Anna McGarrigle and Kate McGarrigle were born in Montreal of mixed Irish- and French-Canadian background, but lived their childhood in the Laurentian Mountains village of Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts, northwest of Montreal, where they learned piano from village nuns. In the 1960s, in Montreal, while Kate was studying engineering at McGill University and Anna art at the École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, they began performing in public and then began writing their own songs. From 1963 to 1967 they teamed up with Jack Nissenson and Peter Weldon to form the folk group Mountain City Four. Into the twenty-first century, Kate and Anna McGarrigle continued to write, and recorded and performed music, with assorted accompanying musicians including Gerry Conway, Pat Donaldson, Ken Pearson, Michel Pépin, Chaim Tannenbaum and Joel Zifkin.
Their songs have been covered by a variety of artists including Maria Muldaur, Nana Mouskouri, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Billy Bragg, Chloé Sainte-Marie, Judy Collins, Anne Sofie von Otter and others. The covers of their songs by well known artists led to the McGarrigles getting their first recording contract in 1974. They created ten albums from 1975 through 2008.
Although associated with Quebec's anglophone community, the McGarrigles also recorded and performed many songs in French. Two of their albums, Entre la jeunesse et la sagesse (also known as French Record) and La vache qui pleure, are entirely in French, but many of their other records include one or two French songs as well. Most of their French songs were co-written by Philippe Tatartcheff, with occasional input from Kate McGarrigle's son, Canadian-American solo artist Rufus Wainwright. Rufus and his sister Martha Wainwright, also a singer, are the children of Kate and her former husband (married 1971, separated 1976, divorced 1978), singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III.
They have performed or recorded with the Irish group The Chieftains, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds on their No More Shall We Part album, Emmylou Harris on her albums Bluebird, Wrecking Ball, Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions, Light of the Stable, Stumble into Grace, and All I Intended to Be, Lou Reed on his concept album The Raven, Joan Baez on her live recording Ring Them Bells, Gilles Vigneault on “Charlie-Jos” on his album C’est ainsi que j’arrive à toi, and Robin Holcomb on her 2002 album The Big Time.
Their version of Wade Hemsworth's song, "The Log Driver's Waltz" grew famous as the soundtrack for a 1979 animated film by Canada's National Film Board. They provided backing vocals on Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds's 2001 album No More Shall We Part. They appeared on the children's TV show Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show in Season 4, episode 50 entitled "Sibling Rivalry".
They were appointed Members of the Order of Canada in 1993 and received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award in 2004.
Another sister, Jane McGarrigle, is a film and television composer who wrote and performed several songs with the duo, but was not a regular collaborator.
Kate died January 18, 2010 at the age of 63 after fighting a rare form of cancer.
Talk About It
Kate & Anna McGarrigle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Going strong
It's the wee small hours, midnight's long gone
You look into my eyes and I look into yours
And when the band starts to play lead me onto the dance
Floor
Okay
Put your hands to my hips and swing me around
I'll put my arms round your neck
We'll waltz to the counter
Get our coats outa' check
It's night: let's make love
It's night: let's make love
And we can talk about it when the morning comes
It'll come
It always does
We'll push it around now whether it's right or wrong
Wrong?
It never was
Why?
Just because
We'll talk about it when the morning comes
It'll come
It always does
Hush, don't say a word
You'll wake the fish, you'll scare the birds
Don't disturb the song of the nighthawk
Let the crickets talk
It's night: lets make love
It's night: lets make love
And we can
Down lovers' lane between the cars
We'll hold the moon and freeze the stars
We'll tell ol' Luna to shine bright
Eclipse the sun, kill the light
It's night: let's make love
It's night: let's make love
And we can
The lyrics of Kate & Anna McGarrigle's song "Talk About It" are about a couple who are caught up in the heat of the moment during the late hours of the night. Despite acknowledging that others at the party have gone home, the two lovers' passion is still burning strong on the dance floor. As they waltz towards the counter and prepare to leave, they express their desire to make love during the night. They understand that they will have to deal with the consequences of their actions in the morning, but for now, they are content to just enjoy the moment.
The couple, who are described as being in a state of heightened passion, choose to ignore any potential consequences and decide to pursue their desire for physical intimacy. The lyrics "And we can talk about it when the morning comes, it'll come, it always does" indicate that they are aware of the societal expectations that frown upon casual sex, but they are choosing to prioritize their pleasure and desire for each other in that moment. The song's lyrics seem to suggest a carefree attitude towards sex and relationships, encouraging listeners to enjoy the moment without worrying about the morning after.
Line by Line Meaning
The party's over for some but for others it's still
Some people have left the party, but others are still enjoying themselves.
Going strong
Those who are still at the party are having a good time.
It's the wee small hours, midnight's long gone
It is very late at night, well past midnight.
You look into my eyes and I look into yours
We are making eye contact.
And when the band starts to play lead me onto the dance
When the band starts playing, please guide me to the dance floor.
Floor
The area where people dance.
Okay
Acknowledging that we are in agreement.
Put your hands to my hips and swing me around
Please hold onto my hips and spin me around.
Put your lips to my lips...I'm off the ground
When you kiss me, I feel light and happy.
I'll put my arms round your neck
I will embrace you by putting my arms around your neck.
We'll waltz to the counter
We will dance together to the bar area.
Get our coats outa' check
Retrieve our coats from the coat check area.
It's night: let's make love
Since it is nighttime, let's engage in a sexual act.
And we can talk about it when the morning comes
We can discuss what happened when we wake up in the morning.
It'll come
Morning will arrive as it always does.
It always does
Morning always follows night, without fail.
We'll push it around now whether it's right or wrong
We will discuss what happened, whether it was appropriate or not.
Wrong?
Asking if what happened was wrong.
It never was
Whatever happened was not wrong.
Why?
Asking why what happened was not wrong.
Just because
There may not be any reason, other than it felt good.
Hush, don't say a word
Please be quiet.
You'll wake the fish, you'll scare the birds
Making too much noise may disturb the fish and birds.
Don't disturb the song of the nighthawk
Please do not interrupt the natural sounds of the night.
Let the crickets talk
Allowing the sound of crickets to continue.
Down lovers' lane between the cars
Walking together down a secluded path, surrounded by parked vehicles.
We'll hold the moon and freeze the stars
We will feel as though we are holding the moon and stopping the motion of the stars.
We'll tell ol' Luna to shine bright
We will ask the moon to be bright and illuminate our path.
Eclipse the sun, kill the light
We will pretend that the moon is so bright that it has made the sun disappear, leaving us in complete darkness.
It's night: let's make love
Let's engage in a sexual act since it is nighttime.
It's night: let's make love
Another reminder that it is nighttime and an opportunity to engage in a sexual act.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ANNA MCGARRIGLE, KATE MCGARRIGLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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