La vache qui pleure (album)

Untitled

La vache qui pleure is the ninth album by Kate & Anna McGarrigle, released in 2003. It is named after a prehistoric bas-relief (stone carving) near Djanet in the south of Algeria which is pictured on the album cover. Its title (French for The crying cow) may also be a joke with the famous French cheese label La vache qui rit (The laughing cow).

It is the sisters' second full album of French songs, following on from their 1980 album Entre Lajeunesse et la sagesse, while several of their other albums also included a few French songs.

The album does include one English song, "Sunflower", which is a setting of William Blake's poem "Ah! Sunflower". The same song is performed in French ("Ah tournesol"), as a straight translation of the original. Blake's poem is not acknowledged in the credits for either song.

Guest musicians on the album include Joel Zifkin, Lily Lanken (Anna's daughter), and Martha Wainwright (Kate's daughter).

Track listing

All songs by Kate and Anna McGarrigle and Philippe Tatartcheff, except where noted.

1. "Petite annonce amoureuse" – 3:58s
2. "Ah tournesol" – 2:58
3. "Le bambocheur" (K. McGarrigle ) – 2:22
4. "Hurle le vent" – 3:22
5. "La Vache qui pleure" – 4:08
6. "Rose blanche" (K. & A. McGarrigle / Ph. Tatartcheff / A. Bruant) – 4:52
7. "Tant le monde" – 3:35
8. "Ce matin" – 4:43
9. "Dans le silence" – 3:32
10. "Petites boites" (translation of "Little Boxes" by Malvina Reynolds / Graeme Allwright) – 3:36
11. "Sunflower" (K. & A. McGarrigle) – 3:25
12. "La complainte du phoque en Alaska" (M. Rivard) – 6:03