Did you have a crush on Anne Murray when you were a little girl? Did you dance around your house with your dress tucked into your pantyhose singing her greatest hits? And what about Anne of Green Gables? Did you ever try her, ‘get-the-girl-drunk’ move? How’d that work out for you? These questions and oh so much more are autobiographically answered by performance artist, Dayna McLeod in this mash-up that mixes Anne Murray’s, You Needed Me with the made-for-television Canadian classic, Anne of Green Gables.

That’s Right Diana Barry- You Needed Me is a video that looks at the complex relationship lesbians have with their mothers, girlfriends, childhoods, sexuality and our silver-tongued Canadian songstress, Anne Murray. Featuring an opening monologue that uncomfortably delves into sexual Oedipal fantasies, seduction, and the awkwardness of first loves, this piece culminates in an audience participation Karaoke video of Anne Murray’s classic, You Needed Me mashed-up with the made-for-television, Anne of Green Gables.

Originally commissioned as a performance piece for, Anne Made Me Gay, curated by Moynan King and Rosemary Rowe, Buddies in Bad Times, Toronto in 2008.

That’s Right Diana Barry- You Needed Me
Dayna McLeod, 2009
6:48 minutes, colour