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"Eloise" is a song composed by the group who would later become known as The Residents. Most versions of the song feature vocals and saxophone from the group's mentor, The Mysterious N. Senada.

First heard on their 1971 demo tape B.S. and later filmed for inclusion in their abandoned film project Vileness Fats, The Residents have often returned to "Eloise" over the course of their long career, recording new versions of it in 1984 and 2001

History[]

"Eloise" has its origins (alongside "Kamakazi Lady") in the early live performances of the group who would later become known The Residents. Its first known performance was in October 1971, where the group were accompanied by The Mysterious N. Senada on vocals and saxophone.

A version recorded live at the Party of '72 was first released in 1990 on the UWEB compilation album Liver Music, and was later included (under the erroneous title "Party of '71") on the compilation albums ERA B474 in 2012, The Delta Nudes' Greatest Hiss in 2013, and The Residents Present The Delta Nudes in 2015. The full recording (now titled "Chris' Party") was released in 2019 on the pREServed compilation A Nickle If Your Dick's This Big.

"Eloise" was featured on their long-unreleased demo tape B.S. in 1971, as part of the long sound collage piece "Hallowed Be Thy Wean". The song was also filmed for inclusion in the group's abandoned film project Vileness Fats in the early 1970s. 

Since the abandonment of Vileness Fats, The Residents have twice recorded new studio versions of "Eloise", first in 1984 for Whatever Happened To Vileness Fats? and then in 2001 for Icky Flix.

Lyrics[]

The foul flavor of bourbon coated my nostrils like a seething hatred!
The stench of bitch was more than a breathing body can understand
But all bodies don't breathe, do they Eloise?
No!
Some play by the night, and bubble with scorn
And plead on the knees of the never been born!
God! How I hated that day of all days!
At the end of the nights with the sultry pink tights
Ahhhhh! It split me in two!
From the bowl of a beam with the edge of a blade of another nightshade!
And could I? Could I? Could I cry out from all that I've heard? Huh? Huh?
No, no, no, never a word from this Mortimer Snerd!

Notes[]

80 Aching Orphans (2017)[]

Just as we all stood to leave a meeting concerning this compilation, a Resident – one of the really quiet ones – raised his hand and asked a very simple question we’d all been avoiding… Whatever Happened To Vileness Fats?

Indeed – whatever did happen to it? Vileness Fats was a film The Residents began making almost as soon as they became The Residents – maybe even before – and worked on throughout the mid-1970s until, eventually, they abandoned it. The lengthy narrative – the band insist to this day that there was one – really doesn’t deserve the indignity of being boiled down to a few sentences here, but it was a masterpiece of Dadaist concepts and visual ingenuity, staged and shot entirely in their then spacious studio and office space headquarters. Sadly, though, the film slowly spiralled out of control and out of mind as the band’s musical career established itself, and the medium on which it was filmed – half-inch, black and white video – became redundant.

Releases[]

Versions[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1971 Demo Version (1:20)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 1984 Version (1:16)
  3. 1985 Live Version (1:00)
  4. 1986 Live USA Version (1:15)
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 1972 Live Version (1:54)
  6. 6.0 6.1 2000 Version (1:24)
  7. 1997 Live Version Edit (2:41)
  8. 8.0 8.1 1997 Live Version (3:03)
  9. 1986 'Ritz' Live Version (1:06)
  10. 2000 Instrumental Version (1:20)
  11. 1986 'Cleveland' Live Version (1:05)
  12. 1997 Live Version Edit (1:22)

See also[]

External links and references[]


Bslogo-offwhite-transparent-sml B.S.
(recorded 1971, released 2019)

Side A
"We Stole This Riff" · "Holelottadick" · "B.S." · "Deepsea Diver Song" · "King Kong" · "Cantaten to der Dyin Prunen"

Side B
"Somethin' Devilish" · "The Fourth Crucifixion" · "Hallowed Be Thy Wean" ("Pink Lemonade" · "Sandman" · "Eat Me Mother" · "Bumble Bee" · "Eloise" · "Somethin' Devilish" · "Kamakazi Lady" · "D For Doorknob" · "The Three Most Important Things In The Whole Wide World")

Personnel
Residents, Uninc. · Philip "Snakefinger" Lithman · N. Senada · Peggy Honeydew (Margaret Smyk)

Related works
The Boarding House performance ("Intro Tape '71") · "A Live Radio Broadcast" · Philip's Wedding · Chris' Party · ERA B474 · The Delta Nudes' Greatest Hiss · A Nickle If Your Dick's This Big

Related articles
The W***** B*** Album · San Mateo apartment · Hal Halverstadt · Porno Graphics · Tim Buckley · Led Zeppelin · Frank Zappa · Randy Newman · Vileness Fats‏‏‎

Vfshoppingcart-sml-transparent Vileness Fats
(1972 - 1976)

Scene by scene
1: Arf and Omega · 2: Bellboys & Townspeople Battle 1 · 3: Town 1 · 4: Mother's House 1 · 5: Weescoosa & Ninnie 1 · 6: Cave 1 · 7: Weescoosa & Ninnie 2 · 8: Weescoosa's Flashback · 9: Weescoosa & Ninnie 3 · 10: Bellboys & Townspeople Battle 2 · 11: Town 2 · 12: Desert 2 · 13: Lonesome Jack & Peggy · 14: Desert 1 · 15: Mother's House 2 · 16: Town 3 · 17: Banquet Hall · 18: Cave 2 · 19: Bridge 1 · 20: The Master Plan · 21: Cave 3 · 22: Desert 3 · 23: Night Club 1 · 24: Desert 4 · 25: Night Club 2 · 26: Desert 5 · 27: Cave 4 · 28: Night Club 3 · 29: Desert 6 · 30: Night Club 4 · 31: Cave 5 · 32: Night Club 5 · 33: Mother's House 3 · 34: Night Club 6 · 35: The Window of Never

Cast and characters
Saint Steven / Lonesome Jack (Jay Clem) · Weescoosa (Sally Lewis) · Arf and Omega Berry (Palmer Eiland and George Ewart) · Ninnie (Danny Williams) · Steve's Mother (Marge Howard) · Peggy Honeydew (Margaret Smyk) · Weenie (Danny Williams) · Uncle Willy (Hardy Fox)
with
Irene Dogmatic · J. Raoul Brody · Barry "Schwump" Schwam · Hugo Olson · Bill Dewalt · Diane Flynn · Homer Flynn · Tony Logan · Dennis Sealy · The Mysterious N. Senada as himself

Crew
The Residents: direction, screenplay, music, sets, costumes · Graeme Whifler: lighting, sets, second unit direction · Diane Flynn: costumes · John Kennedy: editing

Settings
Vileness Flats (Mother's House · Ninnie's House · Banquet Hall · Willy's Hot Spot) · Motel · The Cave · The Desert · The Window of Never

Soundtrack music
"Aircraft Damage" · "The Importance of Evergreen" · "Eloise" · "Kamikaze Lady" · "Lonely At The Top" · "Fever" · "Russian Love Song" · X Is For Xtra ("Theme From X" · "Slow Texture" · "Asonarose" · "Soundtrack Music Piece 17")

Related works
The Boarding House performance · Santa Dog · Meet The Residents · Not Available (X Is For Xtra) · The Third Reich 'n Roll (video) · "March de la Winni" · Oh Mummy! Oh Daddy! performance · Fingerprince · Whatever Happened To Vileness Fats? (soundtrack · PAL TV LP) · Video Voodoo · Twenty Twisted Questions · Icky Flix (soundtrack · "The Knife Fight" · RZ VF) · Theory of Obscurity: A Film About The Residents · Double Trouble ("Junior's Double Trouble Nightmare" · trailer) · Triple Trouble (soundtrack)

Related articles
Atomic Shopping Carts · The Bell Boys · Residents, Uninc. · "My MammySycamore St. studio · Ralph Records · The Cryptic Corporation · The Ugly Grey Theater

Wbrmx-sml-transparent The Delta Nudes / Residents, Uninc.
(1967 - 1974)
Nsenada-mintgreen-transparent The Mysterious N. Senada
(1907 - 1993)
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