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.
Caring
The Residents Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Once there were brothers who worked at the zoo
Once there were brothers who said that they loved her
Once they petted her poodle named Pooh
Once there were two
(With claws un-retracted, a lion reacted)
Once there were two
Once there were two
(Because she was bothered)
Together at the zoo
(While feeding her daughter because she was bothered)
Petting her Pooh
(We buried my father)
Then there was one
(With my mother aching, his brother replaced him)
Then there was one
(With my mother aching, his brother replaced him)
Now there is nothing
(Until he was bitten, until he was bitten)
Now there is nothing
(Until he was bitten by an infected kitten)
Now there is nothing
(So mother retreated from a life that repeated)
Sound of nothing
(And said she was sorry)
And more nothing
(But the night is so starry)
The Residents' song "Caring" has mystified listeners since its release in 1976. The lyrics are repetitive and cryptic, leaving much room for interpretation. The first verse talks about two brothers who work at the zoo and love a woman who has a poodle named Pooh. They all seem to be getting along until something happens. The second verse starts with "Once there were two" and repeats the phrase "with claws un-retracted, a lion reacted." This suggests that some sort of altercation occurred between the brothers and the woman that involved a lion, leading to the death of one of the brothers. The third verse talks about the aftermath of this event, with the surviving brother dealing with the loss of his sibling and their mother becoming ill. The song ends with the bleak line "now there is nothing," suggesting that the events have left a void in everyone's lives.
One interpretation of the song is that it's an allegory for the breakdown of the family unit. The two brothers represent siblings who are close until something, perhaps a conflict over a woman or money, tears them apart. The lion could symbolize the forces that tear families apart, such as addiction or mental illness. The mother's illness represents the toll that the conflict takes on everyone involved. The repetitive structure of the song reinforces the idea that these cycles of dysfunction can be hard to break.
Another interpretation of the song is that it's a commentary on the emptiness of modern life. The title "Caring" is paradoxical because the lyrics are about people who don't seem to care about each other. The repetition of the line "now there is nothing" suggests that there is a void at the heart of these relationships. The zoo could represent society, with humans being the animals on display. The poodle named Pooh could be a symbol of consumerism or materialism. The song suggests that these things can be empty and unsatisfying, and that true fulfillment comes from human connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Once there were brothers who said that they loved her
There were two brothers who claimed to love the woman being spoken about in the lyrics.
Once there were brothers who worked at the zoo
These same two brothers worked at a zoo.
Once there were brothers who said that they loved her
Once again, it's emphasized that these brothers said they loved the woman.
Once they petted her poodle named Pooh
The brothers also petted her poodle named Pooh.
Once there were two
There were originally two brothers.
(With claws un-retracted, a lion reacted)
A lion at the zoo reacted negatively to the presence of the two brothers.
Once there were two
Again, it's mentioned that there were once two brothers.
(With claws un-retracted, a lion reacted)
The lion's hostility towards the brothers is again brought up.
Once there were two
Once more, it's stated that there were two brothers.
(Because she was bothered)
The woman being spoken about in the lyrics was bothered or upset by something.
Together at the zoo
The two brothers were together at the zoo during this time.
(While feeding her daughter because she was bothered)
The woman being spoken about was also feeding her daughter at the same time as being bothered.
Petting her Pooh
The brothers were petting her poodle named Pooh.
(We buried my father)
The singer of the lyrics and his family buried their father during some point in time.
Then there was one
One of the two brothers was no longer with them for some reason.
(With my mother aching, his brother replaced him)
The brother that left was later replaced by his sibling, as their mother was in pain.
Then there was one
It is reiterated once again that there is only one brother remaining.
(With my mother aching, his brother replaced him)
The situation regarding the brother being replaced is brought up again.
Now there is nothing
The current situation is that there is nothing left.
(Until he was bitten, until he was bitten)
The previous statement seems to be a question or leading statement, and the answer is given as until the remaining brother was bitten.
Now there is nothing
The current situation is stated again.
(Until he was bitten by an infected kitten)
The brother was bitten by an infected kitten, which caused further problems.
Now there is nothing
Once again, the current situation is restated.
(So mother retreated from a life that repeated)
The mother of the artist retreated to a different location to avoid her current situation.
Sound of nothing
A lack of any substantial sound.
(And said she was sorry)
While there was no sound, the mother spoke and apologized for something.
And more nothing
Continuing silence is implied.
(But the night is so starry)
Despite the lack of noise, the night is beautifully illuminated with stars.
Contributed by Eliana A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Lars Norqvist
As far as I can see, and just speaking for my self, the residents is all about idea and in that respect quite unique. They keep their
integrity intact, Artist in every respect.
jgawad
Funny you would call The Residents "overrated." That would mean they are famous. In reality almost no one has heard of them. Their music is a special flavor you either have a taste for or you don't. I had a roommate that was obsessed with them when I was in college. That is how I came to like them. This song is my favorite by them. It rocks, and is one of their few commercially viable songs from my perspective.
TheHeavyMetalBrony
Indeed, if it wasn´t for a certain comic strip in Nemi I would probably never known about them. (full story, check my comment over at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z2ABPHmU8U )
rougenavarre
So true, won't change a word.. My favorite too with The Weatherman. Their most melancholic also. And because of Molly Harvey perhaps for sure.
Leland Smith
My mom added Molly on FB and they talked for a bit, i got to tell her how amazing she was and she thanked me i was so starstruck lol
Wasp 90
Leland Smith oh, thats pretty nice
rougenavarre
So...Beautiful song.
Christos Tsanakas
RESIDENTS' LATER MINOR MASTERPIECES WITH MOLLY HARVEY SINGING!
Chrisbajs
Thanks for uploading, this album is hard to come by.
Rui Carvalho
LIKE THIS ALBUM-- LOVE RESIDENTS