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, 1999
>
>

The 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 future

```

## 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)
* *The Residents Radio Special* (1977)
* "Santa Dog '78" (1978)
* *Please Do Not Steal It!* (1979)
* *For Elsie* EP (1987)
* *Meet The Residents* Classic Series CD reissue (1988)
* "Santa Dog '88" (1988)
* *Liver Music* (1990)
* *Twenty Twisted Questions* laserdisc (1992)
* "Santa Dog '92" (1992)
* *Uncle Willie's Highly Opinionated Guide To The Residents* (1993)
* *Louisiana's Lick* (1995) *- unlisted extra track*
* *Twenty-Five Years Of Eyeball Excellence* (1998)
* *Refused* (1999)
* *dot.com* (2000)
* "Santa Dog 2006" (2006)
* *Bridegroom Of Blood - Gamelan Collection* (2009)
* *Documentation - Tunes In Danger Of Becoming Lost* (2009)
* *Ten Two Times* (2013)
* *The Wonder Of Weird* (2014)
* *80 Aching Orphans* (2017)
* "Santa Dog 17" (2017)
* *Duck Stab / Buster & Glen* pREServed edition (2018)
* *Refused* Klanggalerie reissue (2019)
* *Moravian Meeting* by Randy Rose with Už Jsme Doma (2020)
* *Santa Dog 50th Anniversary Collection* (2022)
* "Santa Dog 2022" (2022)

### List of versions

1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 El Ralpho mono studio recording, December 1972 (1:43)
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Grove Street studio recording, 1978 (1:52)
3. ↑ El Ralpho mono studio recording, December 1972 (40 RPM master, 1:45)
4. ↑ Clementina studio demo recording, 1984 ("For Elsie Part 5", 5:05)
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Minna Street studio demo recording, 1984 (2:57)
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Santa Dog 88" studio recording, 1988 (5:22)
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Cube NYE live recording, Cowell Theater, San Francisco, California, December 31st 1989 (4:31)
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 El Ralpho mono studio recording, December 1972 (excerpt, 0:32)
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 "Santa Dog '92" studio recording (aka "Where Are Your Dogs? Show Us Your Ugly!"), December 1992 (12:55)
10. ↑ Grove Street studio recording, 1978 (excerpt, 0:41)
11. ↑ "Santa Dog 88" studio recording, 1988 (excerpt, 1:07)
12. ↑ "Santa Dog '92 studio recording, December 1992 (excerpt, 1:08)
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Minna Street studio demo recording, 1984 (Molly Harvey vocal version, 3:05)
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 *Refused* studio recording, 1999 ("Flood", 2:43)
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 *Refused* studio recording, 1999 ("Famine", 0:46)
16. ↑ "Santa Dog 88" studio recording, 1988 (edited version, 5:15)
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 *Refused* studio recording, 1999 ("Plague", 1:37)
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 *Refused* studio recording, 1999 ("Fire '99 / Santa Dog 2nd Millennium", 9:52)
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 Studio recording, 2000 ("Santa Dog For Gamelan Orchestra", 5:16)
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 Studio recording, 2006 (2:45)
21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 The Wonder of Weird live recording, Muziekgebouw Aan Het IJ, Amsterdam, Netherlands, May 20th 2013 (3:58)
22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Studio recording, 2017 (4:35)
23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Studio recording, 2012 (6:05)
24. ↑ "Santa Dog 88" studio recording, 1988 ("Santa Cow", 5:08)
25. ↑ Randy Rose and Už Jsme Doma live recording, Olomouc, Czech Republic, October 20th 2010 (2:18)
26. ↑ Studio recording, ca. April-August 2022 (4:20)

## See also

* Santa Dog '78
* Santa Dog '84
* Santa Dog 88
* Santa Dog '92
* Santa Dog 17
* Santa Dog 2022
* *Refused*
* Western Kennel World

## Notes

1. ↑ *Ima Buddy's Totally Impartial Companion to Uncle Willie's Highly Opinionated BIG MAMAS,* a document created for private use in creation of the UWEB book has this line as "Santa Dog Saw Cheeses Feed Us," but Residents.Com has it as "Santa Dog's a Jesus Fetus'

## External links and references

1. ↑ Ima Buddy, *Ima Buddy's Totally Impartial Companion to Uncle Willie's Highly Opinionated BIG MAMAS*, 1992]

**Side A:** "**Fire**" by Ivory and the Brain Eaters · **Side B:** "Explosion" by The Delta Nudes
**Side C:** "Lightning" by The College Walkers · **Side D:** "Aircraft Damage" by Arf and Omega feat. The Singing Lawn Chairs
**Personnel**
Residents, Uninc. · Arf and Omega Berry (Palmer Eiland and George Ewart) · The Singing Lawn Chairs (Pamela Zeibak)
**Related works**
*Vileness Fats* ·"Santa Dog '78" · "Santa Dog '84" · "Santa Dog 88" · "Santa Dog '92" · *Refused* · "Santa Dog 17" · *Santa Dog 50th Anniversary Collection* · "Santa Dog 2022"
**Related articles**
Western Kennel World · The Ventures ("Peter Gunn" · *Play Guitar With The Ventures Volume 7*) · Sycamore St. studio · Ralph Records · Porno/Graphics · Richard Nixon · Frank Zappa · *Meet The Residents*

**Major works**
*Rusty Coathangers for the Doctor* (1970) · *The Ballad of Stuffed Trigger* (1970) · *The W\*\*\*\*\* B\*\*\* Album* (1971) · *B.S.* (1971) · *Santa Dog* (1972)
**Other recordings**
"I Hear Ya Got Religion" / "Moonman" (1969) · *1-10 (With A Touch of 11)* (1972)
**Compilation albums**
*ERA B474* (2012) · *The Delta Nudes' Greatest Hiss* (2013) · *The Residents Present The Delta Nudes* (2016) · *A Nickle If Your Dick's This Big* (2019) · *Warning: Uninc.* (2022)
**Live shows**
The Boarding House, October 18th 1971 · Philip's Wedding, October 31st 1971 · Chris' Party, February 12th 1972
**Collaborators**
Randy Rose · Charles Bobuck · Hardy Fox · Homer Flynn · Palmer Eiland · Roger "Bunny" Hartley · Jay Clem · John Kennedy · Roland Sheehan · Bob Tangney · Jim Whitaker · N. Senada · Philip "Snakefinger" Lithman · Peggy Honeydew (Margaret Swaton) · The Singing Lawn Chairs (Pamela Zeibak)
**Related articles**
San Mateo apartment · Hal Halverstadt · Porno Graphics · Sycamore St. studio · Ralph Records · The Residents · *Vileness Fats* · *Meet The Residents* · *The Third Reich 'n Roll* · "Satisfaction" · "Aphids In The Hall" · The Cryptic Corporation · *WB:RMX*‎‎‏‏‎