Allmusic had this to say about the Residents: "Over the course of a recording career spanning several decades, the Residents remained a riddle of Sphinx-like proportions; cloaking their lives and music in a haze of willful obscurity, the band's members never identified themselves by name, always appearing in public in disguise -- usually tuxedos, top hats and giant eyeball masks -- and refusing to grant media interviews. Drawing inspiration from the likes of fellow innovators including Harry Partch, Sun Ra, and Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band, the Residents channelled the breadth of American music into their idiosyncratic, satiric vision, their mercurial blend of electronics, distortion, avant-jazz, classical symphonies and gratingly nasal vocals reinterpreting everyone from John Philip Sousa to James Brown while simultaneously expanding the boundaries of theatrical performance and multimedia interaction.
It was commonly accepted that the four-member group emigrated to San Francisco, California from Shreveport, Louisiana at some point in the early '70s. According to longtime group spokesman Jay Clem -- one member of the so-called Cryptic Corporation, the band's representative body -- they received their name when Warner Bros. mailed back their anonymous demo tape, addressed simply "for the attention of residents". Finding no takers for their oddball sounds, the Residents founded their own label, Ralph Records, for the purposes of issuing their 1972 debut "Santa Dog", released in a pressing of 300 copies which were mailed out to luminaries from Frank Zappa to President Richard Nixon. Their debut full-length, 1974's "Meet the Residents", reportedly sold fewer than 50 copies before the group was threatened with a lawsuit from Capitol Records over its cover, a twisted, dada-esque parody of the art to "Meet the Beatles".
The follow-up, 1974's neoclassical excursion "Not Available", was recorded with the intention of its music remaining unissued; locked in cold storage upon its completion, only a 1978 contractual obligation resulted in its eventual release. 1976's "The Third Reich 'N Roll" was the next official offering, a collection of pop oldies covers presented in a controversial jacket portraying Adolf Hitler clutching an enormous carrot. After a 1976 concert in Berkeley, California which cloaked the Residents behind an opaque screen, wrapped up like mummies -- the most famous of only three live performances mounted during their first decade of existence -- they issued an abrasive 1977 cover of The Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction", which became an underground hit on both sides of the Atlantic at the peak of the punk movement. As the decade drew to a close, the group released a flurry of recordings, further building upon their growing cult following; among them were 1978's "Duck Stab", 1979's "Eskimo" (purportedly a collection of native Arctic chants) and 1980's "Commercial Album", a compilation of 40 one-minute "pop songs" that aired on San Francisco radio only because the Residents played them during the advertising time they bought.
In 1981 the Residents embarked upon their "Mole Trilogy", a prog rock collection of albums -- 1981's "Mark of the Mole", 1982's "The Tunes of Two Cities" and 1985's "The Big Bubble" -- recounting an epic battle between a pair of tribes named the Moles and the Chubs; a lavish, multimedia tour, "The Mole Show", followed. In the interim, the group also mounted another ambitious project, the "American Composer" series, although only two of the projected titles -- 1984's "George & James" (a reinterpretation of songs by George Gershwin and James Brown) and 1986's "Stars & Hank Forever" (celebrating John Philip Sousa and Hank Williams) -- ever appeared. Instead, in the wake of financial and corporate difficulties which resulted in the creation of a New Ralph label, the Residents issued the one-off "God in Three Persons" (a talking blues outing), and 1989's "The King and Eye" (a reinterpretation of Elvis Presley standards).
After losing control of the Ralph label as well as their back catalog, the Residents regained the rights to their music in 1990 and began reissuing long-out-of-print material as well as the new "Freak Show", a meditation on circus sideshows and carnival dementia. Four years later, Freak Show was reissued as a CD-ROM, marking the group's first leap into the new digital interactive technology; "Have a Bad Day" followed in 1996, and included the soundtrack to the CD-ROM game "Bad Day on the Midway." In 1997, the band celebrated their silver anniversary with the release of the career-spanning overview "Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Huddled Masses". "Wormwood: Curious Stories From the Bible" followed the next year, with "Roadworms" (songs from Wormwood as performed in the stage show) being issued in mid-2000. They followed that up with the awesome "Icky Flix" DVD, an incredibly detailed collection of their videos that featured both old and new soundtracks, 5.1 Digital Stereo Surround sound, countless hidden videos and in-depth histories of each individual track. That was followed by another one of their rare tours, which saw them incorporate the DVD into their live act and bring out guest singer Molly Harvey for some truly creative duets. The "Petting Zoo" retrospective followed in the spring of 2002, acting as a budget sampler for new fans and giving old fans something to tide them over while several high concept projects neared completion. The first was "Demons Dance Alone", a complicated pop album that hearkened back to the catchier material from "Duck Stab" and the "Commercial Album". That was followed in 2002 by a live retrospective called "Kettles Of Fish On The Outskirts Of Town" that contained 3 cd's and a DVD, and a further look at their past via remasters and remixes put out by EuroRalph (including a remix of their previously unreleased and notorious "Warner Brothers Demo"). A DVD of the Demons Dance Alone tour came out in 2004 and another new project, "Animal Lover" was released in 2005."
Summer of 2006 brought the internet download project, The River of Crime: Episodes 1-5. River of Crime was their first project with Warner Music Group's Cordless label. Following the success of "River of Crime", The Residents launched their weekly Timmy video project on YouTube. In 2007 they did the music for the documentary "Strange Culture" and also released a double instrumental album, "Night of the Hunters". On the Fourth of July, 2007, the planned October release of their latest project with Mute Records, The Voice of Midnight (a music theater adaptation of E.T.A. Hoffmann's short story Der Sandmann), was announced on their website.
On the 21st of May 2008 they announced on their website that their first North America tour since "Demons Dance Alone" for a project entitled "The Bunny Boy" is set to begin on October 9th in New York — later an earlier date was added for Santa Cruz. Soon, it was announced that the tour will also include Europe, starting November 13th. On June 3rd, the Residents.com website boasted the planned release of "The Bunny Boy" which was released on September 1st. The website had posted information in which Foxboro claimed this would be a Farewell Tour; it was later revealed that this was nothing more than a mistake by Foxboro.
In October 2017, Hardy Fox identified himself as both the anonymous primary composer and producer for The Residents as well as the pseudonymous Charles Bobuck.
Hardy Fox died on October 30, 2018.
Betty's Body
The Residents Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Anybody but Betty
Anybody but Betty
Anybody but Betty
I could be the lover
Of anybody but her
I could be the lover
I see her every morning
And watch her fingers forming
Shapes that are as graceful
As a baby's face full of hope
Until it turns to
A neediness that burns through
Your heart like it was butter
In the mouth of someone's mother
Betty's body, Betty's body
Betty's body, Betty's body
A certain scent of perfume
Makes me think of her room
And how I'd like to be there
Lightly touching her bare back
And gently soaking
In the sweet unspoken
I could be her lover
If it, if it weren't for mother
Betty, Betty
If you met me, you'd forget me
Betty, Betty
I am so shy, every day I
Secretly cry since my mom died
Anybody but Betty
Anybody but Betty
Anybody but Betty
Anybody but Betty
I could be the lover
Of anybody but her
I could be her lover
If it, if it weren't for mother
The Residents' song "Betty's Body" is a haunting exploration of desire, regret, and repression. The repeated refrain of "Anybody but Betty" underscores the singer's longing to escape from a situation he finds unbearable. He confesses that he could be the lover of "anybody but her," referring to a woman named Betty who seems to represent all of his frustrations and unfulfilled desires.
Every morning, the singer watches Betty's fingers move gracefully as she works, but this beauty is overshadowed by a "neediness that burns through your heart like it was butter in the mouth of someone's mother." Betty's body is both alluring and threatening, and the singer is torn between his desire for her and his fear of getting too close. He is filled with a sense of loss and longing, longing that is especially poignant when he describes the way a certain scent of perfume reminds him of her room and makes him want to touch her bare back.
The singer's desire for Betty is complicated by the presence of his mother, who seems to be the main obstacle to his happiness. He is "so shy" that he secretly cries every day since his mother died, and he can't bring himself to act on his desire for Betty because of her. "Betty's Body" is a powerful depiction of the ways in which repression and social norms can stifle our most basic, human urges, leaving us feeling lost and unfulfilled.
Line by Line Meaning
Anybody but Betty
The singer desires anyone except for Betty as a lover.
I could be the lover
The singer is capable of being a lover.
Of anybody but her
The singer does not desire a romantic relationship with Betty.
I see her every morning
The artist frequently encounters Betty.
And watch her fingers forming
The artist observes Betty's graceful movements.
Shapes that are as graceful
Betty's movements convey elegance.
As a baby's face full of hope
Betty's movements are reminiscent of an infant's sense of possibility.
Until it turns to
However, Betty's demeanor changes.
A neediness that burns through
Betty's vulnerability is palpable and overwhelming.
Your heart like it was butter
Betty's neediness melts the artist's heart.
In the mouth of someone's mother
The singer contrasts Betty's vulnerability with a nurturing maternal role.
Betty's body, Betty's body
The artist fixates on Betty's physical presence.
A certain scent of perfume
A specific scent triggers thoughts of Betty.
Makes me think of her room
The scent evokes images of Betty's private space.
And how I'd like to be there
The singer desires physical intimacy with Betty.
Lightly touching her bare back
The artist imagines a specific form of physical contact with Betty.
And gently soaking
The artist would like to spend time with Betty in a relaxed manner.
In the sweet unspoken
The singer desires an unspoken romantic connection with Betty.
If it, if it weren't for mother
The singer's mother is an obstacle to pursuing a romantic relationship with Betty.
Betty, Betty
The artist reverantly speaks Betty's name.
If you met me, you'd forget me
The artist believes that Betty would not reciprocate his feelings.
I am so shy, every day I
The artist is filled with self-doubt.
Secretly cry since my mom died
The singer grieves for their lost mother in private.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
pain gamingv2
This needs to be released on vinyl
gracedv
I'm quite sure that my kids are sick of me singing this song. The Residents are embedded in their sweet little heads forever!
da ni el man fred (-son) neu haus ᵐᵃˡᵉᵃᵈᵘˡᵗᶜⁱᵗⁱᶻᵉⁿ
THEY SHALL SING MICKEY MACARONI WE DONT CARE ABOUT THEM AT ALL
ironheart
Pure musical magical mystical genius.
Bootywolfe
Goddamn this album is amazing
Nic Lawson
Yes, it was what brought me back to THEM.
Spacebike, Jan
love it!
eelpieballox
fuckin outrageous,, i love em man !!!!
The Colour Out of Space Pill
I love how the feelings of sexual frustration, desire and apprehension are translated from the music/vocals into the images. I'm getting End of Evangelion flashbacks.
Dillbob1
nice to have the originals on youtube now, thanks