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.
What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?
Kate & Anna McGarrigle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the couples we know are fondly kissing
Will I be with you or will I be among the missing?
Maybe it's much too early in the game
Oh, but I thought I'd ask you just the same
What are you doing New Year's, New Year's Eve?
When it's exactly twelve o'clock that night
Welcoming in the New Year, New Year's Eve
Maybe I'm crazy to suppose
That I could be the one you chose
Out of the thousand invitations you receive
How about in case I stand one little chance
Here comes the jackpot question in advance
What are you doin' New Year's, New Year's Eve?
What are you doin' New Year's Eve?
The Kate & Anna McGarrigle's song, "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve," is a classic tune about love and the uncertainty of what the future holds, particularly on New Year's Eve. The song's lyrics focus on the anticipation of the holiday and the possibility of romance. As the song progresses, the singer asks their love interest if they will be together when the clock strikes midnight. They ponder if they will be among the couples "kissing fondly" or if they will be "missing." The lyrics reveal the singer's vulnerability and their desire for a deeper commitment.
The song's melody is nostalgic and emotive, with the lyrics capturing the mixed emotions that people often feel as they anticipate the arrival of a new year. While the song conveys the sense of hope and excitement that comes with the anticipation of a new beginning, it also acknowledges the uncertainty that comes with the end of one year and the start of another.
In a larger sense, the song is an expression of the universal human experience. We all want to be loved and to feel like we belong. The lyrics of "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" speak to the longing for connection that many people feel, especially during the holiday season. The song's timeless lyrics and melody have resonated with audiences for decades and continue to be a holiday classic.
Line by Line Meaning
When the bells all ring and the horns are blown
When the festive atmosphere is created around us with bells ringing and horns blowing.
And the couples we know are fondly kissing
When we see the people we know, affectionately expressing their love for each other by kissing.
Will I be with you or will I be among the missing?
Amidst all the joy and celebration, will I be alone, without you by my side?
Maybe it's much too early in the game
Perhaps it's too soon to ask about our New Year's Eve plans.
Oh, but I thought I'd ask you just the same
But, regardless, I wanted to ask you anyway.
What are you doing New Year's, New Year's Eve?
What are your plans for the upcoming New Year's Eve?
Wonder whose arms will hold you good and tight
With whom will you be in the embrace of while counting down to midnight?
When it's exactly twelve o'clock that night
At the exact moment the clock strikes 12 on New Year's Eve.
Welcoming in the New Year, New Year's Eve
Celebrating the beginning of the New Year on New Year's Eve.
Maybe I'm crazy to suppose
Perhaps I'm foolish to think this way.
That I could be the one you chose
That you would select me as your preferred partner.
Out of the thousand invitations you receive
Given the countless invitations you'll receive, it's a wonder if I even stand a chance.
How about in case I stand one little chance
Is there any possibility that I might have a shot?
Here comes the jackpot question in advance
This could be the perfect opportunity to ask the million-dollar question ahead of time.
What are you doin' New Year's, New Year's Eve?
What are your plans for this New Year's Eve?
What are you doin' New Year's Eve?
What are you doing on New Year's Eve?
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
joelz
on Song For Gaby
Added the first vocal line which was missing
joelz
on Why Must We Die?
We are meat. We are spirit
We have blood and we have grace
We have a will and we have muscle
A soul and a face
Why must we die
We have eyes and intuition
A DNA code and a name
Some tend to logic, some superstition
We have an aura and a frame
Why must we die
We are human, we are angel
We have feet and wish for wings
We are carbon, we are ether
We are saints, we are kings
Why must we die
Why must we die
We are men of constant sorrow
We′ll have trouble all our days
We never found our Eldorado
Where we were born
We are meat, we are spirit
We have blood and we have grace
We have a will and we have muscle
A soul and a face
Why must we die
Why must we die
We are men of constant sorrow
We'll have trouble all our days
We never found our Eldorado
Where we were born
We are men of constant sorrow
We′ll have trouble all our days...