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.
Daydream Believer
The Residents Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of the blue bird as she sings
The six-o'clock alarm would never ring
But six rings and I rise
Wipe the sleep out of my eyes
The shaving razor's cold and it stings
Cheer up sleepy Jean
Daydream believer and a
Homecoming queen
You once thought of me
As a white knight on his steed
Now you know how happy I can be
Oh, our good times start and end
Without all I want to spend
But how much baby do we really need
Cheer up sleepy Jean
Oh what can it mean to a
Daydream believer and a
Homecoming queen
The Residents’s version of “Daydream Believer” is a cover of the famous Monkees song, and its sound is quintessentially strange, with distorted vocals and instrumentals. The lyrics of the song, however, remain largely unchanged from the original version, and they tell the story of a man who daydreams of escaping the mundanity and stresses of everyday life. He longs to hide under the wings of a bluebird and avoid the six o'clock alarm, but ultimately, he rises and goes about his day, facing the cold sting of the shaving razor.
The chorus of the song is a message of encouragement to a character named Sleepy Jean, urging her to “cheer up” and questioning “what can it mean to a daydream believer and a homecoming queen?” Here, the song suggests that Sleepy Jean is also a daydreamer, who perhaps struggles to balance her fantasies with the realities of her life as a queen. Finally, the song suggests that the singer and Sleepy Jean may once have had a romantic or idealized relationship, with the singer referring to “our good times” and Sleepy Jean once seeing him as a “white knight on his steed.” However, the song also acknowledges that the two have different ideas about how to spend their time and money, leaving open the question of whether or not their relationship can survive these differences.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh I could hide 'neath the wings
I have a desire to escape and feel protected
Of the blue bird as she sings
I crave the tranquility and peace associated with nature
The six-o'clock alarm would never ring
I don't want to be bothered with the mundane routines of life
But six rings and I rise
Regardless of my wishes, I must wake up and start my day
Wipe the sleep out of my eyes
I need a moment to regain my senses
The shaving razor's cold and it stings
The discomfort of everyday life is a reality that I must face
Cheer up sleepy Jean
I try to lift the spirits of those who are down
Oh what can it mean to a
I am wondering about the significance of my actions
Daydream believer and a
I am aware that I indulge in daydreams to escape reality
Homecoming queen
I acknowledge that society values popularity and beauty
You once thought of me
There was a time when you held me in high regard
As a white knight on his steed
You saw me as a hero who could solve all problems
Now you know how happy I can be
I am content with my life and don't need to prove anything to you
Oh, our good times start and end
We have had moments of happiness, but they don't last forever
Without all I want to spend
I don't need material things to find joy in my life
But how much baby do we really need
We need to evaluate our priorities and determine what truly matters
Cheer up sleepy Jean
I continue to offer comfort and hope to those in need
Oh what can it mean to a
I question the true impact of my words and actions
Daydream believer and a
I am someone who often finds solace in dreams and imagination
Homecoming queen
I recognize that popularity and social position don't guarantee happiness
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Stewart
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gabriel Santander
wonderful
Cameron Dodge
Well, time to see what you oddballs did to my favorite song.
2:56 That wasn't nearly as awful as I was anticipating. In fact, it wasn't half bad. You eyeballs will have to step up your game.
Process Red
giggling deviously
Prof Phil
Not good......