Moisture

***Moisture*** is the twenty-ninth track on The Residents' *Commercial Album*, released by Ralph Records on October 29th 1980.

## Background

After its debut at *Commercial Album*, Moisture is featured on *One Minute Movies* as the soundtrack for a short film titled after the song, which was directed by Graeme Whifler.

The short has a human-like figure apparently covered by spider webs on a futuristic, yet poorly lit room. Meanwhile, a man with glasses play the song's guitar solo on the moon, with Earth visible on the horizon. In the room, the figure is analyzed by The Residents, who move alien arms above it. The video ends with their the 4 members of the band dancing in front of the camera, lit only by a backlight.

The song was also selected for *Commercial Single*, a UK and France exclusive single to promote the full album in those regions.

A short medley of Residents classic songs was prepared for the encore for their Halloween 1998 series of shows at The Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, and "Moisture" was part of it. performed on Halloween of 1998. This would be the first time the song was performed live, but these medley would not be a part of the rest of the Wormwood Live tour.

"Moisture" was re-recorded for *Icky Flix* in 2001, as part of the *One Minute Movies* medley featured on the DVD. Subsequently, this new version of "Moisture" and all other songs in the midley would be a staple of *Icky Flix Live*'s setlist.

In 2004, as part of *Commercial DVD*, the original version of "Moisture" received a lyric video, directed by John Sanborn, where a child plays the guitar solo of the track. In addition, included as an easter egg on the DVD was another newly recorded version of the song, with a brand-new video by The Residents that features an image of a skull floating over footage of the original *One Minute Movies* short film.

The track has been covered several times by different artists. Most notably on *Eyesore: A Stab on The Residents*, where it was covered by The Mommyheads, and in *I Am A Resident!*, with a take on it by OK Glass that was included in the album's bonus disc. *I Am A Resident!* also included fan-submissions of "Moisture" in the remix "Commercial Bells Toll".

## Lyrics

```
*(Verse 1)*
*Someone saw a strange amount*
*Of Moisture on her lips*
*And it was also seen upon*
*Her arms and on her hips*

```

```
*(Verse 2)*
*No one knows exactly*
*Who she was or how she died*
*But when they opened up her purse*
*They found a snail inside*

```

## Credits

* The Residents: Vocals
* Snakefinger: Guitar solo
* Chris Cutler & Fred Frith: Guests

## Releases

* *The Commercial Album* (1980)
* *The Commercial Single* (1980)
* *Ralph Video Volume I* (1983)
* *Video Voodoo* (1987)
* *20 Twisted Questions* (1992)
* *In Memoriam Torso* (1994)
* *Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Huddled Masses* (1997)
* *Icky Flix* (2001)
* *Petting Zoo* (2002)
* *Live! ...On The Outskirts*
* *Kettles Of Fish On The Outskirts Of Town* (2003)
* *Commercial DVD* (2004)
* *Icky Flix Live* (2009)
* *Theory Of Obscurity - A Film About The Residents* (2016)
* *80 Aching Orphans* (2017)
* *I Am A Resident!* (2018)
* *Loss Of The Lizard Lady* (2018)
* *Icky Flix (The Original Soundtrack Recording)* (2020)
* *Wormwood Box* (2022)

## 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 1980 Studio Version (1:00)
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2001 Studio Version (1:00)
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 2001 Live Version (1:00)
4. ↑ 2004 Studio Version (1:00)
5. ↑ 2001 Live Version, March, (1:00)
6. ↑ 2018 OK Glass Cover Version
7. ↑ 1998 Live Version (1:34)

**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*‏‏‎

1. ↑ Ian Shirley's *Never Known Questions*