Loss of Innocence

"Loss of Innocence" is the nineteenth track on The Residents' Commercial Album, released by Ralph Records on October 29th 1980.
== History ==
Out of all of the songs on the Commercial Album, Loss of Innocence is the most narrative-based, whilst others create a mysterious atmosphere or simply an idea, Loss focuses on the story of a young person at a carnival, as he follows a barker into a tent, and sees something that takes away his innocence. 
The song introduces what would become a common theme in The Residents' material, carnival freak shows. The idea of a freak show has interested The Residents since childhood and appears in a vast quantity of their work, such as Freak Show, and Bad Day On The Midway.
It also features another Residents 'cliche', Siamese Twins. Siamese Twins had previously appeared in the then-unreleased film 'Vileness Fats', and then later in 'God In Three Persons', in another Freak-Show-esc situation.
=== Later versions ===
The song was re-recorded in 1992 as part of the album 'Our Finest Flowers'. This version uses instrumental elements from Nobody Laughs When They Leave & The Walrus Hunt.
Loss Of Innocence was performed live for the first time in May of 1997, as part of the Adobe Disfigured Night show. Later that year, during this same string of shows, the song was performed as the introduction to the 'Freaks' portion of the performance, based on Freak Show & Bad Day On The Midway.
The most recent live performance of the song would come in the Shadowland tour, from 2014 to 2016. A recording of this track from L'estrange Festival in 2015 appeared on the Commercial Ephemera, CD included with The Commercial Album pREServed set in 2019.
==== Cover versions ====
* Plastic Eye Miracle - The Residents Unmasked! (1995)
* SD Berlin - Eye Am A Resident (2017)
* Dell and the Smoothies - Eye Am A Resident (2017)
* 180 Gs - Commercial Album (2019)
== Music video ==
An animated "one minute movie" for the song was produced for the Commercial DVD in 2004. Jim Ludtke is credited as the creator for the video, as he created the 3D models used in it; however, he had died before the video was animated. The Residents produced the video as a tribute to him, with an end card in his memorial. 
== Lyrics ==
 Amusement parks are caked with sounds
 A solid hunk of meat
 A barker's sweat flings from his tongue
 His tattoo shines with heat
 A wary stranger stands and sways
 Enraptured by his stance
 Two-headed goats come stumbling by
 And give a troubled glance
 The barker looks into the eyes
 The stranger tries to bend
 The barker swears to more delights
 For all who seek within
 The stranger enters canvas doors
 And smells the fresh cut hay
 The barker points to Siamese twins
 The stranger looks away
 The eyes of horse faced women
 Watch the few who wander through
 They sense the tension in the air
 And smell the sweet taboo
 A heart beats fast against a chest
 The stranger leaves the tent
 The waves of people drown the sounds
 Of loss of innocenceIma Buddy, Ima Buddy's Totally Impartial Companion to Uncle Willie's Highly Opinionated BIG MAMAS, 1992
== List of releases ==
* Commercial Album (1980) 1980 Studio Version (1:00)
* Hell! (1986) 1980 Studio Version (1:00)
* Our Finest Flowers (1992) 1992 'Gone Again' Version (3:59)
* In Memoriam Torso (1994) 1980 Studio Version (1:00)
* Twenty-Five Years Of Eyeball Excellence (1998) 1992 'Gone Again' Version (3:59)
* Live At The Fillmore (1998) 1997, October, Live Version (4:02)
* One Night Stands (Rare & Unreleased) (2003) 1997, October, Live Version Edit (3:35)
* The Commercial DVD (2004) 1980 Studio Version (1:00)
* Adobe Disfigured Night (2009) 1997, May, Live Version (3:13)
* Disfigured Night (2016) 1997, May, Live Version (3:13)
*Commercial Album pREServed edition (2019) 2015 Live Version (2:18)
=== List of versions ===
== External links and references ==
* Commercial Album at The Residents Historical
* Commercial Album at RZWeb (archived via archive.org
* Commercial Album on Discogs
Category:Siamese Twins
Category:Carnivals
Category:Our Finest Flowers
Category:Songs
Category:Hell!
Category:Heaven? and Hell!
Category:In Memoriam Torso
Category:Disfigured Night
Category:Commercial Album
Category:Commercial DVD