Complainte pour Ste. Catherine explained

Complainte pour Ste. Catherine
Artist:Kate & Anna McGarrigle
Album:Kate & Anna McGarrigle
Genre:Pop

"Complainte pour Ste. Catherine" is a song written by Canadians Philippe Tatartcheff and Anna McGarrigle. It was originally used as a B-side to another single, "Hommage à Henri Richard", which was written by McGarrigle and Richard Baker, and released in April 1974. It was intended to coincide with the Montreal Canadiens entry into the 1974 NHL playoffs, but failed to succeed commercially after the Canadiens lost to the New York Rangers.[1] Kate & Anna McGarrigle then reused it for their debut album, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, released in December 1975, where it became a smash hit.

Meaning

The lyrics are politically jokey, sung in the persona of a poor girl hanging around Sainte-Catherine street in Montreal, where in winter she and her buddies take advantage of the rising heat from the metro tunnel outlets, and in summer they continue the endless battle against mosquitoes.[2] The Piaf-style plangent tune and heartrending harmonies undercut the devil-may-care tone of the lyrics, giving the song a tone of acerbic sweetness.

Other versions

The original French version was covered by Kirsty MacColl as a bonus track on the CD edition of her 1989 album Kite.

Les Country Girls covered the song on their 2013 album Parties pour la gloire.

It was covered in Danish by the singer Anne-Grete on her debut album in 1980 under the title "Vintertur på strøget".

With lyrics in Swedish by Ola Magnell as "Ingen kommer undan politiken" ("No-one escapes politics"), the song was recorded by Marie Bergman on the 1977 album Närma mej,[3] and by Marie Fredriksson in 2006 on the album Min bäste vän.[4]

Ingen kommer undan politiken
Cover:IngenKommerUndan-Front.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Marie Fredriksson
Album:Min bäste vän[5]
Released: (Sweden)
Recorded:Stockholm, Sweden
Genre:Pop
Length:3:44
Label:Mary Jane/Amelia Music AB
EMI Sweden
Producer:Mikael Bolyos
Prev Title:Sommaräng
Prev Year:2006
Next Title:Ordet är farväl
Next Year:2007

The Marie Fredriksson version was also released as a digital single on 25 July 2006. It was the second single released from Marie Fredriksson's cover album Min bäste vän (My best friend), on both physical and digital formats. A promotional single (0946 3707622 4) was also released. "I owned the record by Kate and Anna McGarrigle and I was blown away by the way they sang it", Marie says.

The Marie Fredriksson version was also released as both a CD and digital singles on 25 July 2006.

Format of Fredriksson's version

Digital download
(July 25, 2006)

  1. "Ingen kommer undan politiken" - 3:44

Swedish promotional CD
(0946 3707622 4; July 25, 2006)

  1. "Ingen kommer undan politiken" - 3:44

Personnel on Fredriksson's version

References

  1. Web site: Kate & Anna McGarrigle - Discography - Hommage a Henri Richard . mcgarrigles.info . 2019-09-10.
  2. Web site: Complainte Pour Ste. Catherine - Kirsty MacColl.
  3. http://smdb.kb.se/catalog/id/001886033 Svensk mediadatabas, accessdate: 22 November 2013
  4. http://smdb.kb.se/catalog/id/002035417 Svensk mediadatabas, accessdate: 22 November 2013
  5. http://smdb.kb.se/catalog/id/002035417 Svensk mediadatabas, accessdate: 22 November 2013