"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.[citation needed]
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".
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.[citation needed]
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)
"Ingen kommer undan politiken" - 3:44
Swedish promotional CD
(0946 3707622 4; July 25, 2006)
