Originally posted by bobafett
Wow, thanks for sharing those lyrics, I never really listened to Zappa, but will have to now, TBH I had thought of him as being mainly nonsense lyrics
(which is not always a bad thing!), but I'm guessing that opinion comes from a time when I was less developed and just couldn't understand what he
was aiming at.
zappa was a composer. he liked instrumental music. heavy percussion, lots of brass. things like that.
was putting violins and trombones in his stuff as early as the late 50's before he was with the mothers.
you are either going to like it or hate it....there really is no middle ground.
the point i am making is he only put lyrics in his music cause people want to hear the human voice attached to the music.
his stuff is hard to break down as well.
most people know frank from the few songs you hear on the radio.
dirty love, yellow snow, montana, my guitar wants to kill your mama, valley girl.
thats about it...
let me use this song as an example.
it is called bobby brown.....
i will post the lyrics and then i will tell you what he means in this song....just snips of lyrics.
---bobby brown----
Hey there, people, I'm Bobby Brown
They say I'm the cutest boy in town
My car is fast, my teeth is shiney
I tell all the girls they can kiss my heinie
Here I am at a famous school
I'm dressin' sharp 'n I'm
Actin' cool
I got a cheerleader here wants to help with my paper
Let her do all the work 'n maybe later I'll rape her
Oh God I am the American dream
I do not think I'm too extreme
An' I'm a handsome sonofabitch
I'm gonna get a good job 'n be real rich
(Get a good, get a good, get a good, get a good job)
Women's Liberation
Came creepin' across the nation
I tell you people, I was not ready
When I #ed this dyke by the name of Freddie
She made a little speech then,
Aw, she tried to make me say when
She had my balls in a vice, but she left the dick
I guess it's still hooked on, but now it shoots too quick
Oh God I am the American dream
(P.U.)
But now I smell like Vaseline
An' I'm a miserable sonofabitch
Am I a boy or a lady . . . I don't know which
(I wonder wonder, wonder wonder)
So I went out 'n bought me a leisure suit
I jingle my change, but I'm still kinda cute
Got a job doin' radio promo
An' none of the jocks can even tell I'm a homo
Eventually me 'n a friend
Sorta of drifted along into S&M
I can take about an hour on the tower of power
'Long as I gets a little golden shower
Oh God I am the American dream
With a spindle up my butt till it makes me scream
An' I'll do anything to get ahead
I lay awake nights sayin', "Thank you, Fred!"
Oh God, Oh God, I'm so fantastic!
Thanks to Freddie, I'm a sexual spastic
And my name is Bobby Brown
Watch me now; I'm goin' down,
And my name is Bobby Brown
Watch me now; I'm goin' down,
And my name is Bobby Brown
Watch me now; I'm goin' down
Ha-ha . . .
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now, people hear the lyric 'maybe i'll rape her' and they automatically think he is advocating that type of treatment of women. in fact, it is the
exact opposite.
he is pointing the finger at people like bobby brown. the good looking higschool jock that treats women like crap...
he is fantastic and he is secure in his sexuality(hetero) untill he hooks up with a dyke named freddie...after he gets down with freddy, he starts to
question his sexuality and by the end of the song, he is full on gay...
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a LOT of his songs are like this.....
he was always very clear that he made the music he wanted to hear. if you 'got it', great. if you did not 'get it', then you were not supposed to
anyway.
now keep in mind that he has about 471 original compositions NOT including whatever is in the vault(accordng to his wife, enough to put out a full cd
a month for 3 years), and not including all the songs that didn't make albums....
frank was very, very politically aware and was going to run for president(as a serious gag) but he found out he had cancer.
------
scientist, i dig that song titties n beer too.
that is another one though where at the time, zappa was making fun of his audience and they didn't even know it.....college kids that only cared
about those two things....it was not zappa craving those two things.
----
zappa would also sabotage his titles to stick it to em....
one of the most beautiful pieces of music i have ever heard is an instrumental called 'i promise not to ______ in your mouth'.
his theory on that was if you read the title and get freaked out, the problem is with you and not with him.
-------
scientist, have you heard the swaggart version of trouble everyday?
--Wednesday I watched Jimmy Swaggart
Watched him weepin' all over the place
An' I watched him weepin' an' weepin' an' weepin'
And that # rollin' down his face
(Oh . . . I sinned!)
An' then I watched him weep some more
An' he kept on weepin' again
(Oh, forgive me, Assembly O' God!)
And they smacked him on his little hand
And he went out makin' more money
Forgive me!
Oh, Jesus, I just stuck the tip in! Oh my God!
--------
someone mentioned cosmik debris....that song is a rip on people that jumped on the wagon of transendental meditation and such....like maharishi mahesh
yogi...
the lyrics
-----The Mystery Man came over
An' he said: "I'm outa-site!"
He said, for a nominal service charge,
I could reach nervonna t'nite
The Mystery Man got nervous
An' he fidget around a bit
He reached in the pocket of his Mystery Robe
An' he whipped out a shaving kit
Now, I thought it was a razor
An' a can of foamin' goo
But he told me right then when the top popped open
There was nothin' his box won't do
With the oil of Afro-dytee
An' the dust of the Grand Wazoo
He said:
"You might not believe this, little fella, but it'll cure your Asthma too!"
An' I said . . .
---
the great thing about him is nobody was safe. italians(which he was), jewish people, college kids, everyone was in his sites.
contrary to what people think too, zappa as against the counter culture...well, he liked their ideas on paper but he did not approve of them all
sitting around dropping acid and getting stoned...
thats why in the song 'who needs the peace corps' he has the lyric
---i'll go to frisco, buy a wig and sleep on owsleys floor..
who is owsley? owsley stanly is the one that synthed '___' and passed it around....see, if you did not know that you'd be like 'huh'
----
lets look at one of my favorite rips. it is called 'flower punk' and it is a parody of hey joe, played at the same tempo..here are the lyrics
--
Hey Punk, where you goin' with that flower in your hand?
Hey Punk, where you goin' with that flower in your hand?
Well, I'm goin' up to Frisco to join a psychedelic band.
I'm goin' up to Frisco to join a psychedelic band.
Hey Punk, where you goin' with that button on your shirt?
Hey Punk, where you goin' with that button on your shirt?
I'm goin' to the love-in to sit & play my bongos in the dirt.
Yes, I'm goin' to the love-in to sit & play my bongos in the dirt.
Hey Punk, where you goin' with that hair on your head?
Hey Punk, where you goin' with that hair on your head?
I'm goin' to the dance to get some action, then I'm goin' home to bed.
I'm goin' to the dance to get some action, then I'm goin' home to bed.
Hey Punk, where you goin' with those beads around your neck?
Hey Punk, where you goin' with those beads around your neck?
I'm goin' to the shrink so he can help me be a nervous wreck . . .
Hey Punk!
Punky!
Hey Punk!
Punk!
Hey Punk!
(Hey Punk!)
Hey Punk!
Hey Punk!
Punky!
(Hey Punk!)
Hey-hey!
(Hey Punk!)
Go man, go . . . go man, go . . .
Just a little bit softer
Golly, do I ever have a lot of soul!
Punk, I think I love you!
Come on, Roy
Questi dominga?
Let me see that nose, it didn't . . .
Orale!
I wanna know for sure!
Leave my nose alone please!
What are you trying to do?
He's gonna stand over there
Bigashi' nunga!
But this is Cheetah
Buirote
Chita!
----
let me post a few links so you can catch a taste.
these links will stream. this way you can catch the music too.
also, he used very odd time signatures and would switch modes in a song or veer off in the middle of a song and solo for 10 minutes or something.
i also forgot to add that he used to set up voter registration booths up at his shows and would encourage people to vote, especially women.
songs----
'the meek shall inherit nothing'
media.putfile.com...
dumb all over
media.putfile.com...
in short, frank was much more than a musician.....i am gonna post some vids in the next post since my character limit is running out.
i also want to post the lyrics to thing fish and maybe explain them a little bit cause that is a conspiracy based record...