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.
Birthday Boy
The Residents Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday dear birthday boy,
Happy birthday to you...
Bulging eyes abound about
The birthday boy today;
Screaming, "Creaming eyes!"
His mother looked away.
"Creaming eyes explode upon
An apple pirate toad
And if an injun ate a plate
I'd laugh and live abode."
Nervousness itself was shifting
Guests against the door,
"Forgive us dear, but, uh, baking beer
Is what we should be near."
"Bye," the bothered birthday boy said,
"Bye," the bothered birthday boy said,
"Bye or sell or bye,
Bye or sell or bye."
"Happy, happy birthday to me,
Happy birthday to me,
Happy birthday to me, hee hee..."
The lyrics to The Residents' song "Birthday Boy" present a surreal and unsettling scene of a birthday celebration. The chorus of "Happy birthday to you" is sung in a monotone voice and repeated several times, emphasizing the emptiness and meaninglessness of the celebration. The verse describes the birthday boy as having bulging eyes and screaming nonsensical phrases, while his mother looks away in discomfort. The guests at the birthday party seem nervous and out of place, with the presence of "baking beer" adding to the surreal atmosphere. The song ends with the birthday boy laughing in a sinister manner and singing "Happy happy birthday to me, hee hee."
The lyrics can be interpreted in many ways, but one interpretation is that the song is a commentary on the emptiness and absurdity of ritual celebrations. The repetition of the chorus reflects the robotic and formulaic nature of singing "Happy Birthday," while the bizarre behavior of the birthday boy and the discomfort of the guests suggest that the celebration is a façade that conceals deeper tensions and anxieties. The image of "baking beer" (which is not a real phrase) could be a metaphor for the artificiality and excess of the celebration, while the final line suggests that the birthday boy is aware of the senselessness of the event and revels in it.
Line by Line Meaning
Happy birthday to you,
Wishing the person a happy birthday.
Happy birthday to you,
Reiterating the birthday greeting.
Happy birthday dear birthday boy,
Directing the birthday greeting specifically to the birthday boy.
Happy birthday to you...
Concluding the birthday greeting.
Bulging eyes abound about
The birthday boy's eyes are wide open in amazement.
The birthday boy today;
Emphasizing that it is the birthday boy's special day.
Screaming, "Creaming eyes!"
Expressing excitement and joy.
Screamed he,
Continuing the excitement and joy.
His mother looked away.
The mother is embarrassed by her son's behavior.
"Creaming eyes explode upon
The birthday boy's imagination runs wild with fantastical imagery.
An apple pirate toad
A nonsensical phrase that adds to the imaginative imagery.
And if an injun ate a plate
Another nonsensical phrase that adds to the imaginative imagery.
I'd laugh and live abode."
The birthday boy finds humor in his own (silly) thoughts and is happy in his own world.
Nervousness itself was shifting
The guests are feeling uneasy and uncomfortable.
Guests against the door,
The guests are huddled together by the door.
"Forgive us dear, but, uh, baking beer
The guests are using the excuse of making beer to avoid the birthday boy's attention.
Is what we should be near."
The guests are trying to justify their behavior.
"Bye," the bothered birthday boy said,
The birthday boy is starting to feel annoyed and wants his guests to leave.
"Bye," the bothered birthday boy said,
Repeating the birthday boy's sentiment.
"Bye or sell or bye,
The birthday boy is making nonsensical statements like his earlier ones.
Bye or sell or bye."
A continuation of the nonsensical statements.
"Happy, happy birthday to me,
The birthday boy is now focusing on himself.
Happy birthday to me,
Reiterating the focus on himself and his own happiness.
Happy birthday to me, hee hee..."
The birthday boy is happily celebrating his own birthday.
Contributed by Mia M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@katewyckoff7675
It’s my birthday! As tradition I listen to this song on repeat 🎉🎉😊
@HannabalMarie
Definitely enjoying this on my birthday today! 🎂 🎁
@JebarisBlueNose
My Dad would always send me this song on my birthday, or would play it for me, when he was still alive. <3
Happy birthday to me!
@ambientfairchild
cool dad.
@elizabethsnyder-baldonado5990
“HAPpy HAPpy birthday to MEEEEEEEE!!!” It’s really my birthday today, so I had to play this…I raised 3 good-but-weird kids on the Residents’…uuuhhh…”music”(¿👀?), & now I look forward (mostly) to introducing my new great-grandbaby to this…bunch of eyeballs-on-steroids!!! 😄🥰💞🤪🙃
@MarkPlaid
So awesome!
@Stanshall2003
This is one of the most hilarious “tunes” I ever heard in my life! I laughed so hard I almost cried.
I doubt your average hip hop generation wouldn’t have a clue how to take this.
@Seljuqqq
Music's got nothing to do with age! I'm 16, into rap, metal, rock, and this!
@mystikgleam9541
That beat goes crazy
@RijadHanic-virtual
Got link from my great friend, the residents fan, for my birthday😃😃