"Serenade for Missy" is an instrumental by The Residents, the opening track on their album The Tunes of Two Cities (the second part of the group's epic Mole Trilogy), released by Ralph Records on March 6th 1982.
A light, big-band jazz derived piece which prominently features the group's then-new EM-U Emulator, the song's title was inspired by a nickname given to Nessie Lessons by her then-husband Hardy Fox.[1] The song also features guitar from their long-time collaborator Snakefinger, and a short saxophone solo from Norman Salant.
"Serenade for Missy" has since featured on a number of compilations including 1985's Memorial Hits and 1986's Heaven?. To date, The Residents have never performed the song live.
History[]
In the context of The Tunes of Two Cities (and the wider Mole Trilogy), the song introduces the music of the Chubs, the antagonists of the series; every piece of Chub music featured on the album is inspired by Art Deco-era big band and swing music.
The song's title was inspired by a nickname, "Missy DeLong Day", given to Ralph Records associate Nessie Lessons by her then-husband Hardy Fox. The nickname itself was inspired by the recent birth of a girl named Missy to a couple of acquaintances, the DeLongs.[1] Lessons appears elsewhere on the album, providing lead vocals for "Happy Home".
It is featured on the compilation albums Memorial Hits and Heaven? (released in 1985 and 1986 respectively), and a short edit forms part of the Tunes of Two Cities concentrate on the companion CD included with the 1993 book Uncle Willie's Highly Opinionated Guide to The Residents.
To date, The Residents have not re-recorded "Serenade for Missy" or performed it live; the studio version heard on The Tunes of Two Cities remains the only recording of the song known to the public. A cover version by Infomercial USA was submitted to the I Am A Resident! collaborative project in 2017 but was not selected for the final release.
Composition[]
Being derived from 1940s big band jazz like the other examples of "Chub" music featured on The Tunes of Two Cities, "Serenade for Missy" is in the key of C#,[2] and (unusually for The Residents at the time) uses standard diatonic chords; C#7M, G# and F#.[3]
Personnel[]
- Snakefinger - guitar
- Norman Salant - saxophone
List of releases[]
- The Tunes of Two Cities (1982) [Version 1]
- Memorial Hits (1985) [Version 1]
- Heaven? (1986) [Version 1]
- Uncle Willie's Highly Opinionated Guide to The Residents (1993) [Version 2]
- The Tunes of Two Cities / The Big Bubble CD reissue (2005) [Version 1]
- Heaven? / Hell! CD reissue (2012) [Version 1]
- Mole Box: The Complete Mole Trilogy pREServed (2019) [Version 1]
List of versions[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Grove Street studio recording, October 1980 - January 1982 (3:16)
- ↑ Grove Street studio recording, October 1980 - January 1982 (edit, 1:04)
See also[]
External links and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Please pass along a copy to the DeLongs, as 'Serenade for Missy' was derived from naming their youngster Missy. Missy deLong Day has been H's nickname for me ever since he heard of Missy DeLong.." Nessie Lessons in a handwritten note, ca. 1982
- ↑ "I'm fairly surprised... that Serenade for Missy actually uses normal chords, including a major seventh... in fact this song actually in a KEY, believe it or not... key of C#... with a major seventh to boot" Muni Aprile, posting in Mysterious Spanish, Uninc. Discord server, May 20th 2023
- ↑ "So I think it's safe to say 'Serenade for Missy' uses C#7M, G# and F#. all in the key of C#... extremely basic stuff." Muni Aprile, posting in Mysterious Spanish, Uninc. Discord server, May 20th 2023
