Cosmetics For Reality

Sketch for Commercial Album cover art by Sammi Selmo

**"Cosmetics For Reality"** is a song by The Residents, recorded November 7th 1979. The third-to-last song recorded for their *Commercial Album*, it was not included on the track listing of that album when it was released in October 1980.

Described as a "tear-jerker, and particularly relevant all these years after it was recorded", "Cosmetics For Reality" was long thought lost, until an instrumental version was included on the pREServed two disc reissue of the album in January 2019.

A vocal track for the song was later discovered on the multi-track tape; this version was included as the closing track on the limited edition vinyl compilation *Leftovers Again?!* in 2021.

## Lyrics

### *Leftovers Again?!* (2021)

```
Daydreams for us conceal
The simple fact that life is real
Cosmetics for reality

```

```
Eyeliner for the mind
Sunglasses for the blind
Cosmetics for reality

```

```
Clear pills for the brain
Seeing beauty in the plain
Cosmetics for reality

```

```
Hope springs eternally
Facts seem to disagree
Cosmetics for reality

```

## List of releases

* *Commercial Album* pREServed edition (2019)
* *Leftovers Again?!* (2021)

### List of versions

1. ↑ Grove Street studio recording, November 7th 1979 (instrumental mix, 1:05)
2. ↑ Grove Street studio recording, November 7th 1979 (1:02)

## See also

* *Commercial Album*
* pREServed
* *Leftovers Again?!*

## Buy Or Die!

### Listen online

* "Cosmetics for Reality" instrumental version on Spotify
* "Cosmetics for Reality" instrumental version on Apple Music
* "Cosmetics for Reality" vocal version on Spotify
* "Cosmetics for Reality" vocal version on Apple Music

## External links and references

* *Commercial Album* pREServed edition at Discogs
* *Leftovers Again?!* at Discogs

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 *Leftovers Again?!* liner notes, 2021

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