# Hey Now (Tantric song)

"Hey Now" is a song written and recorded by the American rock band Tantric. It was released as the lead single from their 2004 second studio album After We Go on December 9, 2003.

## Background and release

In a April 2002 interview with MTV News the band announced they would be returning to the studio after wrapping up their headlining tour on April 7th in San Francisco to begin writing and recording new music for their second album.
The song's lyrics were was co-written by lead singer Hugo Ferreira with guitarist Nuno Bettencourt from the band Extreme with Todd Whitener, Jesse Vest, and Matt Taul writing and composing their respected instrumentals parts. Ferreira revealed that his collaboration with Bettencourt Ferreira revealed that his collaboration with Bettencourt was a result of their shared upbringing in Hudson, Massachusetts. The two grew up in the same small town, their mothers were friends, and Ferreira would often visit Bettencourt’s house, where he was allowed to play his guitars.
During various different interviews the band participated in to promote the single's release and the upcoming new album, the band members stated the track was written during a tumultuous period in the production of After We Go. Tantric had already completed two extensive recording sessions when their label insisted they return to the studio for additional material. Frustrated by the pressure from their label, the band went back and wrote three new songs—one of which was Hey Now. Despite being conceived under duress, the song became the album’s lead single and one of its most aggressive and emotionally charged tracks.

## Content

Musically, Hey Now follows Tantric’s signature blend of layered vocal harmonies, folk-influenced acoustic strumming, and distorted guitar riffs, but with an added intensity. Ferreira described the song’s lyrics as an expression of anger and betrayal, directed at someone within the band's inner circle, stating in an interview with VH1 that "Hey Now is kind of a ‘You did me wrong, so f--- you’ song.” The lyrics reflect frustration toward a person who had broken promises and proven themselves to be untrustworthy, leaving the narrator questioning whether to maintain a connection with them.
Ferreira also noted that Hey Now and the whole After We Go was deeply shaped by the sociopolitical climate at the time, particularly the 2003 invasion of Iraq and economic struggles in the United States. He emphasized how these external events contributed to the album’s heavier and more mature tone:
   "I think the record is more mature and it's definitely heavier. We're all older, and we're a product of our environment. And there was crazy sh-- going on around us every day, whether it was another U.S. soldier getting shot or another disease that's killing people. Whenever you turn on the news, there's never anything good on there. People are pissed, everyone's broke, and we're invading other countries. There's no way you can be unaffected by it, and that struggle definitely helps give this record its own soul."

## Charts

Upon its release, "Hey Now" achieved commercial success, peaking at number 8 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Its performance contributed to the initial momentum of After We Go, which debuted at number 56 on the Billboard 200 chart.
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
| US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard) | 8 |

## Music Video

The official Hey Now music video premiered on MTV and VH1 in February 2004 and was uploaded to YouTube for free on October 26, 2009 via Warner Records Vault.

## Personnel

* Hugo Ferreira – lead vocals, songwriter, co-producer
* Todd Whitener - lead guitar, songwriter, backing vocals
* Jesse Vest - bass guitar, songwriter
* Matt Taul - drums, songwriter
* Nuno Bettencourt - co-writer
Technical personnel
* Toby Wright – producer, mixing engineer, recording engineer
* Elliott Blakey – additional engineer
* Mike Eleopolis – assistant mixing engineer
* Leslie Richter – assistant engineer