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 Hey Mama
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 song Hey Me Hey Mama paint a vivid picture of an agricultural environment with the father in the kitchen, the mother in the fields, and a murder in the henhouse. The rooster in the yard honks on, while the wind blows and the corn ripens. The lyrics suggest a sense of placidity and routine while also hinting at something foreboding beyond the horizon.
The chorus showcases a sense of longing, as the singer asks where the subject of the song, the titular “mama,” has been for so long. Despite her being absent, he still harbors strong feelings for her, as evidenced by lines such as “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."
The lyrics suggest a complex relationship with a history of emotional pain, with the singer feeling left behind, abandoned, and mistreated. The verse "You left me standin' in the corner / With my head so hangin' down / Punch-drunk, busted up and reelin' / Like a rodeo clown" paints a picture of vulnerability and defeat. The chorus serves as both an inquiry and a plea for understanding, with the singer seeking answers and closure about the woman who has left him.
Overall, Hey Me, Hey Mama is an exploration of complicated emotions such as love, longing, pain, and abandonment. It conjures up images of a pastoral life with a hint of danger lurking in the shadows, making for a haunting and memorable listening experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Papa's in the kitchen
The father is present in the kitchen
Mama's in the field
The mother is present in the field
There's a murder in the hen house
There has been a killing in the chicken coop
Mud flung high upon the wheels
Mud has been thrown up onto the wheels
Ol' rooster in the dooryard
An old rooster is in the yard near the door
He's just leanin' on the horn
The rooster is leaning on the horn
With the wind so sweetly driftin'
The wind is gently blowing
Through the ripening corn
It is passing through the corn that is ready for harvesting
Hey me, hey mama
Addressing both oneself and their mother
Where you been for so long, for so long?
Asking where they have been for an extended period
There's something outrageous
There is something highly unusual
'Bout that evening sky
Regarding the appearance of the evening sky
Just this side of dangerous
Almost threatening
That look in your eye
Referring to a look in the listener's eye
I always knew that you were crazy
The singer always knew the listener was a bit wild
Always knew you could be cruel
The artist always knew the listener could be unkind
Still, I would do just about anything
Despite this, the artist would go to great lengths to show affection
In the world for you
To express their devotion to the listener
You left me standin' in the corner
The listener left the singer feeling isolated
With my head so hangin' down
The artist feels ashamed and disheartened
Punch-drunk, busted up and reelin'
The artist is feeling disoriented with blows taken recurrently
Like a rodeo clown
Referencing the appearance and demeanor of a clown at a rodeo
You always seem to hit me
The listener has a tendency to hurt the singer
Like a lightnin' from above
Like a bolt of lightning from the sky
I guess I just wasn't ready for
The singer wasn't prepared for
Such a heavy-handed love
The love had been controlling
Hey me, hey mama
Again addressing both oneself and their mother
Where you been for so long, for so long?
Asking the same question as before, still perplexed
Hey me, hey mama
Repeating the same phrase, hoping for an answer
Where you been, where you been for so long?
Asking the listener to explain their absence
Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group
Written by: RAYCHARLES JACK LAMONTAGNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind