Harpua
Encyclopedia
"Harpua" is a Phish
song that was a staple of their live concerts, but has now become a rarity and has only been performed live. Though it always follows the same basic structure (see The Divided Sky and You Enjoy Myself
for other examples of songs in which variation occurs within a fixed structure), Trey Anastasio
always narrated a different story at every concert in the middle of the song.
The song's introduction is an a cappella
"oom pah pah" melody sung by all members of the band.
-related lyrics, concerning "me and Harpua", follows the a cappella introduction. They are occasionally improvised upon, but the melody remains the same. The Harpua section is composed in 7/8 time.
tells at every performance of the song. Rarely, Jon Fishman
interjects with humorous asides during the narration.
It is often (more clearly) revealed in this section that Harpua is a dog
. Also, a character named Jimmy (through several performances it revealed that Jimmy is really Fishman i.e. 12/06/1996, 07/29/2003), who owns a cat called Poster Nutbag is always featured. Poster Nutbag will always be dead by the end of the story, often as a result of a disastrous occurrence (see below.) Other recurring themes included:
) and his father (narrated by Mike Gordon
) that is generally the same every time it is performed.
Father: Jimmy?
Jimmy: Yes, dad?
Father: Jimmy, I have bad news.
Jimmy: What is it, dad?
Father: It's about your cat... Poster.
Jimmy: Poster Nutbag?
Father: Your cat died!
Poster is dead (2x)
Poster's so dead
Father: How about a goldfish?
Jimmy: I don't want a goldfish (3x), I want a dog... A dog...
format.:
There's a dog in the station
With an ugly mutation
And it needs lubrication each day
There's a dog in the station
Contemplating rotation
As a form of recreation and play
A dog...
At this point there is a blues jam on the piano by Page McConnell
. Then:
There's a dog in the station
With a bad reputation
It's a sign of the nation's decay
But the dog in the station
Doesn't need a vacation
As the people rush by dressed in gray...
A dog...
A final jam through the melody of "Dog in the Station" and a recapitulation of the lick that introduced the "story" section on top of a final "A dog...." ends the song.
Phish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
song that was a staple of their live concerts, but has now become a rarity and has only been performed live. Though it always follows the same basic structure (see The Divided Sky and You Enjoy Myself
You Enjoy Myself
You Enjoy Myself, commonly abbreviated to "YEM" is a Phish song written by Trey Anastasio. It is the band's most frequently played song, having been featured —as of August 2011— at about 36% of their 1,496 shows. The song is also one of the oldest in Phish's catalog, having been first performed...
for other examples of songs in which variation occurs within a fixed structure), Trey Anastasio
Trey Anastasio
Trey Anastasio is an American guitarist, composer, and vocalist most noted for his work with the rock band Phish...
always narrated a different story at every concert in the middle of the song.
The song's introduction is an a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
"oom pah pah" melody sung by all members of the band.
"Harpua" section
A section of GamehendgeGamehendge
Gamehendge is the fictional setting for a number of songs by the rock band Phish. Most of the songs can be traced back to The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday , the senior thesis of guitarist and primary vocalist Trey Anastasio, written while he attended Goddard College in 1987...
-related lyrics, concerning "me and Harpua", follows the a cappella introduction. They are occasionally improvised upon, but the melody remains the same. The Harpua section is composed in 7/8 time.
The story
A new guitar lick follows the end of the "Harpua" section, introducing a unique story that Trey AnastasioTrey Anastasio
Trey Anastasio is an American guitarist, composer, and vocalist most noted for his work with the rock band Phish...
tells at every performance of the song. Rarely, Jon Fishman
Jon Fishman
Jon Fishman is an American drummer best known for his work with the band Phish. He is credited with co-writing 19 Phish originals, 8 of them as a solo credit....
interjects with humorous asides during the narration.
It is often (more clearly) revealed in this section that Harpua is a dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
. Also, a character named Jimmy (through several performances it revealed that Jimmy is really Fishman i.e. 12/06/1996, 07/29/2003), who owns a cat called Poster Nutbag is always featured. Poster Nutbag will always be dead by the end of the story, often as a result of a disastrous occurrence (see below.) Other recurring themes included:
- A village (usually in Gamehenge or a UtopiaUtopiaUtopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
n state, surrounded by forest and mountains) - Characters from Gamehenge (such as Wilson)
- Making a reference to the venue and date of the concert
- A very brief coverCover versionIn popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of another song to complement the plot of the story- "Voodoo ChileVoodoo Chile"Voodoo Chile" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix and recorded in 1968, closing Side 1 of The Jimi Hendrix Experience album Electric Ladyland. The song is Hendrix's longest studio recording and features additional musicians in what has been described as a "studio jam"...
" by Jimi Hendrix on 6/17/94 - "Also Sprach ZarathrustraAlso sprach Zarathustra (Richard Strauss)Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 is a tone poem by Richard Strauss, composed in 1896 and inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophical treatise of the same name. The composer conducted its first performance on 27 November 1896 in Frankfurt...
" [better known as the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey] by Richard Strauss on 7/16/94 - "War Pigs" by Black Sabbath on 10/31/94
- "Beat ItBeat It"Beat It" is a song written and performed by American recording artist Michael Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones . It is the third single from the singer's sixth solo album, Thriller . Eddie Van Halen was hired to add the song's distinctive overdriven guitar solo, but was prevented by his...
" by Michael Jackson on 10/31/95 - "I Want to Be a Cowboy's SweetheartI Want to be a Cowboy's Sweetheart"I Want to be a Cowboy's Sweetheart" is a country and Western song written and first recorded in 1935 by Rubye Blevins, who performed as Patsy Montana. It was the first country and Western song by a female artist to sell more than one million copies....
" and "Suspicious MindsSuspicious Minds"Suspicious Minds" is a song written by American songwriter Mark James that, after the failure of his own recording, was handed to Elvis Presley by producer Chips Moman becoming one of his most notable hits and a number one in 1969, "Suspicious Minds" was widely regarded as the single that returned...
" by Elvis on 12/06/96 - "Champagne SupernovaChampagne Supernova"Champagne Supernova" is a song by English rock band Oasis, written by guitarist Noel Gallagher. The seven-minute anthem is the closing track on the record-breaking album Morning Glory?...
" by OasisOasis (band)Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
on 12/29/96 - "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)"I'm Gonna Be " is a song written and performed by The Proclaimers. It was released on their 1988 Sunshine on Leith album, and subsequently as a single. It has become one of their most popular songs, reaching No. 11 in the UK charts and No. 1 on the Australian ARIA Charts in 1989, plus, five years...
" by The ProclaimersThe ProclaimersThe Proclaimers are a Scottish band composed of identical twin brothers, Charlie and Craig Reid . They are probably best known for the songs "Letter from America", "I'm On My Way" and "I'm Gonna Be ". The band tours extensively throughout Europe and other continents...
on 12/30/97 - The band also performed the entire Dark Side of the MoonThe Dark Side of the MoonThe Dark Side of the Moon is the eighth studio album by English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released in March 1973. It built on ideas explored in the band's earlier recordings and live shows, but lacks the extended instrumental excursions that characterised their work following the departure...
(Pink FloydPink FloydPink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
) album on 11/02/98 - "Fooled Around and Fell in LoveFooled Around and Fell in Love"Fooled Around and Fell in Love" was a single by blues guitarist Elvin Bishop. It appeared on his 1975 album Struttin' My Stuff and was released as a single the following year. Bishop does not sing lead vocals on the track; feeling that his gravelly voice didn't do the song justice, he invited...
" by Elvin BishopElvin BishopElvin Bishop is an American blues and rock and roll musician and guitarist.-Career:Bishop was born in Glendale, California, and grew up on a farm near Elliott, Iowa. His family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, when he was ten years old...
on 7/29/03 - "I Kissed A Girl" by Katy Perry on 8/16/09
- "Killing in the NameKilling in the Name"Killing in the Name" is a song by American rap metal band Rage Against the Machine, featured on their self-titled debut album, and was released as the lead single from the album in November 1992...
" by Rage Against the MachineRage Against the MachineRage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
on 7/4/10 (this song was covered in its entirety)
- "Voodoo Chile
The death of Poster Nutbag
One way or another, Trey will kill off Poster Nutbag at or near the very end of the story using a natural disaster or some other form of death. This results in a conversation between Jimmy (narrated by Page McConnellPage McConnell
Page Samuel McConnell is an American multi-instrumentalist most noted for his work as a songwriter and keyboardist with the American rock band Phish....
) and his father (narrated by Mike Gordon
Mike Gordon
Mike Gordon is a bass guitar player and vocalist most noted for his work with the rock band Phish. Gordon is also an accomplished banjo player, and is proficient at piano, guitar, harmonica and percussion...
) that is generally the same every time it is performed.
Father: Jimmy?
Jimmy: Yes, dad?
Father: Jimmy, I have bad news.
Jimmy: What is it, dad?
Father: It's about your cat... Poster.
Jimmy: Poster Nutbag?
Father: Your cat died!
Poster is dead (2x)
Poster's so dead
Father: How about a goldfish?
Jimmy: I don't want a goldfish (3x), I want a dog... A dog...
A Dog in the Station
This request on Jimmy's part provokes the beginning of the next section, which is a new song in a poppishPop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
format.:
There's a dog in the station
With an ugly mutation
And it needs lubrication each day
There's a dog in the station
Contemplating rotation
As a form of recreation and play
A dog...
At this point there is a blues jam on the piano by Page McConnell
Page McConnell
Page Samuel McConnell is an American multi-instrumentalist most noted for his work as a songwriter and keyboardist with the American rock band Phish....
. Then:
There's a dog in the station
With a bad reputation
It's a sign of the nation's decay
But the dog in the station
Doesn't need a vacation
As the people rush by dressed in gray...
A dog...
A final jam through the melody of "Dog in the Station" and a recapitulation of the lick that introduced the "story" section on top of a final "A dog...." ends the song.