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Fire

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"Fire" (or "Santa Dog") is a song by Ivory and the Brain Eaters (also known as Residents, Uninc.); it was first released as the opening track on the double 7" EP Santa Dog, released in December 1972 by Ralph Records. The label credits the composition of the song to "Wanda Play".

Chronologically the first song in The Residents' officially recognized canon, "Fire" has since been re-recorded multiple times by the group; initially intending to record a new version every six years, the first re-recording was completed in 1978, however this concept was abandoned with the unfinished 1984 version, and later versions were recorded more sporadically.

Most existing versions of the song were collected on the 1999 compilation album Refused (which was reissued with an updated track listing in 2019). As of this writing, the most recent version of the song is "Santa Dog 2022".

History

"Santa Dog doesn't care. He comes without presents again and again..."

Refused liner notes, 1999

The song was recorded in December 1972 by Residents, Uninc., inspired by a photograph of a sausage dog in a Santa suit left behind in the photography studio operated by the dog magazine who had previously occupied their new studio space at 20 Sycamore Street, San Francisco. The group became fascinated with the image, and, after realizing that the words "Santa Dog" formed an anagram of "Satan God", decided to write a song about it.

Residents, Uninc. decided to record the song and issue it as the lead track to their debut EP, Santa Dog, which was sent in the mail to a number of hand-picked recipients (including Frank Zappa — who had changed addresses and did not receive it — and Richard Nixon). The double 7" EP was designed to appear as a Christmas card from an insurance agency; as such, each track on the EP is named after an insurable event. As such, the song (often otherwise referred to simply as "Santa Dog") was titled "Fire" on the album art and record label. This titling convention has been maintained on a large number of the song's many subsequent releases.

Residents, Uninc. credited each of the four songs on the EP to a different fictional group comprised of the same core members; for "Fire" they are credited as Ivory and The Brain Eaters, and the record label gives writing credits for the song to a "Wanda Play". The song is based heavily on samples of the song "Peter Gunn" by The Ventures, from the instructional LP Learn Guitar with The Ventures.

Legacy

The Residents intended to re-record "Fire" every six years as a means of charting their growth and development. The first re-recording of the track was for the 1978 Christmas single "Santa Dog '78", which was also the first version of the song to be officially credited to The Residents.

When another six years passed and the group came around to recording a third version of the song for Christmas 1984, they ultimately abandoned the piece, deciding that their sound hadn't evolved enough since 1978 to make the effort worthwhile. Excerpts from the unfinished 1984 recording were used in the suite "For Elsie" (intermission music for the group's 13th Anniversary tour). A version of the intended "Santa Dog '84" single was eventually pressed in very limited quantities in 2021 by noted Residents fan Jannis Tsakalis, with the endorsement of the Cryptic Corporation.

The Residents decided in 1988 that they had now grown enough to record a new version of the song, which was released on the UWEB exclusive EP Santa Dog 88. This EP also featured the first release of the 1984 version on disc. This same year saw the song's live debut, when it was performed at the Boudisque 20th Anniversary Party in Amsterdam. The second live performance of the track was at the Cube NYE concert on December 31st 1989.

In 1992, four years after the last version, The Residents recorded a fifth studio version of "Fire" entitled "Santa Dog '92" (referred to on the sleeve as "Where Are Your Dogs? Show Us Your Ugly!"). This is the longest version of the song to date, introducing a narrative about a mutant dog.

In 1999, the group recorded their sixth version of "Fire", "Santa Dog 2nd Millennium", which was released on the compilation Refused, which collected all previous versions of the song as well as new tracks recorded especially for the project.

In 2000 The Residents recorded and released a Gamelan medley of previous versions of the song for free on the Ralph America website; it was collected on the compilation album dot.com, released later in the year.

Later versions include "Santa Dog 2006", released through The Residents' official website, and "Santa Dog 2012", available on the Ten Two Times rarities compilation. In 2013 the song was performed as the encore on the group's Wonder of Weird 40th anniversary tour, being the only time the song has been included as a part of a touring set list to date. "Santa Dog '17" was the first version of the song recorded by the group without the participation of their former composer and engineer Hardy Fox, who had quit the group the previous year.

As of this writing, the latest studio version is "Santa Dog 2022", issued as a single and bundled with the Faceless Forever encyclopedia. The song was last performed live at the 50th Anniversary secret show by guest artists Ego Plum and David J (of Bauhaus).

Lyrics

Original "Santa Dog" photograph
Santa Dog's a Jesus Fetus
Santa Dog's a Jesus Fetus
Santa Dog's a Jesus Fetus
Has no presents,
Has no presence
In the future...
	In the future

A fleeting and a sleeting scene of snowness and of sleeves (5x)

A fleeting and a sleeting scene of snowness severed sleeves
BING BING BING! BONG BONG BONG! Snowness severed sleeves

A fleeting and a greeting scene of effervescent eves
BING BING BING! BONG BONG BONG! Effervescent eves

Greeting and a meeting team of hoarse and frosty words
BING BING BING! BONG BONG BONG! Hoarse and frosty words

A greeting and a cheating team and other noxious herbs
BING BING BING! BONG BONG BONG! Other noxious herbs

A fleeting and a sleeting scene of snowness and of sleeves (2x)

Santa Dog's a Jesus Fetus
Santa Dog's a Jesus Fetus
Santa Dog's a Jesus Fetus
Has no presents,
Has no presence
In the future...[1]

Composition

"Fire" follows an identical bassline to that of "Peter Gunn" by Henry Mancini: 

E  E  G     G A A   B B
Santa Dog's a Jesus Fetus

E E G G A A B B 
Santa Dog's a Jesus Fetus

E E G G A A B B 
Santa Dog's a Jesus Fetus

A   A  B   B     A   A  B   B
Has no presents, Has no presents 

B  A   G E 
In the future

Credits

Original release

List of releases

List of versions

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 El Ralpho mono studio recording, December 1972 (1:43)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Grove Street studio recording, 1978 (1:52)
  3. ↑ El Ralpho mono studio recording, December 1972 (40 RPM master, 1:45)
  4. ↑ El Ralpho mono studio recording, December 1972 (excerpt, 0:29)
  5. ↑ Clementina Street studio demo recording, 1984 ("For Elsie Part 5", 5:05)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Minna Street studio demo recording, 1984 (2:57)
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Santa Dog 88" studio recording, 1988 (5:22)
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Cube NYE live recording, Cowell Theater, San Francisco, California, December 31st 1989 (4:31)
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 El Ralpho mono studio recording, December 1972 (excerpt, 0:32)
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 "Santa Dog '92" studio recording (aka "Where Are Your Dogs? Show Us Your Ugly!"), December 1992 (12:55)
  11. ↑ Grove Street studio recording, 1978 (excerpt, 0:41)
  12. ↑ "Santa Dog 88" studio recording, 1988 (excerpt, 1:07)
  13. ↑ "Santa Dog '92 studio recording, December 1992 (excerpt, 1:08)
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Minna Street studio demo recording, 1984 (Molly Harvey vocal version, 3:05)
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Refused studio recording, 1999 ("Flood", 2:43)
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Refused studio recording, 1999 ("Famine", 0:46)
  17. ↑ "Santa Dog 88" studio recording, 1988 (edited version, 5:15)
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Refused studio recording, 1999 ("Plague", 1:37)
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Refused studio recording, 1999 ("Fire '99 / Santa Dog 2nd Millennium", 9:52)
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 Studio recording, 2000 ("Santa Dog For Gamelan Orchestra", 5:16)
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 Studio recording, 2006 (2:45)
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 The Wonder of Weird live recording, Muziekgebouw Aan Het IJ, Amsterdam, Netherlands, May 20th 2013 (3:58)
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Studio recording, 2017 (4:35)
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Studio recording, 2012 (6:05)
  25. ↑ "Santa Dog 88" studio recording, 1988 ("Santa Cow", 5:08)
  26. ↑ Randy Rose and Už Jsme Doma live recording, Olomouc, Czech Republic, October 20th 2010 (2:18)
  27. ↑ Studio recording, ca. April-August 2022 (4:20)
  28. ↑ 50th Anniversary secret show live recording, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, San Francisco, California, January 14th 2023 (3:27)

See also

  1. ↑ Ima Buddy, Ima Buddy's Totally Impartial Companion to Uncle Willie's Highly Opinionated BIG MAMAS, 1992]
Santa Dog
(1972)

Side A: "Fire" by Ivory and the Brain Eaters · Side B: "Explosion" by The Delta Nudes
Side C: "Lightning" by The College Walkers · Side D: "Aircraft Damage" by Arf and Omega feat. The Singing Lawn Chairs

Personnel
Residents, Uninc. · Arf and Omega Berry (Palmer Eiland and George Ewart) · The Singing Lawn Chairs (Pamela Zeibak)

Related works
Vileness Fats ·"Santa Dog '78" · "Santa Dog '84" · "Santa Dog 88" · "Santa Dog '92" · Refused · "Santa Dog 17" · Santa Dog 50th Anniversary Collection · "Santa Dog 2022"

Related articles
Western Kennel World · The Ventures ("Peter Gunn" · Play Guitar With The Ventures Volume 7) · Sycamore St. studio · Ralph Records · Porno/Graphics · Richard Nixon · Frank Zappa · Meet The Residents

The Delta Nudes / Residents, Uninc.
(1967 - 1974)

Major works
Rusty Coathangers for the Doctor (1970) · The Ballad of Stuffed Trigger (1970) · The W***** B*** Album (1971) · B.S. (1971) · Santa Dog (1972)

Other recordings
"I Hear Ya Got Religion" / "Moonman" (1969) · 1-10 (With A Touch of 11) (1972)

Compilation albums
ERA B474 (2012) · The Delta Nudes' Greatest Hiss (2013) · The Residents Present The Delta Nudes (2016) · A Nickle If Your Dick's This Big (2019) · Warning: Uninc. (2022)

Live shows
The Boarding House, October 18th 1971 · Philip's Wedding, October 31st 1971 · Chris' Party, February 12th 1972

Collaborators
Randy Rose · Charles Bobuck · Hardy Fox · Homer Flynn · Palmer Eiland · Roger "Bunny" Hartley · Jay Clem · John Kennedy · Roland Sheehan · Bob Tangney · Jim Whitaker · N. Senada · Philip "Snakefinger" Lithman · Peggy Honeydew (Margaret Swaton) · The Singing Lawn Chairs (Pamela Zeibak)

Related articles
San Mateo apartment · Hal Halverstadt · Porno Graphics · Sycamore St. studio · Ralph Records · The Residents · Vileness Fats · Meet The Residents · The Third Reich 'n Roll · "Satisfaction" · "Aphids In The Hall" · The Cryptic Corporation · WB:RMX‎‎‏‏‎

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