Eloise

N. Senada performing "Eloise" in The Residents' unfinished film Vileness Fats

* *Whatever Happened To Vileness Fats?*: "Broccoli and Saxophone"
* *The 13th Anniversary Show*: "Smelly Tongues"
* *Liver Music*: "Lizard Lady / Semolina"
* *Icky Flix*: "The Banquet Hall"
* *Kettles Of Fish On The Outskirts Of Town*: "Six More Miles"
* *Adobe Disfigured Night*: "Loss of Innocence"
* *ERA B474* / *Delta Nudes*: "Maggie's Farm"
* *Please Do Not Steal It!* (2016): "Semolina"
* *80 Aching Orphans*: "Almost Perfect"
* *Whatever Happened To Vileness Fats?*: "Disguised As Meat"
* *The 13th Anniversary Show*: "Ship's A'Goin' Down"
* *Liver Music*: "Ober"
* *Icky Flix*: "The Cave"
* *Kettles Of Fish On The Outskirts Of Town*: "Numb Erone / Satisfaction / Kick A Cat"
* *Adobe Disfigured Night*: "We Are The World
* *ERA B474* / *The Residents Present The Delta Nudes*: "D For Doorknob"
* *The Delta Nudes' Greatest Hiss*: "Hallowed Be Thy Wean"
* *Please Do Not Steal It!* (2016): "Excerpt From Never Known Questions"
* *Disfigured Night* (2016): "Paint It Black"
* *80 Aching Orphans*: "Moisture"

"**Eloise**" is a song composed by the group who would later become known as The Residents. Most versions of the song feature vocals and saxophone from the group's mentor, The Mysterious N. Senada.

First heard on their 1971 demo tape *B.S.* and later filmed for inclusion in their abandoned film project *Vileness Fats*, The Residents have often returned to "Eloise" over the course of their long career, recording new versions of it in 1984 and 2001.

## History

"Eloise" has its origins (alongside "Kamakazi Lady") in the early live performances of the group who would later become known The Residents. Its first known performance was in October 1971, where the group were accompanied by The Mysterious N. Senada on vocals and saxophone.

A version recorded live at the Party of '72 was first released in 1990 on the UWEB compilation album *Liver Music*, and was later included (under the erroneous title "Party of '71") on the compilation albums *ERA B474* in2012, *The Delta Nudes' Greatest Hiss* in 2013, and *The Residents Present The Delta Nudes* in 2015. The full recording (now titled "Chris' Party") was released in 2019 on the pREServed compilation *A Nickle If Your Dick's This Big*.

"Eloise" was featured on their long-unreleased demo tape *B.S.* in 1971, as part of the long sound collage piece "Hallowed Be Thy Wean". The song was also filmed for inclusion in the group's abandoned film project *Vileness Fats* in the early 1970s.

Since the abandonment of *Vileness Fats*, The Residents have twice recorded new studio versions of "Eloise", first in 1984 for *Whatever Happened To Vileness Fats?* and then in 2001 for *Icky Flix*.

## Lyrics

```
The foul flavor of bourbon coated my nostrils like a seething hatred!
The stench of bitch was more than a breathing body can understand
But all bodies don't breathe, do they Eloise?
No!
Some play by the night, and bubble with scorn
And plead on the knees of the never been born!
God! How I hated that day of all days!
At the end of the nights with the sultry pink tights
Ahhhhh! It split me in two!
From the bowl of a beam with the edge of a blade of another nightshade!
And could I? Could I? Could I cry out from all that I've heard? Huh? Huh?
No, no, no, never a word from this Mortimer Snerd!

```

## Notes

#### *80 Aching Orphans* (2017)

Just as we all stood to leave a meeting concerning this compilation, a Resident – one of the really quiet ones – raised his hand and asked a very simple question we’d all been avoiding… Whatever Happened To Vileness Fats?

Indeed – whatever did happen to it? Vileness Fats was a film The Residents began making almost as soon as they became The Residents – maybe even before – and worked on throughout the mid-1970s until, eventually, they abandoned it. The lengthy narrative – the band insist to this day that there was one – really doesn’t deserve the indignity of being boiled down to a few sentences here, but it was a masterpiece of Dadaist concepts and visual ingenuity, staged and shot entirely in their then spacious studio and office space headquarters. Sadly, though, the film slowly spiralled out of control and out of mind as the band’s musical career established itself, and the medium on which it was filmed – half-inch, black and white video – became redundant.

## Releases

* *B.S.*(1971, released 2019)
* *Vileness Fats* (filmed 1972-1976, unreleased)
* *Mole Show/Whatever Happened To Vileness Fats?* (1984)
* *Whatever Happened To Vileness Fats?*(1984)
* *The 13th Anniversary Show - Live In Japan* (1986)
* *Live In The USA! 13th Anniversary Tour* (1986)
* *Video Voodoo* (1987)
* *Liver Music* (1990)
* *Twenty Twisted Questions* (1992)
* *Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Huddled Masses* (1997)
* *Roosevelt 2.0* (2001)
* *Icky Flix* DVD (2001)
* *Icky Flix* soundtrack album (2001)
* *Kettles Of Fish On The Outskirts Of Town* (2003)
* *1997: The Missing Year - Adobe Disfigured Night* (2009)
* *13th Anniversary Show - Ritz NY - Jan 16, 1986* (2010)
* *RZ VF* (2011)
* *ERA B474* (2012)
* *The Delta Nudes' Greatest Hiss* (2013)
* *13th Anniversary Show - Cleveland* (2014)
* *The Residents Present The Delta Nudes* (2015)
* *Please Do Not Steal It!* (2016)
* *Disfigured Night* (2016)
* *80 Aching Orphans* (2017)
* *A Nickle If Your Dick's This Big* (2019)
* *Warning: Uninc.* (2022)

#### Versions

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1971 Demo Version (1:20)
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 1984 Version (1:16)
3. ↑ 1985 Live Version (1:00)
4. ↑ 1986 Live USA Version (1:15)
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 1972 Live Version (1:54)
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 2000 Version (1:24)
7. ↑ 1997 Live Version Edit (2:41)
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 1997 Live Version (3:03)
9. ↑ 1986 'Ritz' Live Version (1:06)
10. ↑ 2000 Instrumental Version (1:20)
11. ↑ 1986 'Cleveland' Live Version (1:05)
12. ↑ 1997 Live Version Edit (1:22)

## See also

* N. Senada
* Kamakazi Lady
* *Vileness Fats*

## External links and references

* "The Boarding House Show" on Spotify
* "Party of '71" on Spotify
* "Chris' Party" on Spotify
* "Eloise" (1984 version) on Spotify
* "Eloise" (13th Anniversary Show version) on Spotify
* "VF The Nightclub 1 (Eloise)" on Spofify
* *80 Aching Orphans* at Discogs

**Side A**
"We Stole This Riff" · "Holelottadick" · "B.S." · "Deepsea Diver Song" · "King Kong" · "Cantaten to der Dyin Prunen"
**Side B**
"Somethin' Devilish" · "The Fourth Crucifixion" · "Hallowed Be Thy Wean" ("Pink Lemonade" · "Sandman" · "Eat Me Mother" · "Bumble Bee" · "**Eloise**" · "Somethin' Devilish" · "Kamakazi Lady" · "D For Doorknob" · "The Three Most Important Things In The Whole Wide World")
**Personnel**
Residents, Uninc. · Philip "Snakefinger" Lithman · N. Senada · Peggy Honeydew (Margaret Smyk)
**Related works**
The Boarding House performance ("Intro Tape '71") · "A Live Radio Broadcast" · Philip's Wedding · Chris' Party · *ERA B474* · *The Delta Nudes' Greatest Hiss* · *A Nickle If Your Dick's This Big*
**Related articles**
*The W\*\*\*\*\* B\*\*\* Album* · San Mateo apartment · Hal Halverstadt · Porno Graphics · Tim Buckley · Led Zeppelin · Frank Zappa · Randy Newman · *Vileness Fats*‏‏‎

**Scene by scene**
1: Arf and Omega · 2: Bellboys & Townspeople Battle 1 · 3: Town 1 · 4: Mother's House 1 · 5: Weescoosa & Ninnie 1 · 6: Cave 1 · 7: Weescoosa & Ninnie 2 · 8: Weescoosa's Flashback · 9: Weescoosa & Ninnie 3 · 10: Bellboys & Townspeople Battle 2 · 11: Town 2 · 12: Desert 2 · 13: Lonesome Jack & Peggy · 14: Desert 1 · 15: Mother's House 2 · 16: Town 3 · 17: Banquet Hall · 18: Cave 2 · 19: Bridge 1 · 20: The Master Plan · 21: Cave 3 · 22: Desert 3 · 23: Night Club 1 · 24: Desert 4 · 25: Night Club 2 · 26: Desert 5 · 27: Cave 4 · 28: Night Club 3 · 29: Desert 6 · 30: Night Club 4 · 31: Cave 5 · 32: Night Club 5 · 33: Mother's House 3 · 34: Night Club 6 · 35: The Window of Never
**Cast and characters**
Saint Steven / Lonesome Jack (Jay Clem) · Weescoosa (Sally Lewis) · Arf and Omega Berry (Palmer Eiland and George Ewart) · Ninnie (Danny Williams) · Steve's Mother (Marge Howard) · Peggy Honeydew (Margaret Smyk) · Weenie (Danny Williams) · Uncle Willy (Hardy Fox)
with
Irene Dogmatic · J. Raoul Brody · Barry "Schwump" Schwam · Hugo Olson · Bill Dewalt · Diane Flynn · Homer Flynn · Tony Logan · Dennis Sealy · The Mysterious N. Senada as himself

**Crew**
The Residents: direction, screenplay, music, sets, costumes · Graeme Whifler: lighting, sets, second unit direction · Diane Flynn: costumes · John Kennedy: editing
**Settings**
Vileness Flats (Mother's House · Ninnie's House · Banquet Hall · Willy's Hot Spot) · Motel · The Cave · The Desert · The Window of Never
**Soundtrack music**
"Aircraft Damage" · "The Importance of Evergreen" · "**Eloise**" · "Kamikaze Lady" · "Lonely At The Top" · "Fever" · "Russian Love Song" · *X Is For Xtra* ("Theme From X" · "Slow Texture" · "Asonarose" · "Soundtrack Music Piece 17")
**Related works**
The Boarding House performance · *Santa Dog* · *Meet The Residents* · *Not Available* (*X Is For Xtra*) · *The Third Reich 'n Roll* (video) · "March de la Winni" · Oh Mummy! Oh Daddy! performance · *Fingerprince* · *Whatever Happened To Vileness Fats?* (soundtrack · *PAL TV LP*) · *Video Voodoo* · *Twenty Twisted Questions* · *Icky Flix* (soundtrack · "The Knife Fight" · *RZ VF*) · *Theory of Obscurity: A Film About The Residents* · *Double Trouble* ("Junior's Double Trouble Nightmare" · trailer) · *Triple Trouble* (soundtrack)
**Related articles**
Atomic Shopping Carts · The Bell Boys · Residents, Uninc. · "My Mammy"· Sycamore St. studio · Ralph Records · The Cryptic Corporation · The Ugly Grey Theater

**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*‎‎‏‏‎

**Compositions**
Pollex Christi (1936-1937) · Cantaten und Symphonen mit Eine Poem (1969?) · Cantaten und Symphonen for der Saxophonen und Violinen with P.C. Lithman (1971?) · Cantaten to der Dyin Prunen with P.C. Lithman (1971?)
**Music theory**
Theory of Phonetic Organization {*Meet The Residents*) · Theory of Obscurity (*Not Available*)
**Work with The Residents**
*The W\*\*\*\*\* B\*\*\* Album* (1971) · A Live Radio Broadcast (1971) · *B.S.* (1971) · *1-10 (With A Touch of 11)* (1972) · *Vileness Fats* (1972-1976) · *Eskimo* (1979) · *Pollex Christi* (1997)
**Live appearances**
Philip Lithman and N. Senada live appearances (ca. 1971) · The Boarding House performance with Residents, Uninc. (1971) · Philip's Wedding with Residents, Uninc. (1971) · Chris' Party with Residents, Uninc. (1972) · Oh Mummy! Oh Daddy! with The Residents (1976) · Snakey Wake performance (1987)
**Related articles** Max Steinway · Hardy Fox · Philip "Snakefinger" Lithman · The Delta Nudes · Residents, Uninc. · "**Eloise**" · "Kamakazi Lady" · Andrew Hook · *O for Obscurity, Or, The Story of N.*