The Widow

"The Widow"
Single by The Mars Volta
from the album Frances the Mute
B-side	"Frances the Mute"
Released	March 14, 2005
Format	CD, vinyl
Genre	Progressive rock
Length	5:51 (Album version) 3:19 (Single edit)
Label	MCA
Producer(s)	Omar Rodríguez-López
The Mars Volta singles chronology
"Televators" (2004) "The Widow" (2005) "L'Via L'Viaquez" (2005)

"The Widow" is a song by The Mars Volta, from their second album Frances the Mute. The song was first performed in May, 2004 at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles during The Mars Volta's three-night residence closing the tour supporting their debut LP, De-Loused in the Comatorium. At the concert, the song was dedicated to former Mars Volta member Jeremy Michael Ward, who had died of a drug overdose in May 2003. The song peaked at #95 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, making it the band's first and only single to chart there. The song also reached #20 in the UK Singles Chart and peaked at #7 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.^[1] The single was also released on vinyl under the title "Frances the Mute".

Main track

"The Widow" is notably the only short, pop-structured song on Frances the Mute, (although the album-version features a lengthy, non-radio-friendly outro of organ and electronic spasms, taking up the later half of the track). The edit of "The Widow" cuts the last instrumental part of the regular album track and fades out when the vocals start to become distorted. It is also the only Mars Volta song to chart in the United States. The song is notable for its consistently high lead vocals which never go below the alto register.

The song features a brief trumpet part from Flea, after the second chorus. Omar performs a brief solo in the same section. On the version of the single called "Frances the Mute", the studio version is replaced by a live recording of one of the first performances of the song at The Wiltern in 2004, and features only acoustic guitar and vocals, with some distortion effects.

"Frances the Mute"

The single also contains the 14-minute track "Frances the Mute", which was not included on the album of the same name. Many fans, based on comments by the band, consider this additional song as part of the Frances the Mute album and place it first in the running order, before "Cygnus....Vismund Cygnus".

Track listing

The Widow

1. "Frances the Mute" – 14:39
   • "In Thirteen Seconds"
   • "Nineteen Sank, While Six Would Swim"
   • "Five Would Grow and One Was Dead"
2. "The Widow" (edit) – 3:19

Frances the Mute

1. "Frances the Mute" – 14:39
   • "In Thirteen Seconds"
   • "Nineteen Sank, While Six Would Swim"
   • "Five Would Grow and One Was Dead"
2. "The Widow" (live) – 3:30

References