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"Picnic Boy" is the third track on The Residents' Commercial Album, released by Ralph Records on October 29th 1980. Like all songs on the album, it is one minute long. The song features guest vocals from American new wave singer Lene Lovich, who remained uncredited for her role until 2004.

The song was performed live for the first (and to date) only time, as an encore following The Residents' first Wormwood show, on Halloween 1998 at the Fillmore in San Francisco, featuring Molly Harvey on vocals.

Fan-made cover versions of the song by Dr. Fritz Rotwang and The Beaches are featured on the bonus disc of the CD edition of the official 2018 cover album I Am A Resident!.

History[]

"Picnic Boy" was first released on The Residents' Commercial Album on October 29th 1980. It was also included on the A-side of the 7" Commercial Single, released in the same year.

It has long been recognized that American vocalist Lene Lovich performed lead vocals on the song, however she was uncredited on all releases of Commercial Album until the 2004 Mute Records CD reissue, in which she was credited as a guest musician on the album, but not as performing on "Picnic Boy" specifically.

Later versions[]

An extended version of "Picnic Boy" was performed live on October 31st 1998, as the encore to the first Wormwood Live show. This version featured Molly Harvey on lead vocals and was released on the 2022 Wormwood Box. This arrangement is extended, and includes a repeated verse.

Two fan-made covers of "Picnic Boy" were included on the bonus disc of the official 2018 cover album I Am A Resident!; one by Dr. Fritz Rotwang, and another by The Beaches.

Music videos[]

PicnicBoy

Still from The Residents' video for Commercial DVD, 2004

Two "one minute movies" for "Picnic Boy" were produced for the Commercial DVD in 2004. The first, directed by The Residents themselves, features an animatronic toy skeleton singing the lyrics over an image of a fat man in a diaper. During the guitar solo, the man is puppeteered to dance.

The second video, directed by Eric Nordhauser, features more manipulated images of people, and depicts an anthropomorphic cat living with the titular "picnic boy" in an apartment surrounded by violent children. The cat sends the boy out and drives away, and the boy is stabbed to death by the children.

Lyrics[]

She called my friend a picnic boy
I never could stand that
Oh she called my friend a picnic boy
And said he was too fat
Fat.
I left her in the early morning
Looking at the rain
I found I could not take the pressure
So I took the train[1]

List of releases[]

List of versions[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1980 Version (1:00)
  2. 2017 'Dr. Fritz Rotwang' Version (1:03)
  3. 2017 'Beaches' Version (1:09)
  4. Wormwood live recording, The Fillmore, San Francisco, California, October 31st 1998 (1:36)

See also[]

External links and references[]

CommercialHead Commercial Album
(1980)

Side A:
"Easter Woman" · "Perfect Love" · "Picnic Boy" · "End of Home" · "Amber" · "Japanese Watercolor" · "Secrets"
"Die in Terror" · "Red Rider" · "My Second Wife" · "Floyd " · "Suburban Bathers" · "Dimples and Toes" · "The Nameless Souls"
"Love Leaks Out" · "Act of Being Polite" · "Medicine Man" · "Tragic Bells" · "Loss of Innocence" · "The Simple Song"

Side B:
"Ups and Downs" · "Possessions" · "Give It to Someone Else" · "Phantom" · "Less Not More" · "My Work Is So Behind" · "Birds in the Trees"
"Handful of Desire" · "Moisture" · "Love Is..." · "Troubled Man" · "La La" · "Loneliness" · "Nice Old Man"
"The Talk of Creatures" · "Fingertips" · "In Between Dreams" · "Margaret Freeman" · "The Coming of the Crow" · "When We Were Young"

Personnel
The Residents · Fred Frith · Snakefinger · Don Jackovich · Chris Cutler
Sandy Sandwich · Mud's Sis · Nessie Lessons · Lene Lovich · David Byrne · Brian Eno

Related works
"Electronic Elaborate Waste" · "Kraftwerk" · "Cosmetics For Reality" · "Rosco's Righteous Rodent" · "Pretty Baby" · "Tuxedos"
"No Longer Unused" · "Instant Hostility" · "Elevator Lady" · "One Minute Movies" · Commercial Single ("Shut Up Shut Up" / "And I Was Alone") · "Boy In Love" · Minatures ("We're A Happy Family") · "Talkin' in the Town" · "Womb To Worm" · Greener Postures · "Theme For An American TV Show" · Ralph Radio Special · "Commercial Suite" · Commercial DVD · Commercial Album by The 180 Gs · The Commercial Single Commercials (In Mono) · Commercial Book (Commercial Album Radio Ads)

Related articles
Ralph Records · The Cryptic Corporation · Grove St. studio · Poor No Graphics · Buy Or Die 1980½ · Diskomo/Goosebump‏‏‎

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