"The Simple Song" is the twentieth track on The Residents' Commercial Album, released by Ralph Records on October 29th 1980.
History[]
The song closes side A of the Commercial Album LP, and was of the songs that received a short film on the One Minute Movies, which was directed by Graeme Whifler.
In the music video, The Residents dance around a pig on a spit decorated by birthday candles, inside of a red-lit room. During the lyrics, the film cuts to them wearing some sort of neon suit, dancing and clapping. The film ends by focusing on a person wearing a fire proximity suit, who was spinning the pig around.
In 1984, the instrumental of "The Simple Song" was included in a medley with "Easter Woman" for the film The Census Taker, which was later included on the vinyl release of the film's soundtrack.
In 2000, all 4 songs from One Minute Movies were re-recorded for Icky Flix, a DVD by the group released in 2001. This medley was the included on the setlist for Icky Flix Live later that year. To date, that tour is the only time that "The Simple Song" has been performed live.
When Commercial DVD released in 2004, "The Simple Song" served as the soundtrack for a new short film, this time directed by Eun-Ha Paek, where several bubbles float up in the sky singing the song before exploding.
Lyrics[]
We are simple You are simple Life is simple, too
We are simple You are simple Life is simple, too[1]
List of releases[]
- Commercial Album (1980) [Version 1]
- Ralph Video Volume I (1983) [Version 1]
- The Census Taker: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1984) [Version 2]
- Heaven? (1986) [Version 1]
- Video Voodoo Volume I [Version 1]
- Twenty Twisted Questions (1993) [Version 1]
- In Memoriam Torso (1994) [Version 1]
- Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Huddled Masses (1997) [Version 1]
- Icky Flix (2001) [Version 1] [Version 3]
- Live! ...On The Outskirts (2002) [Version 4]
- Kettles Of Fish On The Outskirts Of Town (2003) [Version 4]
- Commercial DVD (2004) [Version 1]
- Icky Flix Live (2009) [Version 5]
- Intermission / The Census Taker CD reissue (2011) [Version 2]
- "The Grove Street Studio (1978-80 Embracing Visibility)" (2014) [Version 1]
- 80 Aching Orphans (2017) [Version 1]
- Commercial Album pREServed (2019) [Version 1] [Version 6]
- Icky Flix - The Original Soundtrack Recording (2020) [Version 3]
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 1.11 Grove Street studio recording, 1980 (1:00)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Grove Street studio recording, 1980 (instrumental mix, 1:00)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Icky Flix studio recording, 2000 (1:04)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Icky Flix live recording, October 2001 (1:00)
- ↑ Icky Flix live recording, March 2001 (1:00)
- ↑ Icky Flix live recording, 2001 (1:04)
See also[]
External links and references[]
![]() |
Commercial Album (1980) Side A: |