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.
Spilling the Seed
The Residents Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I see
Milk in her breasts
She smiles at me
And I see
Heat on her breath
She smiles at me
And I see
My brother's dead
So she said
I am a weed
My brother's dead
So she said
You know my need
My brother's dead
So she said
I need your seed
But then again
Can it end
With smiling eyes
But then again
Can it end
With me inside
But then again
Can it end
Without a lie
I spilled the seed
On her knee
And on the ground
I spilled the seed
On her knee
As we laid down
I spilled the seed
On her knee
And then she frowned
A bittersweet
Memory
Sticks in my soul
A bittersweet
Memory
Won't let me go
A bittersweet
Memory
Is just a hole
The Residents' song Spilling the Seed features lyrics that are difficult to decipher and open to interpretation. The song, while relatively short, tells a complex and enigmatic story. The song hinges on the opening line, which sets the mood and tone for the rest of the lyrics. The singer encounters a woman who is smiling at him, and he immediately notices some strange attributes. She has milk in her breasts, heat on her breath, and wears a sad and mournful expression, indicating sadness and death. This image is potent and creates a sense of disquiet, representing a strong emotional response to the mysterious woman.
Further analysis shows that the woman is in mourning for her brother, who has recently died. She reveals that she is a 'weed,' suggesting that she is unwanted or worthless, underscoring her grief and despair. The woman's melancholy state leads her to ask the singer for 'his seed,' indicating that he is the only one she can turn to in her time of need. The singer seems uncertain, with the lyrics questioning the possibility of the interaction ending well, ending with a lie or a false promise.
The song concludes in a bittersweet tone, with the singer spilling his seed on the woman's knee as they lay on the ground. The woman frowns in response, indicating that the act may have been unsatisfying or inadequate. The singer is left with a bittersweet memory that sticks in his soul and won't let him go.
Line by Line Meaning
She smiles at me
The woman smiles kindly towards the singer.
And I see
The singer feels something upon seeing her smile.
Milk in her breasts
The singer views her as a nurturing and caring figure.
Heat on her breath
The woman is drawn towards the artist, possibly romantically or sexually.
Sadness and death
The artist feels the weight of the woman's emotional struggles or pain.
My brother's dead
The woman shares with the singer the tragic news of her brother's death.
So she said
These are the woman's own words, directly quoted by the singer.
I am a weed
The woman likely feels like a burden or unwanted, similar to how some people view weeds in a garden.
You know my need
The woman asks the artist for something, but it is not clear what it is that she wants.
I need your seed
The woman is requesting sexual or romantic intimacy from the artist.
But then again
The singer is introspective or uncertain about their situation with the woman.
Can it end
The artist is contemplating the outcome of their relationship with the woman and whether it will continue or come to an end.
With smiling eyes
Despite not being certain, the singer is hopeful that things will continue positively with the woman.
With me inside
The singer is considering having sex with the woman and the implications of such.
Without a lie
The singer wants their relationship with the woman to be built on honesty and trust.
I spilled the seed
The artist ejaculated during intercourse with the woman.
On her knee
The ejaculate landed on the woman's knee during the act.
And on the ground
Some of the ejaculate also landed on the ground.
As we laid down
The ejaculation happened while the two were still in a sexual embrace.
And then she frowned
The woman did not react positively to the ejaculation - this may be due to the mess or the implications of the fluid.
A bittersweet
The memory is both happy and sad, with mixed feelings attached to it.
Memory
The event left a lasting impact on the artist's thoughts and emotions.
Sticks in my soul
The memory haunts the singer and seems to be impossible to forget.
Won't let me go
The artist cannot shake the memory from their mind or escape its emotional hold on them.
Is just a hole
The memory leaves a blank or negative space in the singer's mind or soul.
Contributed by Skyler T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jimbo
on BUCKAROO BLUES: The Stampede
A true mirror of American culture. The Residents are a national treasure