Act of Being Polite
"Act of Being Polite" (or "The Act of Being Polite") is the sixteenth 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. Later in the year it was one of four songs from the album which received a short music video, as part of the film One Minute Movies (a concept later expanded in 2004 for the Commercial DVD).
The Residents recorded a new arrangement of the song for the 2001 retrospective DVD/soundtrack project Icky Flix. This new version of the song was also performed live on the related tour in a medley with the other new One Minute Movies arrangements.
Lyrics
I found her crying in the morning Sitting in a chair She was wrapping something up And wrapping it with care I did not mean to hurt her When I fell asleep last night I was just exhausted From the act of being polite Yes I was just exhausted From the act of being polite[1]
Music videos
A short music video by The Residents was created for the song the same year it was released as part ofthe Commercial Album. It was included as the second of four such videos in their short film One Minute Movies.
The video co-stars a Resident wearing the blue eyeball mask, laying in bed while trying to rest, and a woman with another eyeball mask, sitting in a chair and rubbing a mysterious box while she giggles. Both of them end up laying on top of a bed, exhausted. The video also has animated sequences, with a cartoon heart being crushed by a hydraulic press, and an animated mouth singing the final lyrics of the song. The music video ends with the caption "THANK YOU".
A second video for the original song was created by Bill Domonkos in 2004 for the group's Commercial DVD. This new short has a man looking around the surroundings of his house while it seems that he has gone insane. There is heavy implication that there is a history of domestic violence between him and his wife. The video ends with blood spiling down from his mouth.
List of releases
- Commercial Album (1980) [Version 1]
- Ralph Video Volume I (1983) [Version 2]
- Video Voodoo Volume I (1987) [Version 2]
- Twenty Twisted Questions (1993) [Version 2]
- Icky Flix (2001) [Version 2] [Version 3]
- Live! ...on the Outskirts (2002) [Version 4]
- Kettles of Fish on the Outskirts of Town (2003) [Version 4]
- Commercial DVD (2004) [Version 2] [Version 5]
- Icky Flix Live (2009) [Version 6]
- Commercial Album pREServed [Version 1] [Version 3] [Version 7]
- Icky Flix - The Original Soundtrack Recording (2020) [Version 3]
- Commercial Book bonus disc (2024) [Version 8]
Versions
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Commercial Album studio version, recorded late 1979 (1:00)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Music video by The Residents, 1980 (part of "One Minute Movies")
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Icky Flix studio recording, c.2000 (1:00)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Icky Flix live recording; San Francisco, October 2001 (part of "One Minute Movies")
- ↑ Animated short by Bill Domonkos, 2004
- ↑ Icky Flix live recording; Seattle, March 2001
- ↑ 2021 RDX mix ("COMS 1-3 suite")
- ↑ 1980 radio ad (1:00)
See also
External links and references
- Commercial Album at The Residents Historical
- Commercial DVD at The Residents Historical
- Commercial Album on Discogs
- Commercial DVD on Discogs
- "Act of Being Polite" at Genius
