Cover art for China Cat Sunflower by The Grateful Dead

China Cat Sunflower

The Grateful Dead
Track 41 on Dave’s Picks Vol. 22 

Producer

The Grateful Dead
Song writer Robert Hunter said that the idea for this song came to him while he was tripping in Mexico with a cat sitting on his stomach. The cat took Hunter on a Journey… Read More 
Jun. 20, 19691 viewer31.5K views

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About

Genius Annotation

Song writer Robert Hunter said that the idea for this song came to him while he was tripping in Mexico with a cat sitting on his stomach. The cat took Hunter on a Journey to Neptune and showed him all of these visuals.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did The Grateful Dead say about "China Cat Sunflower"?
Genius Answer

In his A Box of Rain, Hunter wrote:

I think the germ of “China Cat Sunflower” came in Mexico, on Lake Chapala. I don’t think any of the words came, exactly – the rhythms came.

Hunter says:

I had a cat sitting on my belly, and was in a rather hypersensitive state, and I followed this cat out to – I believe it was Neptune – and there were rainbows across Neptune, and cats marching across the rainbow. This cat took me in all these cat places; there’s some essence of that in the song.

Who produced “China Cat Sunflower” by The Grateful Dead?
When did The Grateful Dead release “China Cat Sunflower”?
Who wrote “China Cat Sunflower” by The Grateful Dead?
Dave’s Picks Vol. 22 (2017)
  1. 1.
    Cold Rain and Snow
  2. 2.
    Beat It Down the Line
  3. 4.
    Sugaree
  4. 6.
    Next Time You See Me (Live)
  5. 8.
    El Paso
  6. 9.
    Brokedown Palace
  7. 10.
    Run Rudolph Run
  8. 11.
    You Win Again
  9. 12.
    Cumberland Blues
  10. 14.
    Sugar Magnolia
  11. 16.
    Big Boss Man
  12. 18.
    Brown-Eyed Women
  13. 20.
    Smoke Stack Lightning
  14. 21.
    Deal
  15. 24.
    Goin’ Down the Road Feelin’ Bad
  16. 25.
    Not Fade Away
  17. 27.
    Big Railroad Blues
  18. 28.
    Me and My Uncle
  19. 29.
    Ramble on Rose
  20. 30.
    Playing in the Band
  21. 31.
    Cryptical Envelopment
  22. 32.
    Drums
  23. 33.
    The Other One
  24. 34.
    Wharf Rat
  25. 35.
    One More Saturday Night
  26. 36.
    Uncle John’s Band
  27. 37.
    Truckin’
  28. 38.
    Loser
  29. 39.
    Mr. Charlie
  30. 40.
    Jack Straw
  31. 41.
    China Cat Sunflower
  32. 42.
    I Know You Rider
  33. 43.
    Tennessee Jed
  34. 44.
    Mexicali Blues
  35. 45.
    Black Peter
  36. 46.
    Casey Jones
Credits
Producer
Writers
Bass
Guitar
Vocals
Drums
Keyboards
Percussion
Arranger
Engineer
Label
Released on
June 20, 1969
China Cat Sunflower Covers
China Cat Sunflower Live Performances
China Cat Sunflower (Live at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY 3/9/81) by The Grateful Dead, Dark Star / China Cat Sunflower / The Eleven (Live at Carousel Ballroom, San Francisco, March 16, 1967) by The Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower (Live at the Olympia Theatre, Paris, France) [2022 Remaster] by The Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower (Live at County Fairgrounds, Des Moines, IA, 6/16/74) by The Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower (Live at the Olympia Theatre, Paris, France, May 3, 1972) by The Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower (Live at Rheinhalle, Düsseldorf, West Germany, April 24, 1972) by The Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower (Live at Winterland, San Francisco, December 29, 1977) by The Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower (Live at Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR, May 19, 1974) by The Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower (Live at Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL, August 23, 1971) by The Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower (Live at Fairgrounds Arena, Oklahoma City, OK, October 19, 1973) by The Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower (Live at Recreation Hall, Penn State University, May 6, 1980) by The Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower (Live at the Fillmore East, New York City, May 15, 1970) by The Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower (Live at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ, April 1, 1988) by The Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower (Live at Stanley Theater, Jersey City, NJ, September 27, 1972) by The Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower (Live at Carousel Ballroom, San Francisco, CA, March 17, 1968) by The Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower (Live at Cow Palace, Daly City, CA, March 23, 1974) by The Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower (Live at Philadelphia Civic Center, Philadelphia, PA, August 4-5, 1974) by The Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower (Live at Academy of Music, New York, NY, March 28, 1972) by The Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower (Live at Paramount Northwest Theatre, Seattle, WA, July 21, 1972) by The Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower (Live at Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, UT, February 28, 1973) by The Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower (Live at Springer's Inn, Portland, OR, January 18, 1970) by The Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower (Live at Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI, August 7, 1982) by The Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower [Pacific Northwest- '73-'74] by The Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower [Live at Baltimore Civic Center, Baltimore, MD, 9/17/72] by The Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower (Live at Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, NC, December 10, 1973) by The Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower (Live at The Spectrum, Philadelphia, September 21, 1972) by The Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower (Live at Nassau Coliseum, May 15-16, 1980) by The Grateful Dead, China Cat Sunflower (Live in Veneta, Oregon, August 27, 1972) by The Grateful Dead & China Cat Sunflower (Live at Fillmore East NYC April 1971) by The Grateful Dead
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RockPopIn EnglishBlues RockFunk RockPsychedelic Rock
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