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.
Their Early Years
The Residents Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That happened in their early years. Their youngest time was spent alone
While living with an uncle only half remaining from a foreign war. His
Upper half was well enough, but in the pants between his cuffs where his
Zipper stopped, his legs were gone. And so he rolled around on wheels,
Self sufficient in a peeling little house he could not paint again. But it
Was spotless to the point of two feet above the floor and warmth was in
His laugh and in his smiling face. The people that they met were few and
Aware. For living with their stumpy uncle, who was unconcerned and
Rumpled, made them see things differently. They thought that we were put
Together randomly, just like the weather, with no uniformity in mind. But
That vision only lasted for a while until he passed away and they were
Sent off to a home. The children there did not have parents, were all
Alike and always staring, as they sat on chairs above the ground. So they
Cried and then with drew from hose that shouted, laughed and who were mean
Because of suffering inside. Once alone they heard some children shouting
That a car had killed one of their pets out in the road ahead. As they
Approached the fallen body, blood appeared and then they saw a leg that
Had been torn away somehow. So they kneeled upon the ground and lifted up
The leg they found and wedged it gently just below the spot where both
Their shoulders joined together. Then the sun, which had been setting,
Winked and for a moment all was dark. And when the sun returned above
Them, no one laughed and made fun of them, for the dog was licking at the
Joint, barking loud and resurrected and causing them to be respected by
Those who had avoided them before.
The Residents's song "Their Early Years" depicts a story of two children reflecting on their upbringing and how their experiences have shaped their worldview. The song begins with the children recounting their time spent living with their amputee uncle. Although their uncle's condition may seem off-putting to others, the children saw him as a warm and welcoming figure. After his passing, they were sent to a children's home where they felt isolated and unhappy. However, their luck changes when they come across a dead dog and, through an act of compassion, manage to bring it back to life. This event earns them respect and admiration from the other children who previously avoided them.
The song appears to reflect on themes of identity, empathy, and discrimination. Throughout the song, the children have a unique perspective on the world which leads them to question why people are different and how they come to be the way they are. Their experience with their uncle has taught them to be accepting of people despite their differences. However, when they are sent to the children's home, they are met with hostility and ridicule because of their unique appearance. The song seems to argue that how people are treated and perceived is often arbitrary and unfair.
Line by Line Meaning
Once when we were on a bus between some cities we discussed the things
The Residents and their companions talked about their past experiences while on a bus ride.
That happened in their early years. Their youngest time was spent alone
They spent their early years by themselves without friends or family.
While living with an uncle only half remaining from a foreign war. His
They later lived with their uncle who lost his legs while fighting in a foreign war.
Upper half was well enough, but in the pants between his cuffs where his
Their uncle's upper body was healthy, but he lost his legs in the area between his pants and cuffs.
Zipper stopped, his legs were gone. And so he rolled around on wheels,
As a result of losing his legs, he had to use a wheelchair to move around.
Self sufficient in a peeling little house he could not paint again. But it
He was self-sufficient in his small, decaying house that he was unable to paint again.
Was spotless to the point of two feet above the floor and warmth was in
Despite the poor condition of his house, it was very clean and he had a warm personality.
His laugh and in his smiling face. The people that they met were few and
His jovial nature was evident through his laughter and smiling face. They didn't meet many people.
Might have been disturbed by two who looked so strange, but they were not
Although their appearance was peculiar, they didn't arouse suspicion in others.
Aware. For living with their stumpy uncle, who was unconcerned and
They believed that living with their legless uncle influenced their mindset, as he was carefree and unconcerned.
Rumpled, made them see things differently. They thought that we were put
Their uncle's disheveled appearance caused them to view the world in a new way.
Together randomly, just like the weather, with no uniformity in mind. But
They started to believe that life is random and lacks any inherent order or structure.
That vision only lasted for a while until he passed away and they were
This perspective changed after their uncle passed away, and they were forced to leave their home.
Sent off to a home. The children there did not have parents, were all
They were sent to a facility for children that didn't have parents, where everyone was similar.
Alike and always staring, as they sat on chairs above the ground. So they
The children were all identical and would often gaze as they sat above the ground on chairs.
Cried and then with drew from hose that shouted, laughed and who were mean
They cried and withdrew from the other children who were rude and often mean.
Because of suffering inside. Once alone they heard some children shouting
The other children were mean due to their own inner turmoil. The Residents later heard shouting from the other children.
That a car had killed one of their pets out in the road ahead. As they
The other children mentioned that a car hit one of their pets on the nearby road.
Approached the fallen body, blood appeared and then they saw a leg that
As they got closer to the dead pet, they saw blood and a severed leg.
Had been torn away somehow. So they kneeled upon the ground and lifted up
The leg had been ripped away, so they knelt down and picked up the leg.
The leg they found and wedged it gently just below the spot where both
They gently placed the leg where both of their shoulders meet, holding it in place.
Their shoulders joined together. Then the sun, which had been setting,
The sun began to set while they held the severed leg in place.
Winked and for a moment all was dark. And when the sun returned above
For a brief moment, it was dark as the sun set. When it returned, the Residents were viewed differently by the other children.
Them, no one laughed and made fun of them, for the dog was licking at the
As the dog began to lick the severed leg, none of the other children made fun of the Residents anymore.
Joint, barking loud and resurrected and causing them to be respected by
The dog's barking and excitement caused the others to respect the Residents.
Those who had avoided them before.
Those who previously avoided them started to treat them differently after this event.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Joh
La première version de cette album est bien meilleure...Sans tout ce blabla dont on n'a que faire. Je l'ai en vinyl, et pour mon moi, c'est leur meilleur album. Sans la voix off.
Gene Mullett
I love this song. I frankly even like the instrumentals better.