The duck goes quack quack

September 30, 2006 4:50 AM

Do you know the name of this song and the artist? It's a female singer. The only way that I can think of to describe the style is French or Brazilian jazz. The only lyrics that I remember are "and the duck goes quack quack" and also something about a goose going "honk" and "summer." (MI)

I heard the song on public radio, but I couldn't find anything on the website. The song was followed by another by the same artist sung in French (I think). I really liked the artist and song, it made me smile.

posted by Juicylicious to media & arts (17 comments total)

Sounds like Joyce
posted by ptm at 5:06 AM on September 30, 2006

I think I may know what you mean, but I don't quite have it. It's something I remember a French friend singing when I was a kid. When sung in French, I think it began, "C'est la chanson du canard, c'est la chanson du canard..." (Literal translation: "It's the song of the duck...") and there was a part about the duck going quack, quack. When he sang it, it had a little dance that went with it -- I think at one point, the duck "wiggles its little tail."
posted by daisyace at 5:20 AM on September 30, 2006

Shot in the dark: "How Bizarre"?
posted by divabat at 5:36 AM on September 30, 2006

The song is called "O Pato" (the duck, in Portuguese) and this is the best version I´ve heard of it, sung by Joao Gilberto. Is that it?
posted by micayetoca at 6:13 AM on September 30, 2006

Could it be "The Waters of March" by Susannah McCorkle? She sings parts of the song in English and parts in Portugese.

She died in 2001, and NPR has done some stories on her since then.

The lyrics can be found here:
posted by 4ster at 7:06 AM on September 30, 2006

I should add that she sings the song with slightly different lyrics than what I posted, but they are pretty close.
posted by 4ster at 7:11 AM on September 30, 2006

If you are the sure the version you heard isnt Portuguese, but French, it may be Martine Havet. But the song is definitely "O Pato."
posted by micayetoca at 7:15 AM on September 30, 2006

Yes, micayetoca is right. It's O Pato, a Brazilian bossa nova tune written by Jayme Silva and Neuza Teixeira. João Gilberto recorded it in 1960--he is the performer with whom it is most associated, I think. It almost seems like a bossa nova attempt at a children's song. I'm not sure who the interpreter on NPR was, however.

The Waters of March in Portuguese is As Aguas de Março, and it was written by Tom Jobim. It has as random, stream-of-consciousness lyrics including mention of a frog, but no ducks or geese.
posted by umbú at 7:22 AM on September 30, 2006

4ster's guess, Susannah McCorkle, came to my mind as well. I had no idea she died. One of her appearances on PHC is my very favorite of the show's entire run.

I think I'll check iTunes ...
posted by RavinDave at 7:50 AM on September 30, 2006

Would Bia be the singer in question? She sings in French and Portuguese (Brazilian), but I don't think she recorded "O Pato".
posted by bluefrog at 10:29 AM on September 30, 2006

When sung in French, I think it began, "C'est la chanson du canard, c'est la chanson du canard..." (Literal translation: "It's the song of the duck...") and there was a part about the duck going quack, quack.

That's actually the French version of the (in)famous Der Vogerltanz by Werner Thomas. Wasn't it popular also in the US and Anglo-Canada at some point? It' s the Macarena of Oompah music.
posted by bluefrog at 10:33 AM on September 30, 2006

It is definitely O Pato sung by Giselle. I checked the sample on itunes, but the portion that I heard was not in English. The version that I heard on the radio was both in English and Portugese. Anyone know if she did a version in both languages?
posted by Juicylicious at 10:57 AM on September 30, 2006

On a similar note, there is a Brazilian song about Spring I think going something like "A stick, a stone..." da dadida DAAA...da dadida DAAA...been driving me nuts for a year, can't find it anywhere!
posted by Darth Fedor at 11:08 AM on September 30, 2006

Darth Fedor, it's "The Waters of March," mentioned upthread. Go listen here. My favorite version is by the late Susannah McCorkle -- I believe it was either from "Prairie Home Companion" or "Fresh Air." Another version is here.
posted by MonkeyToes at 11:36 AM on September 30, 2006

Thanks bluefrog -- you may not have found Juicylicious's song, but I appreciate that you found mine! I see I had a bit wrong, but at least the English translation does say that the ducks "shake their tails/And go 'quack-quack.'" I only ever knew it via my French friend, but thanks to you, I will think of it forevermore as "the Macarena of Oompah music."
posted by daisyace at 2:45 PM on September 30, 2006

On a similar note, there is a Brazilian song about Spring I think going something like "A stick, a stone..." da dadida DAAA...da dadida DAAA...been driving me nuts for a year, can't find it anywhere!

It's "Águas de Março ", an Antonio Carlos Jobim song. You'll find the English lyrics here.
posted by bluefrog at 7:32 PM on September 30, 2006

Yes you are talking about "O Pato" - the song became very famous when Joao Gilberto recorded it with Stan Getz. Sergio Mendez also has a nice version of the song on the debut album of Brazil 66.

The english version you heard was probably Karrin Allyson, who recorded it for her "From Paris to Rio" album several years ago. She is a favorite of NPR, and that album got a lot of attention.

Yes, Aguas de Marco (Waters of March) is a phenomenal song - in 2001 there was a poll of 200 Brazilian journalists, musicians and other artists taken by Brazil's leading newspaper Folha de Sao Paolo and Aguas de Marco was voted the all-time best Brazilian song. Jobim wrote both the Portugese and English lyrics, and in fact there are more lyrics in the English version. Oscar Castro-Neves, who performs my absolute favorite version of the song, said that Jobim told him that writing this kind of stream-of-consciousness was his version of psychotherapy and saved him thousands in therapy bills.
posted by jimraw1 at 1:58 PM on January 5, 2007