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My Second Wife

From RZWiki

"My Second Wife" is the tenth track on The Residents' Commercial Album, released by Ralph Records in October 1980. Like every other song in the album, it is exactly one minute long.

History

The song was eventually performed live on the Shadowland tour (2014–2016) in an extended version with an additional verse preceding the original. This rendition was left off the Shadowland album, but a performance in Paris was released on the pREServed edition of the Commercial Album, and a later performance in Switzerland was released on the Secret Records album Shadowland: Live in Fribourg.

An early piano sketch of the song can be heard on the track "Commercial Composition" from Leftovers (1970-1988).

Music videos

Still from "My Second Wife" directed by Jean Charles Finck

An animated video was produced by French animator Jean-Charles Finckfor the Commercial DVD in 2004.

A second video was also produced by The Residents, one of ten new videos for the project.

Lyrics

Yesterday my second wife fell in the afternoon
Slipped into hysteria and talked about the moon
Well this was only temporary so the doctor said
So I watched a football game and she went off to bed[1]

Additional verse in Shadowland version

When I was young my father's wife insisted that the sun
was oblivious and said that this could not be overcome;
Dad did not believe her so she ran away instead
of feeding little animals more meaningless than dead.

List of releases

List of versions

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Commercial Album studio version, recorded late 1979 (1:02)
  2. ↑ New video created by The Residents, 2004
  3. ↑ Animated short by Jean-Charles Finck, 2004
  4. ↑ Shadowland version; Paris, 2015
  5. ↑ RDX mix, 2021 ("COMS 1-3" suite)
  6. ↑ 1980 radio ad (1:00)
  7. ↑ Shadowland version; Fribourg, Switzerland, January 2016
  8. ↑ Piano sketch, c.1979
  1. ↑ Ima Buddy, Ima Buddy's Totally Impartial Companion to Uncle Willie's Highly Opinionated BIG MAMAS, 1992
Commercial Album
(1980)

Side A:
"Easter Woman" · "Perfect Love" · "Picnic Boy" · "End of Home" · "Amber" · "Japanese Watercolor" · "Secrets"
"Die in Terror" · "Red Rider" · "My Second Wife" · "Floyd " · "Suburban Bathers" · "Dimples and Toes" · "The Nameless Souls"
"Love Leaks Out" · "Act of Being Polite" · "Medicine Man" · "Tragic Bells" · "Loss of Innocence" · "The Simple Song"

Side B:
"Ups and Downs" · "Possessions" · "Give It to Someone Else" · "Phantom" · "Less Not More" · "My Work Is So Behind" · "Birds in the Trees"
"Handful of Desire" · "Moisture" · "Love Is..." · "Troubled Man" · "La La" · "Loneliness" · "Nice Old Man"
"The Talk of Creatures" · "Fingertips" · "In Between Dreams" · "Margaret Freeman" · "The Coming of the Crow" · "When We Were Young"

Personnel
The Residents · Fred Frith · Snakefinger · Don Jackovich · Chris Cutler
Sandy Sandwich · Mud's Sis · Nessie Lessons · Lene Lovich · David Byrne · Brian Eno

Related works
"Electronic Elaborate Waste" · "Kraftwerk" · "Cosmetics For Reality" · "Rosco's Righteous Rodent" · "Pretty Baby" · "Tuxedos"
"No Longer Unused" · "Instant Hostility" · "Elevator Lady" · "One Minute Movies" · Commercial Single ("Shut Up Shut Up" / "And I Was Alone") · "Boy In Love" · Minatures ("We're A Happy Family") · "Talkin' in the Town" · "Womb To Worm" · Greener Postures · "Theme For An American TV Show" · Ralph Radio Special · "Commercial Suite" · Commercial DVD · Commercial Album by The 180 Gs · The Commercial Single Commercials (In Mono) · Commercial Book (Commercial Album Radio Ads)

Related articles
Ralph Records · The Cryptic Corporation · Grove St. studio · Poor No Graphics · Buy Or Die 1980½ · Diskomo/Goosebump‏‏‎

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