La Chienne Belle

"La Chienne Belle" (French for "The Beautiful Dog"), was a record released in 2002 by Algerian guitarist and songwriter Souad Massi. The album's creation was inspired by the death of Massi's pet Yorkshire terrier Amari. Apparently, Massi was inside one day working on a song and heard tires screeching on the road in front of her house, followed by a loud thump. Massi rushed outside quickly to find her canine companion in a pool of blood with broken ligaments in the middle of the street. Witnesses say the driver of the car, which, ironically enough, was a dog catcher vehicle, stopped and then sped away. The driver was never identified.

On Massi's album, there are 21 songs, 6 of which were broadcast on radio stations in Algeria, Egypt, France, Morocco and Niger. The most popular single is Je Veux L'Amour de Vous (I Want the Love of You), which is 4:18 in length.

This album sold nearly 3 million copies around the world, primarily in southern Europe, northern and eastern Africa, and the Middle East.