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.
I Still Care for You
Ray LaMontagne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Light turns to clay in my hands
How to explain,
So pristine the pain
It was kindness made the cut so clean
I still care for you
Hear me out
You wanted to me to be
Can't you see
What you mean to me? (even promises may bleed)
I still care for you
The hours grow
Heavy,
And hollow,
And cruel as a grave
Open Me
You'll find
Only bones burned to glass.
I still care for you
In Ray LaMontagne's song "I Still Care for You," he sings about a lost love and the pain that comes with it. The opening lines "Hear me out/ Day follows day/ Light turns to clay in my hands," suggest a feeling of helplessness and loss of control. As time passes, the pain becomes more profound, and the feelings of loss take over. However, despite the pain, LaMontagne insists, "I still care for you."
The lyrics "It was kindness made the cut so clean" refer to the person who left being kind in how they did it, which is a double-edged sword. This line highlights the fact that despite the kind way the person left, it still hurt LaMontagne. The line "You wanted me to be/ Less your love than a mirror" speaks to the desire for the person to be an exact reflection of themselves. LaMontagne then pleads with them to see how much they still mean to him despite the hurt that they've caused. The final stanza, "The hours grow/ Heavy, and hollow/ And cruel as a grave/ Open me/ You'll find/ Only bones burned to glass," references loneliness and the coldness of the world without the love of another. It suggests that no matter how much time has passed, LaMontagne still longs for the person he lost and will always hold onto those feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
Hear me out Day follows day
Listen to me, time continues to move forward each passing day
Light turns to clay in my hands
The happy moments turn to sadness and despair in my grasp
How to explain,
There are no words to describe
So pristine the pain
The pain is pure and intense
It was kindness made the cut so clean
You ended things nicely and gently, which only made it hurt more
I still care for you
Despite everything, I still have feelings for you
You wanted to me to be
You expected me to be
Less your love than a mirror
You wanted me to reflect your love back at you
Can't you see What you mean to me? (even promises may bleed)
Don't you realize how much you mean to me, even though our promises have failed
I still care for you
Again, I still have feelings for you
The hours grow Heavy, And hollow, And cruel as a grave
The passing of time is becoming unbearable and only serves to remind me of the emptiness I feel
Open Me You'll find Only bones burned to glass.
If someone were to look inside of me, they would only find nothingness and desolation
I still care for you
One last time, I still have feelings for you
Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group
Written by: Raycharles Lamontagne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind