“There’s something magical that happens when these musicians play together,” says Ray LaMontagne. “I’ve been wanting to capture what we’ve been doing live for a while. The chemistry is really special.”
The billing on LaMontagne’s fourth album, God Willin’ & the Creek Don’t Rise, reveals instantly that something new is happening with this project. The record is credited to “Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs”—the first time that the singer/songwriter has defined himself within a band setting, rather than as a solo artist. In addition, it marks the first time that LaMontagne has taken on the role of producer. And as soon as the music starts, with the Joe Cocker-style soul power of the opening “Repo Man,” it’s apparent that one of the world’s most acclaimed artists has moved into some fresh territory.
Not that he was necessarily in need of a new direction. The album is the follow-up to 2008’s Gossip in the Grain, which debuted in the Top Five on the Billboard charts; garnered two 2010 Grammy nominations; earned LaMontagne a coveted slot performing on Saturday Night Live; and continued the expansion of a highly-respected career that began with his first album, Trouble, in 2004.
The line-up of the Pariah Dogs, and their alliance with LaMontagne, is already well-proven and familiar. These musicians—Eric Heywood and Greg Leisz on guitars, Jennifer Condos on bass, and Jay Bellerose on drums—have been working as the singer’s touring band for the last few years, and developing into a tight-knit team. Though he had thought about trying to get all of these busy session players together in the studio before, only now did time and circumstance align and make it possible.
For one thing, there was a new work set-up that LaMontagne was excited about. “I just bought this old estate in western Massachusetts that belonged to the first US ambassador to Russia,” he says. “There’s this beautiful room in the house, that was once a connected barn that was turned into a ballroom in the early 1900’s and I felt like it would make a great place to record.
“It was an unknown space and an unknown situation, but it all worked,” says drummer Bellerose. “It was one of the easiest sessions I’ve ever done—the songs just played themselves. We were scheduled to record for two weeks, but we were done tracking in five or six days.”
The last song on God Willin’, “The Devil’s in the Jukebox,” was the first thing that the group recorded. Bellerose notes that this simple, bluesy track set a tone for the sessions. “It was kind of a springboard,” he says. “It loosened everybody up, gave us a chance to breathe.”
“That’s one of those songs I tend to write that is so damn linear, it’s up to us to make it interesting,” says LaMontagne with a laugh. “If you take it apart, there’s not a lot happening. But the way these guys approach songs is always surprising. Where they take the melody, the interplay between the rhythm section—who knows what they’re going to come up with?”
Guitarist Heywood says that the singer “made a decision beforehand to trust the band, and he really stuck to that.” He points to the album’s title track as an example of the way these sessions allowed each song to find its own path. Heywood and Leisz both play pedal steel, and they looked to LaMontagne to determine the arrangements and instrumentation.
“On that one, he said, ‘How about two pedal steels?,” Heywood recalls. “And then Jay started doing this bombastic, artillery-style drum thing. The song reads as a letter, with no chorus or bridge, so the whole thing was the most surprising track for me, and definitely one of my favorites. And Ray’s vocal performance is amazing.”
Ray LaMontagne has one of the remarkable stories in music’s past decade. Since leaving his job in a Maine shoe factory to pursue his calling as a musician, he has released three studio albums and two live EPs, won awards and topped critics’ polls internationally, and established himself as one of the most distinctive talents of his generation. His songs have been featured in numerous films and television shows, including multiple performances of his compositions on American Idol.
Yet he maintains that, until God Willin’, all of these accomplishments have come despite his own struggles in the recording studio. “The process has always been laborious, it’s been difficult for me to get any momentum,” he says. “I always felt like I was swimming upstream.”
But this time, things were different. “Ray was really in his comfort zone,” says Bellerose. “He was home with family, he’s really relaxed around this band—there was never a moment that felt uncomfortable. I think he’s just having a lot more fun communicating with more people, and getting out of being on his own as a singer/songwriter.”
LaMontagne claims that he didn’t specifically set out to write songs for this group of musicians, though he certainly had its sound in his mind. Regardless of the outcome, he says that his process didn’t—and can’t ever—change.
“For me, songs just have to happen, they have to come out of nowhere,” he says. “Otherwise it sounds like you’re trying to write a song, and I can spot that a mile away—and I think listeners can, too.
“I won’t ever sit down and write unless something is knocking at the door. I can go months without writing a song—and that’s when it gets scary, when you feel like you’re never going to write another song because they’re just not coming around.”
LaMontagne’s steady output, however, indicates that there’s little cause for concern. And for God Willin’ & the Creek Don’t Rise, in addition to his own extraordinary writing, these ten songs had the benefit of contributions from an exceptional bunch of musicians, collaborating under ideal conditions. Even the notoriously self-critical LaMontagne can’t hide his delight at the results.
“These guys are all so good, and I trust their instincts, I just wanted to write songs that I felt would excite them,” concludes LaMontagne “There was a certain amount of pressure, because they’re so much more accomplished than I am as a musician. But I knew that if I could pull together a batch of songs I was happy with, there was really no risk involved.”
This biography was provided by the artist or their representative.
This Love Is Over
Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't even know my own name half the time
How'd I get so blind that I couldn't see
What was right in front of me?
I wish I was wrong
I wish that you were right here lyin' in my arms
Deep down inside I got to face the truth
This love is over
This love is over
God knows I tried
Everything I could to keep you satisfied
Being my baby was just a part you played
It's all some kind of game
And just like a child
Just like a child you got to have your way
Nothing ventured, nothing gained
Now there's nothing left to say
This love is over
This love is over
Baby, I know I'll get along
Sometimes you got to make it on your own
It's more than my pride that's got me all tied
Up inside, girl, it's all the lying
Think it's time to close the door
I don't wanna cry anymore
It's just not worth fighting for this love
It's over, this love is over
This love is over
This love is over
The lyrics of this song tell the story of someone who has come to terms with the end of a romantic relationship, which was perhaps once fulfilling, but no longer is. The singer is confessing to being haunted by memories of their past relationship, to the point where they feel like they are out of their mind and have lost themselves. They wonder how they could have missed the signs that the relationship was unraveling.
The singer then admits that they wish their ex was still with them, but they must face the truth that their lover has moved on. The chorus of the song repeats the message that this love is over. The singer reflects on how they tried everything they could to keep their lover happy but they were just playing a part in the end. The singer feels that their lover had to have things their way like a child, and in the end, the relationship just wasn't worth fighting for. The song ends with the singer admitting that sometimes one has to make it on their own.
In conclusion, this song is a true reflection of how tough it is to come to terms with the end of a romantic relationship that once meant the world. It speaks to the painful process of moving on when one is still haunted by the memories of a past love.
Line by Line Meaning
Goin' out of my mind
Feeling extremely overwhelmed and unable to focus
Don't even know my own name half the time
Feeling so out of sorts that one's own identity becomes unclear
How'd I get so blind that I couldn't see
Feeling regretful that one failed to recognize the signs of a lost love
What was right in front of me?
Wondering how one could have been so oblivious to what was happening in the relationship
I wish I was wrong
Desperately hoping that the intuition is incorrect
I wish that you were right here lyin' in my arms
Longing for the closeness and intimacy of lost love
Deep down inside I got to face the truth
Knowing that the reality of the situation cannot be denied any longer
You're not comin' home
Acknowledging that the relationship is over and there is no turning back
This love is over
Affirming that the relationship has ended
God knows I tried
Recognizing the efforts that were made to save the relationship
Everything I could to keep you satisfied
Doing everything possible to make the partner happy
Being my baby was just a part you played
Realizing that the partner did not have the same level of feelings and commitment in the relationship
It's all some kind of game
Feeling that the relationship was not genuine
And just like a child
Behaving immaturely like a kid in the relationship
Just like a child you got to have your way
Expecting everything to be done the way one wants, like a spoiled child
Nothing ventured, nothing gained
Believing that taking risks is necessary to achieve one's goals
Now there's nothing left to say
Understanding that there is no point in trying to fix the relationship anymore
This love is over
Acknowledging that the relationship is truly finished
Baby, I know I'll get along
Having the confidence to move on from the relationship
Sometimes you got to make it on your own
Learning to be self-sufficient after the end of the relationship
It's more than my pride that's got me all tied
Feeling emotionally distraught after the breakup
Up inside, girl, it's all the lying
Feeling frustrated about the partner's deception and dishonesty
Think it's time to close the door
Deciding that it is time to move on from the relationship
I don't wanna cry anymore
Being tired of feeling emotional pain and sadness due to the relationship
It's just not worth fighting for this love
Realizing that the relationship is not worth fighting for anymore
This love is over
Reiterating that the relationship is truly over
This love is over
Confirming again that the relationship is finished for good
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Raycharles Lamontagne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@the_gift100
"Baby, I know I'll get along
Sometimes you got to make it on your own
It's more than my pride that's got me all tied
Up inside, boy, it's all the lyin'
Guess, it's time to close the door
I don't wanna cry anymore
It's just not worth fightin' for this love
It's over, this love is over"...
Ray your voice does something to me,it speaks to my soul!
@melaniegill196
God I love his voice so friggin’ much! Just melts me!
@tjm4809
He is so in tune with artistry which makes his music so authentic and real. When I hear him sing it touches the deepest part of my being. I have seen him twice and was in amazed by his live performances.
@EchelonSiobhann
Stunning... and to be sitting in the crowd, in the darkened room while he sings... its like pure liquid magic. One of the best artists I have ever seen live
@ticksspoon
My universe freezes in mid-collapse as the liquid nitrogen of his voice sets me adrift to places I would otherwise never reach. So friggin' beautiful.
@tweedpenguin712
Makes zero sense
@videnoir4me
Very Nice, Well said. 👍
@emillelopes1457
Minha música favorita ❤
@jacquelineruhnau2279
Absolutely perfect! Thank you Ray! So much love and pain in his voice :'( <3
@peggyjenkins999
I LOVE this song. Thank you Mr. Lamontagne.
@ianennis1280
Special talent,deep,profound,gutwrenchingly good