Sing (Dresden Dolls Single)

''Yes, Virginia...'' is the second studio album by American dark cabaret band the Dresden Dolls, released on April 18, 2006, by Roadrunner Records. The album was recorded in September 2005, with some extra vocal work and the mixing done the following November.

It is named after a reply to a letter run in the ''New York Sun'' in 1897 about the existence of Santa Claus (see "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus"). The first single from the album was "Sing". The album made its debut at number 42 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, selling 19,000 units in the first week; despite this, the album's sales fell off quickly, resulting in Roadrunner pulling its support for the album shortly after its release and creating tensions between the band and the label.

Other songs recorded during the studio session include "The Kill", "Boston", and "The Gardener", which were released on the '' No, Virginia...'' compilation in May 2008.

Release

"Sing" is the first single taken from the second studio album ''Yes, Virginia...'', released on March 31, 2006. It was never released in a physical form, only released digitally as a promo for radio stations. There are two versions of the song, the version on the final album with the opening lyric "There is this thing that's like touching except you don't touch", and the original version available on promo copies of the album which is identical, save an alternate opening lyric, "There is this thing that's like fucking except you don't fuck." "Sing" hit many top 50 modern rock charts in April, 2006. The song was covered by The Red Paintings on their Feed the Wolf EP (2007). The song was also covered by jazz vocalist and composer Veronica Swift on her 2021 album ''The Bitter Earth''.

"Shores of California" is the second single taken from the second studio album ''Yes, Virginia...'', released on 2007. The ''Boston Herald'' noted that "Shores of California" showed "Palmer's knack for writing bona fide pop tunes with its infectious sing-along chorus and familiar melody". The song's lyrics include the lines "''that's the way Aristophanes and Homer / wrote 'the iliad' and 'lysistrata'.''" Despite the ordering of the lyrics, it was Aristophanes who wrote ''Lysistrata'', and Homer who wrote ''The Iliad''. The Dresden Dolls' official lyrics page notes this by adding to the line in the lyrics: "''that's the way Aristophanes and Homer / wrote 'the iliad' and 'lysistrata' (not in that order...)''".

Music video

The music video for "Sing", directed by Michael Pope, prominently featured living statues and centered on the plotline of a video of the Dresden Dolls playing the song being sent to various people in different locations and occupations. It also featured the band performing on a stage.

The music video for this single "Shores of California" parodies the video for David Lee Roth's version of "California Girls". It featured Amanda Palmer, Kelly, David J (an original member of the band Bauhaus), Margaret Cho, Jason Webley, as well as the Dresden Dolls's Dirty Business Brigade and other fans that had been encouraged to take part in a band newsletter that was released prior to production. The music video was directed by Andrew Bennett of Shoe String Concert VideosShoestring concert videos, Los Angeles, US
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Track listing

Personnel

*Amanda Palmer – vocals, piano, Mellotron, organ
*Brian Viglione – drums, percussion, vocals, bass guitar, guitar
*Sean Slade – producer
*The Dresden Dolls – producer
*Paul Q. Kolderie – mixing, engineering, producer
*Adam Taylor – engineering
*Holly Brewer and Matt McNiss – choir
*Holly Brewer, Whitney Moses, and Mali Sastri - Delilahs
*George Marino – mastering

Charts

References

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The Dresden Dolls albums
2006 albums
Roadrunner Records albums
Albums produced by Paul Q. Kolderie
Albums produced by Sean Slade