2006 by Esquire.
In 2011, Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs received two Grammy Award nominations, and they were awarded the Grammy for the Best Contemporary Folk Album for God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise.
Controversy
On July 23, 2014, during a show at the Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, Michigan, LaMontagne interrupted a song and walked off stage as a result of two fans talking during his concert, after having previously asked the audience to quiet down. The incident included yelling profanity at the couple before walking off stage. Once the couple was escorted away LaMontagne continued the concert.
On September 20, 2016, LaMontagne announced that he was canceling a September 22 show at the Bass Concert Hall at the University of Texas at Austin, due to Texas's recently implemented campus carry law.
Personal life
In 2009, LaMontagne paid $1.05 million for a 103-acre farm in Ashfield, Massachusetts, the former residence of U.S. Ambassador William C. Bullitt, where he lives with his wife, Sarah Sousa, and their two children in the farmhouse built in 1830. Sousa is a published poet via Red Mountain Press and their sons are budding artists. He refers to himself as a "very private person" and rarely gives interviews.
Hey Me
Ray LaMontagne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mama's in the field
There's a murder in the hen house
Mud flung high upon the wheels
Ol' rooster in the dooryard
He's just leanin' on the horn
With the wind so sweetly driftin'
Hey me, hey mama
Where you been for so long, for so long?
Hey me, hey mama
Where you been, where you been for so long?
There's something outrageous
'Bout that evening sky
Just this side of dangerous
That look in your eye
I always knew that you were crazy
Always knew you could be cruel
Still, I would do just about anything
In the world for you
Hey me, hey mama
Where you been for so long, for so long?
Hey me, hey mama
Where you been, where you been for so long?
You left me standin' in the corner
With my head so hangin' down
Punch-drunk, busted up and reelin'
Like a rodeo clown
You always seem to hit me
Like a lightnin' from above
I guess I just wasn't ready for
Such a heavy-handed love
Hey me, hey mama
Where you been for so long, for so long?
Hey me, hey mama
Where you been, where you been for so long?
Hey me, hey mama
Where you been for so long for so long?
Hey me, hey mama
Where you been, where you been for so long?
The lyrics to Ray LaMontagne's "Hey Me" are full of imagery and a sense of nostalgia. The first stanza sets the scene with a rural setting and hints at trouble brewing with a murder in the hen house. The following lines paint a picture of a lazy summer day with a sweet breeze blowing through the cornfields.
The chorus, "Hey me, hey mama, where you been for so long?" suggests a sense of separation or distance between the singer and their loved ones. The next stanza ponders the beauty of the sky on this dangerous evening, but also hints at the danger that lies ahead with "that look in your eye."
The bridge reveals a complicated relationship between the singer and their lover. Despite knowing that their lover may be crazy and cruel, the singer is willing to do anything for them. The final stanza paints a picture of the singer feeling beaten down and battered, like a rodeo clown, by their lover's intense love.
Overall, the song speaks to the complexities of love and relationships, with moments of beauty and danger, tenderness and cruelty.
Line by Line Meaning
Papa's in the kitchen
Father is cooking in the kitchen
Mama's in the field
Mother is working in the field
There's a murder in the hen house
There has been a killing of a chicken in the henhouse
Mud flung high upon the wheels
Mud is splattered on the wheels
Ol' rooster in the dooryard
An old rooster is in the doorway of the yard
He's just leanin' on the horn
He is leaning on the horn
With the wind so sweetly driftin'
The wind is gently blowing
Through the ripening corn
Through the corn that is becoming mature
Hey me, hey mama
Talking to himself and his mother
Where you been for so long, for so long?
Asking where they have been for a long time
There's something outrageous
There is something unusual
'Bout that evening sky
About the sky in the evening
Just this side of dangerous
Almost being dangerous
That look in your eye
The expression on your face
I always knew that you were crazy
I always thought that you were insane
Always knew you could be cruel
Always aware that you could be mean
Still, I would do just about anything
Nevertheless, I would do almost anything
In the world for you
For you, I would do anything
You left me standin' in the corner
You left me standing in the corner
With my head so hangin' down
With my head hanging down
Punch-drunk, busted up and reelin'
I am disoriented, injured, and stumbling
Like a rodeo clown
Like a clown in a rodeo
You always seem to hit me
You always seem to hurt me
Like a lightnin' from above
Like a bolt of lightning from the sky
I guess I just wasn't ready for
I suppose I was not prepared for
Such a heavy-handed love
So much forceful and intense love
Hey me, hey mama
Talking to himself and his mother
Where you been for so long, for so long?
Asking where they have been for a long time
Hey me, hey mama
Talking to himself and his mother
Where you been, where you been for so long?
Asking where they have been for a long time
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: RAYCHARLES JACK LAMONTAGNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind