Fire

"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, 1999The 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 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 artist (despite all the tracks having been fundamentally recorded by the core members of Residents, Uninc. themselves); 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.
== Later versions ==
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 they hadn't progressed 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 privately in limited numbers in 2021 by noted Residents fan Jannis Tsakalis.
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 complete original work-in-progress demo of the unfinished 1984 version of the song. 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" (but sometimes referred to as "Where Are Your Dogs? Show Us Your Ugly!"). This version is the longest version of the song yet, 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. This album featured all previously released versions of the song, plus all the tracks from the original double EP, as well as a sling of new versions recorded specifically for the album. In 2000 The Residents released "Santa Dog for Gamelan Orchestra" 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. 2017's "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.
As of this writing, the most recent iteration is "Santa Dog 2022", issued as a single in December 2022.
== Lyrics ==
 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
 A fleeting and a sleeting scene
 Of snowness and of sleeves 
 A fleeting and a sleeting scene
 Of snowness and of sleeves 
 A fleeting and a sleeting scene
 Of snowness and of sleeves 
 A fleeting and a sleeting scene
 Of snowness and of sleeves
 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
 A fleeting and a sleeting scene of snowness and of sleeves
 Santa Dog
 Has no presents
 Has no presence
 In the futureIma Buddy, Ima Buddy's Totally Impartial Companion to Uncle Willie's Highly Opinionated BIG MAMAS, 1992]
== 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 ===
*Performed by Ivory and the Brain Eaters
*Written by Wanda Play
==List of releases ==
*Santa Dog EP (1972) El Ralpho mono studio recording, December 1972 (1:43)
*The Residents Radio Special (1977) 
*"Santa Dog '78" (1978) Grove Street studio recording, 1978 (1:52) El Ralpho mono studio recording, December 1972 (40 RPM master, 1:45)
*Please Do Not Steal It! (1979) 
*Ralph Records 10th Anniversary Radio Special! (1982) El Ralpho mono studio recording, December 1972 (excerpt, 0:29)
*For Elsie EP (1987) Clementina studio demo recording, 1984 ("For Elsie Part 5", 5:05)
*Meet The Residents Classic Series CD reissue (1988) 
*"Santa Dog '88" (1988) Minna Street studio demo recording, 1984 (2:57) "Santa Dog 88" studio recording, 1988 (5:22)
*Liver Music (1990) Cube NYE live recording, Cowell Theater, San Francisco, California, December 31st 1989 (4:31)
*Twenty Twisted Questions laserdisc (1992) El Ralpho mono studio recording, December 1972 (excerpt, 0:32)
*"Santa Dog '92" (1992) "Santa Dog '92" studio recording (aka "Where Are Your Dogs? Show Us Your Ugly!"), December 1992 (12:55)
*Uncle Willie's Highly Opinionated Guide To The Residents (1993) Grove Street studio recording, 1978 (excerpt, 0:41) "Santa Dog 88" studio recording, 1988 (excerpt, 1:07) "Santa Dog '92 studio recording, December 1992 (excerpt, 1:08)
*Louisiana's Lick (1995) - unlisted extra track 
*Twenty-Five Years Of Eyeball Excellence (1998) 
*Refused (1999) Minna Street studio demo recording, 1984 (Molly Harvey vocal version, 3:05) Refused studio recording, 1999 ("Flood", 2:43) Refused studio recording, 1999 ("Famine", 0:46) "Santa Dog 88" studio recording, 1988 (edited version, 5:15) Refused studio recording, 1999 ("Plague", 1:37) Refused studio recording, 1999 ("Fire '99 / Santa Dog 2nd Millennium", 9:52)
*dot.com (2000) Studio recording, 2000 ("Santa Dog For Gamelan Orchestra", 5:16) 
*"Santa Dog 2006" (2006) Studio recording, 2006 (2:45)
*Bridegroom Of Blood - Gamelan Collection (2009) 
*Documentation - Tunes In Danger Of Becoming Lost (2009) 
*Ten Two Times (2013) 
*The Wonder Of Weird (2014) The Wonder of Weird live recording, Muziekgebouw Aan Het IJ, Amsterdam, Netherlands, May 20th 2013 (3:58)
*80 Aching Orphans (2017) 
*"Santa Dog 17" (2017) Studio recording, 2017 (4:35) 
*Duck Stab / Buster & Glen pREServed edition (2018) 
*Refused Klanggalerie reissue (2019) Studio recording, 2012 (6:05) "Santa Dog 88" studio recording, 1988 ("Santa Cow", 5:08) 
*Moravian Meeting by Randy Rose with Už Jsme Doma (2020) Randy Rose and Už Jsme Doma live recording, Olomouc, Czech Republic, October 20th 2010 (2:18)
*Santa Dog 50th Anniversary Collection (2022) 
*"Santa Dog 2022" (2022) Studio recording, ca. April-August 2022 (4:20)
=== List of versions===
==See also==
*Santa Dog '78
*Santa Dog '84
*Santa Dog 88
*Santa Dog '92
*Santa Dog 17
*Santa Dog 2022
*Refused
*Western Kennel World
==External links and references==
Category:Songs
Category:Santa Dog
Category:The Delta Nudes
Category:Non-album tracks
Category:Louisiana's Lick
Category:Twenty-Five Years of Eyeball Excellence
Category:50th Anniversary secret show