Barnes & Barnes formed in 1970. Robert Haimer (died 2023) and Bill Mumy were childhood friends who occasionally jammed together on their musical instruments. Around 1968, they would shoot short films with a Super 8 motion picture camera, dubbed "Art Films". The two began calling each other "Art", and thus, their alter egos were born. Their surname, "Barnes" was taken from a Bill Cosby comedy routine called "Revenge", in which a character called Junior Barnes throws a snowball at Cosby as a child. Originally, both Haimer and Mumy were named "Art Barnes", but Haimer's alter ego was publicly renamed "Artie" in 1979 to differentiate between them. To each other, however, they both still remain "Art". They first received airplay on The Dr. Demento Show in 1978 with their songs "Boogie Woogie Amputee" and "Fish Heads." The latter tune was released as a single on their own Lumania Records in 1979 and remains their best-known song, and the most requested song in the history of The Dr. Demento Show. The song was often mis-attributed to The Chipmunks for its processed high-pitched chorus:
Fish heads, fish heads
Rolly-polly fish heads
Fish heads, fish heads
Eat them up, yum!
Barnes and Barnes have produced two albums for Wild Man Fischer, and one album for Crispin Hellion Glover.
Linoleum
Barnes & Barnes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm looking everywhere
I look outside
I look in the chair
I'm looking for peace
I'm looking all around
I look in the mayonnaise
I look in the chair
You who long to know the glory
Salvation is linoleum
Salvation is linoleum
I'm looking for an attractive person
Of the opposite sex to get naked with
I'm looking everywhere
I look in the slimy water that
Secretes from the city sewage system
I look in the chair
I'm looking for a chemical substance
To ingest into my central nervous system
And alter my reality
I'm looking all around
I look under the petticoats of
Young pre-pubescent little girls
On their way to dance class
I look in the chair
Linoleum
Linseed oil solidified by oxidation
Yeah.
sallysally@usa.net
The lyrics to Barnes & Barnes's song Linoleum reflect the desperate search of the singer for various types of salvation, whether it be love, peace, or altered states of consciousness. The repetition of "I look in the chair" creates a sense of futility in the search, as if the answer to the singer's quest is always just out of reach. The inclusion of disturbingly explicit lines about seeking an attractive person to get naked with or looking under the petticoats of young girls adds a layer of discomfort to the song, hinting at a darker side to the singer's desires.
The refrain of "Salvation is linoleum" adds a surreal element to the song, as linoleum is an unexpected object of salvation. The line can be interpreted in a number of ways, perhaps as a commentary on the artificiality of modern life or the search for meaning in mundane objects. The song's overall tone is one of disillusionment and desperation, with the singer seemingly unable to find what they are looking for.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm looking for love
I am in search of affection or fondness.
I'm looking everywhere
I am searching in all places and directions.
I look outside
I search in the exterior of my surroundings.
I look in the chair
I examine the chair for my desired object.
I'm looking for peace
I am in pursuit of serenity or tranquility.
I look in the mayonnaise
I inspect the mayonnaise jar hoping for my desired object.
You who seek the answer
Those who quest for a solution.
You who long to know the glory
Those who crave to comprehend the grandness of something.
Salvation is linoleum
Eternal redemption is found in linoleum flooring.
I'm looking for an attractive person
I am seeking a physically pleasing individual.
Of the opposite sex to get naked with
A person of the opposing gender to bare themselves alongside.
I look in the slimy water that
I gaze upon the unclean fluids released by the urban sewage system.
Secretes from the city sewage system
The waste liquids from the metropolitan sewer network.
I'm looking for a chemical substance
I desire a specific compound.
To ingest into my central nervous system
To take into my inner processing and coordination network.
And alter my reality
And modify the world as it is perceived by me.
I look all around
I survey the entirety of my surroundings.
I look under the petticoats of
I explore beneath the outer garments of
Young pre-pubescent little girls
Girls who have not yet experienced puberty.
On their way to dance class
Traveling to or from their lessons in choreography.
Linoleum
A flooring material made of linseed oil that has solidified by oxidation.
Linseed oil solidified by oxidation
The basis for linoleum flooring made from the chemical changes of linseed oil with oxygen.
Yeah.
An exclamation of acknowledgement or agreement.
Contributed by Elijah P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.