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"Harry The Head" is a song by The Residents, from their concept album Freak Show, released in December 1990 by East Side Digital and The Cryptic Corporation.
History[]
The song first appeared on Freak Show and its related projects. It features Laurie Amat and The Residents on vocals. The group later hired artist Jim Ludtke to create a music video for the song, using the short-lived 3D animation program MacroMind Three-D.[1]
Within the context of Freak Show, Harry is a disembodied head with an incredibly poor temper and great artistic talent. He was in a relationship with a woman for a while (portrayed by Laurie Amat), and mysteriously died after a break-up. The song is sung posthumously, with Harry being immortalised as a pickled punk in the modern day. Harry's story is depicted in the graphic novel and CD-ROM adaptations, with illustrations by Brian Bolland.
In November 1995 the song was performed by The Freak Show Band as part of Freak Show Live, at the Archa Theatre in Prague, Czech Republic. This version of the song featured Wayne Doba as Tex the Barker and Laurie Amat on vocals.
The song was performed live for the first time by The Residents in 2001 on their Icky Flix Live tour. Between 2014 and 2016, the song was again performed by The Residents as part of their Shadowland tour.
Lyrics[]
The Head was hardly human The head is finally dead "I can live forever In formaldehyde", he said.
Once he made me so mad I knocked him on the floor; He rolled around and found a little paint brush by the door; As he held it in his teeth he painted angels On the skirt I wore.
Harry Harry Harry Harry -- The Head is dead. Harry -- The Head is dead. Harry -- The Head is dead.
Liner notes[]
Excerpt from the Freak Show Liner Notes
Without limbs or even a torso, Harry was just a head and a surly one at that. The Human Head possessed but one quality that spoke of humanity - he was a painter. Holding a brush in his teeth, Harry struggled to produce a low-grade landscapes, but the act of painting at least suggested that shadows of romance and poetry had to be lurking somewhere in his dark soul. Disliked even by his wife, Harry was nevertheless a popular performer; known as "The King of the Freaks," the little man was one of the freak show's most successful acts, and still is. Even though the Human Head has been dead for quite some time, his last request was faithfully followed. Under a coating of dust, the crowds still thril at the sight of Harry, "living forever" in a jar of formaldehyde.
List of releases[]
- Freak Show (1990)[Version 1]
- Freak Show Video Press Release VHS (1991)[Version 1]
- Uncle Willie's Highly Opinionated Guide To The Residents (1993)
- Twenty Twisted Questions (1993)[Version 1]
- Freak Show CD-ROM (1994)[Version 1]
- In Memoriam Torso (1994)[Version 1]
- Louisiana's Lick (1995)[Version 1]
- Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Huddled Masses (1997)[Version 1]
- Twenty-Five Years Of Eyeball Excellence (1998)[Version 1]
- Icky Flix DVD (2001)[Version 1]
- Petting Zoo (2002)[Version 1]
- Prague and Beyond (2003)[Version 2]
- Freak Show DVD (2006)[Version 1]
- Icky Flix Live DVD (2009)[Version 3]
- Shadowland (2015)[Version 4]
List of versions[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Clementina Street studio recording, April - October 1990 (2:54)
- ↑ Freak Show Live recording (by The Freak Show Band featuring Wayne Doba and Laurie Amat), Archa Theatre, Prague, Czech Republic, November 1995 (1:14)
- ↑ Icky Flix Live recording, The Experience Music Project, Seattle, Washington, March 30th 2001 (3:32)
- ↑ Shadowland live recording, Le Lieu Unique, Nantes, France, May 10th 2014 (3:08)
External links and references[]
- ↑ David Biedny, "In Memory of Jim Ludtke", Analog Digits, December 21st 2008