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.
The Perfect Lover
The Residents Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I am human, and I do have my fantasies, fantasies that I normally repress, what good are they, after all, but I can't deny them
I listen to my lover sigh as she entwines me
I listen to my lover cry because she blinds me
I listen to my lover laugh as she defines me
With every breath I wait for her to find me
I know it sounds silly, especially coming from someone with such a cunning and cutthroat attitude towards life, but sometimes I feel like nothing would make me happier than holding hands with a beautiful woman on the beach, watching the sun slowly descending into the pinks and purples of a perfect sunset, disgusting isn't it?
The opening lines of The Residents' song The Perfect Lover reveal an individual who proclaims to live life with a calculated position, lacking romantic pretense. The singer seems proud of their behavior, equating it with honesty, although acknowledging that it may disturb others. Despite this, the singer admits that they are not immune to romantic desires and have their own repressed fantasies. The lyrics reveal a complicated character with a harsh exterior, who struggles with the softer, romantic aspects of being human.
The chorus of the song focuses on the singer's lover. Lines such as "I listen to my lover sigh as she entwines me," highlight the passion and connection the singer shares with their romantic partner. However, there seems to be a hint of toxicity in the relationship as the lines "I listen to my lover cry because she blinds me" suggest pain and hurt. The chorus also shows the singer's obsession with their lover's every move, indicating a possible lack of trust and control issues.
Overall, the song delves into the complexities of human nature and how our harsh exteriors often hold within them a softer, more emotional side. The Perfect Lover is full of contradictions, with a narrator who prides themselves on their lack of romantic pretense, while simultaneously grappling with their romantic desires and the toxic aspects of their relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I guess the coldness implied by my calculated position in life must be disturbing to some people and maybe the lack of romantic pretense used to disguise or excuse my behavior is not normal, but it is honest, more honest than most people can deal with, but still it doesn't make me immune to romance
I understand that my pragmatic nature might upset people, and that I don't try to sugarcoat things with romantic gestures like most people do, but at least I'm honest about it. However, despite my outlook on life, I still have a desire for romance
I am human, and I do have my fantasies, fantasies that I normally repress, what good are they, after all, but I can't deny them
Despite my cold persona, I do have fantasies that I often suppress because they seem pointless. However, I can't deny that they exist
I listen to my lover sigh as she entwines me
I feel the presence of my imaginary lover as she holds onto me and lets out a sigh as if content with our embrace
I listen to my lover cry because she blinds me
Sometimes I feel like I'm blinded by love and the idea of having a perfect lover, leading me to tears when I realize it's not real
I listen to my lover laugh as she defines me
In my mind, my lover sees me for who I am and is able to laugh at my imperfections, yet still loves me regardless
With every breath I wait for her to find me
I yearn for my imaginary lover to become real and find me in reality, to fill the emptiness that I feel
Usually because I'm a man, I guess, these fantasies gravitate towards a female form and occasionally I do allow them to run free, dancing in slow motion through the flower fields of my imagination
As a man, my romantic fantasies often involve a woman. Sometimes I let these fantasies consume me and I imagine them dancing freely in the beautiful scenery of my mind
I know it sounds silly, especially coming from someone with such a cunning and cutthroat attitude towards life, but sometimes I feel like nothing would make me happier than holding hands with a beautiful woman on the beach, watching the sun slowly descending into the pinks and purples of a perfect sunset, disgusting isn't it?
Despite my reputation for having a ruthless approach to life, I can't help but imagine that true happiness would come from holding hands with a beautiful woman on the beach, watching the sunset. It may seem cheesy, but it's what I secretly desire
Contributed by Charlotte F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Andrew Kieswetter
I saw this back in '81 too. Loved it!
Horacio dorasio
The Residents son lo más artístico que he visto y escuchado, por algo tengo más de 25 vinilos en mi colección, sin contar cassettes y singles.
Talloweed
Believe it or not, yes. In its early days, MTV was so desperate for content that they resorted to airing honest-to-goodness art.
Starving Bruddah
Yes I see now how bad they dont don't want anyone to be inspired
Dhakadice
U 4 real?
This aired on MTV? :O
(I know Beavis & Butthead - ironically - brought the fine arts to the waves but for real? Did this air on the channel that currently shows My Sweet 16 instead of music videos?)
Mellow Yello
@Dhakadice sadly, yes. MTV used to about music 24/7. But then Real World aired and it made a crapton of money with extremely low budget... and then that model proliferated.
FearsomeManic
It was totally bitchin, one of the most aired music videos at some point was "Dog Police"...by Dog Police...from their album Dog Police.
N C
Actually I remember when these videos were released. 20 years ago maybe. MTV was already a zombie advertiser
thelostcontacts
i have never wanted a Residents' hand puppet more than i do after having seen this video.
Didier Mignot aka Le Duc
Viva the Residents !