Cate's Brother

Album: single release only (2022)
Charted: 62
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Here, Maisie Peters imagines throwing a Halloween party for 40 friends. Vancouver-born Cate Canning turns up with her brother, who's come over from Canada for a visit. Maisie immediately falls in love with Cate's brother, and after an initial hesitation she embarks on a full-scale romance.
  • Maisie really has a Canadian friend named Cate, whose brother she met, but the rest of the narrative is a made-up story penned by Peters and Fat Max Gsus in Stockholm, Sweden. "Cate does have a brother, who is a sweet, sweet Canadian prince. No, we are not dating," she told People. "The song was literally just a joke for me and my friendship group. I wrote it in Sweden and was like, 'Oh, this will be funny.' And then lo and behold, out it came."
  • That's when I became his only girl
    And now I date Cate's brother


    The song has a happy ending, but it nearly ended up with something sassier. According to Peters, for 15 minutes the last line was "and now I hate Cate's brother." Then she and Gsus opted for something more lighthearted.
  • Joe Rubel supplied the sinewy pop-rock production. An Ed Sheeran cohort, Rubel co-produced his Equals tracks "Tides," "Stop The Rain," and "Love In Slow Motion" (Peters is signed to Sheeran's Gingerbread Man Records).
  • Peters originally leaked snippets of "Cate's Brother" on TikTok, only for it to go viral. After her fans demanded its release, she dropped it as a single on May 6, 2022.
  • So does Cate's brother know about the song? "I really did that as a surprise moment thing and it's really turned into something much bigger," she told Spin1038. "Ehm... Does Cate's brother know... Well, I mean he clearly knows now!"
  • Maisie Peters released a new duet version featuring Matt Maltese on June 1, 2022. On "Cate's Brother (Matt's Version)," Maltese sings from the perspective of Cate Canning's brother.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Tom Bailey of Thompson Twins

Tom Bailey of Thompson TwinsSongwriter Interviews

Tom stopped performing Thompson Twins songs in 1987, in part because of their personal nature: "Hold Me Now" came after an argument with his bandmate/girlfriend Alannah Currie.

Name the Character in the Song

Name the Character in the SongMusic Quiz

With a few clues (Works at a diner, dreams of running away), can you name the character in the song?

The Truth Is Out There: A History of Alien Songs

The Truth Is Out There: A History of Alien SongsSong Writing

The trail runs from flying saucer songs in the '50s, through Bowie, blink-182 and Katy Perry.

Jethro Tull

Jethro TullFact or Fiction

Stage urinals, flute devices, and the real Aqualung in this Fact or Fiction.

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney Princesses

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney PrincessesSong Writing

From "Some Day My Prince Will Come" to "Let It Go" - how Disney princess songs (and the women who sing them) have evolved.

Ed Roland of Collective Soul

Ed Roland of Collective SoulSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Shine," "December," "The World I Know" and other Collective Soul hits.