Red Rider

Red Rider is the ninth track on The Residents' Commercial Album, released by Ralph Records on October 29th 1980. Like all songs on the album, it is exactly one minute long. It also appeared on the internationally-released Commercial Single.

In 2020, The Cryptic Corporation asked The Residents to curate a selection of their favorite songs from their own back catalog for a Spotify playlist titled "Residents' Personal Favorites"; This was one of 40 songs selected.

Later versions

The song was performed live on the 13th Anniversary Show (1985–1987) as part of a medley of Commercial Album songs. This medley was performed again on the Way We Were mini-tour of Australia in 2005.

A remake of the song with Nolan Cook and Carla Fabrizio is featured on the 2004 Commercial DVD as an easter egg.

Lyrics

Cellar doors were open,
for the storms were out that night;
The light reflected from the leaves;
The sky was still too bright.
I saw her passing as the wind
was rising in the air;
She rode upon a red bicycle
and she had red hair.

Music video

An animated short film was produced for the Commercial DVD in 2004 by Casey Stockdon – who had worked with The Residents on the abandoned Freak Show DVD, and would later work on Triple Trouble.

Appearances

• Commercial Album (1980)
• Commercial Single (1980)
• Heaven? (1986)
• The Eyeball Show (Live in Japan) (1986)
• Live in the USA! 13th Anniversary Tour (1986)
• Liver Music (1990)
• Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Huddled Masses (1997)
• Commercial DVD (2004)
• The Way We Were (2005)
• Loss of the Lizard Lady (2018)
• Commercial Album pREServed (2019)