The Weatherman

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"The Weatherman" is a song by The Residents from the 2002 album Demons Dance Alone, sung by long-time collaborator Molly Harvey. The song is a plaintive ballad from the first section of the album, titled "Loss". It seems to describe a failing relationship between the song's narrator and a delusional, unstable individual.

The 1952 film Ivanhoe starring Robert Taylor is mentioned in the lyrics.

History

At least two early versions of the song are known to exist. A sketch, seemingly recorded live in the studio (judging from the false start and studio chatter), is briefly heard on the album, and heard in full on the bonus disc of the Deluxe edition, released earlier the same year by Ralph America. A more fully-formed demo was on a free 5-song EP offered in the Cherry Red Records newsletter in 2024, with tracks left off the pREServed edition of Demons Dance Alone; this is one of several DDA demos with scratch vocals recorded by the Singing Resident.

Like most songs on the album, "The Weatherman" was performed live on the Demons Dance Alone tour. However, it was left off the standard edition of the DVD.

In 2013, the song was remixed by Charles Bobuck and issued as a digital single for his Radio Thoreau project.

Five years later in 2017, two separate fan-made versions were included on the I AM A RESIDENT! album: a version by Danny Spiteri and Jason Hallyburton appears on the bonus disc of the 2CD edition, while a version by (the) baby born massacre appears on the LP edition.

Lyrics

I was watching 'Ivanhoe'
when they said the tornado
blew your big old house apart;
Robert Taylor was the star.

You never knew why I was blue
so I went to a movie after you
spread out on your feather bed
with weather maps you never read

You said the east was freezing but
the clouds were insignificant;
I never knew what made you speak
of sleet between your satin sheets

You're always calling me
but I'm never needed.
I'm needy
I'm needy
I'm needing a new home.

A fall in Philadelphia,
when you were much healthier,
obstructed your recovery
as yellow leaves fell from the trees.

Appearances

• Demons Dance Alone (2002)
• Demons Dance Alone Deluxe bonus disc (2002)
• Demons Dance Alone DVD (2003 Director's Cut edition)
• Morning Music (2010)
• Demonic! The Residents Live in Oslo! (2012)
• "The Weatherman" single (2013)
• dot.com (2017 Klanggalerie edition)
• Loss of the Lizard Lady (2018)
• I AM A RESIDENT! (2018) ^{(CD only) (LP only)}
• Demons Dance Alone pREServed (2024)
• Demons Dance for Free! (2024)