Zappa's earliest influences were 1950s pop and rock (such as doo-wop and rhythm and blues), and 20th-century classical composers including Igor Stravinsky and Edgard Varèse. His output was divided between adventurous instrumental compositions and succinct, catchy rock songs with ribald, satirical, or comically absurd lyrics. On stage he demanded virtuosity and spontaneity from his musicians, and employed many performers who would later go on to achieve fame in their own rights. He directed and released a number of films featuring himself, his musicians and entourage, including 200 Motels and Baby Snakes.
His career started in 1955. His earliest recordings date from the mid-1960s, and include collaborations with his school friend Captain Beefheart. In 1965 he joined a bar-band called The Soul Giants, quickly dominating its musical direction and rechristening it The Mothers. Their first release (as The Mothers of Invention; the name alteration requested by their record company) was the 1966 double album Freak Out!. The line-up of the Mothers gradually expanded to accommodate Zappa's increasingly ambitious and avant-garde music, but by 1969 he decided to work outside the band structure, focusing on his solo career, and effectively disbanding the Mothers in 1971.
The beginnings of his solo career in the late sixties and early seventies was characterised by a strong free jazz influence, with albums containing little, if any, lyrical content, such as Hot Rats, Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo. Towards the mid-seventies his albums became more rock-orientated, with a combination of Jazz Fusion instrumentation and Rock song structures. This more accessible sound bore reasonable mainstream appeal, especially with the release of the well-advertised albums Over-Nite Sensation and Apostrophe (') (which both went Gold), but Zappa's unpredictably eclectic output never led to solid mainstream recognition. He received uniformly lukewarm reviews from popular music publications such as Rolling Stone throughout his career. In his late seventies' output, the gulf between his humorous songs and more lengthy, complex instrumental music widened, and albums, such as Zappa in New York, Joe's Garage: Acts I, II & III, and Sleep Dirt displayed, by track, both sides firmly segregated.
Zappa saw a second run of success in the early eighties with the release of many albums with predominantly comedic rock songs, but later continued to experiment with virtually every style of music through the eighties, and was productive as ever until his death. His output in this later-career period included two albums of strikingly original classical music with the London Symphony Orchestra, an electronic take on 18th-century chamber music (written by the obscure Italian composer 'Francesco Zappa', no relation), an album of Synclavier compositions (misleadingly titled Jazz From Hell which garnered a Grammy award), a double-CD release of electric guitar instrumental music (the laconically titled Guitar) and a plenitude of official live releases, revisiting fan-favourites as well as showcasing Zappa's talent for reinventing the music of others; his version of Stairway to Heaven becoming a word-of-mouth favourite.
Zappa produced almost all of his own albums, spending many hours in the studio recording and manipulating tracks, and was always at the forefront of emerging technologies; from tape editing, collage, multitrack and overdubbing in the sixties to digital recording, electronic instruments and sampling in the eighties. Conversely, Zappa was also a obsessive self-archivist, recording virtually every one of his live performances, and often using live recordings of new material without needing to enter the studio. The archive of tapes at his family home in Los Angeles continues to be a source of posthumous releases for the Zappa Family Trust. He was also noted as a spotter of talent and his shifting line-up of musicians included Lowell George, Jean-Luc Ponty, Terry Bozzio, Chad Wackerman, George Duke, Mike Keneally, Adrian Belew and Steve Vai, as well as giving Alice Cooper his first break in music and working again with his old collaborator Captain Beefheart when his career was in decline.
In the late 1980s he became active in politics, campaigning against the PMRC's music censorship scheme and acting as culture and trade representative for Czechoslovakia in 1989; and considered running as an independent candidate for president of the US.
His death in Los Angeles, California, on 4th December 1993 came three years after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
04 Penguin In Bondage
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Brian, I could use a little bit more monitor.
Hello hello, can't you turn up any more than that?
Hello hello, hey!
Alright!
Pardon me folks.
The name of this song is penguin in bondage,
A basic theme which is...well,
You understand what a basic theme is.
And then the variations include ah, manoeuvres that might be
Executed with the aid of ah, extra-terrestrial gratification
And devices which might or might not be supplied in a local
Department store or perhaps a drugstore but at very least in
One of those fancy new shops that they advertise in the
Back-pages of the free press.
This song suggests to the suggestible listener that the
Ordinary procedure ah,
That I am circumlocuting at this present time in order to get
This text on television,
Is that ah, if you wanna do something other than what you
Thought you were gonna do when you first took your clothes off
And you just happened to have some devices around...
Then it's, it's not only okay to get into the
Paraphernalia of it all but...hey!
What did he say? ready?
She's just like a penguin in bondage, boy
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh...
Rennenhenninnahenninnenninahennn
Way over on the wet side
Of the bed (knirps for moisture)
Just like the mighty penguin
Flappin' her eight ounce wings
Lord, you know it's all over
If she comes atcha on the strut & wrap 'em
All around yer head
Flappin her eight ounce wings, flappinumm
She's just like a penguin in bondage, boy
Shake up the pale-dry
Ginger ale
Tremblin' like a penguin
When the battery fail
Lord, you must be havin' her jumpin' through
A hoopa real fire
With some kleenex wrapped around a
Coat-hang wire
She's just like a penguin in bondage, boy
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh...
Rennenhenninnahenninneninahenn
Howlin' over to some
Antarcticulated moon
In the frostbite night
With her flaps gone white
Shriekin' as she spot the hoop across the room
Lord, you know it must be a penguin bound down
When you hear that terrible screamin' and
There ain't no other
Birds around
She's just like a penguin in bondage, boy
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh...
She's just like a penguin in bondage, boy
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh...
Rennenhenninnahenninneninahennn
Aw, you must be careful
Not to leave her straps
Too loose
'Cause she just might box yer dog
She just might box yer doggie
An' leave you a dried-up dog biscuit...
The song "Penguin in Bondage" by Frank Zappa begins with the singer asking for more volume in their monitor. After a brief technical difficulty, the title of the song is announced and Zappa deduces that the song is about variations of a basic theme, suggestive sexual imagery, with the aid of extra-terrestrial gratification and devices. Zappa suggests that listeners who want to experiment with sexual paraphernalia should do so freely and not be afraid to explore their desires.
The lyrics follow a metaphor of a penguin in bondage to further drive home Zappa's points. The penguin is compared to a woman who is bound and restricted in her sexual experiences. She is described as shaking and trembling, with her flaps turning white in the frostbite night. Zappa uses vivid imagery such as the penguin having Kleenex wrapped around a coat-hanger wire and shrieking when she sees a hoop across the room. The song warns listeners to be careful not to leave the penguin's straps too loose, as she may "box yer doggie" and leave you with a dried-up dog biscuit.
Line by Line Meaning
The name of this song is penguin in bondage,
The title of this song is penguin in bondage.
An' it's a song that ah, deals with the possible variations on
This song deals with the different ways one can approach a certain theme.
A basic theme which is...well,
A fundamental concept that needs no explanation.
You understand what a basic theme is.
You get what I mean by a fundamental concept, right?
And then the variations include ah, manoeuvres that might be
The different approaches include methods that may be
Executed with the aid of ah, extra-terrestrial gratification
Performed with some kind of alien help or equipment
And devices which might or might not be supplied in a local
And equipment that may or may not be available at a nearby
Department store or perhaps a drugstore but at very least in
Shop, at the very least, in one of those fancy new stores advertised in free press back-pages.
One of those fancy new shops that they advertise in the
A fancy new store advertised in
Back-pages of the free press.
The back-pages of free press publications.
This song suggests to the suggestible listener that the
This song is intended to convince the vulnerable listener that
Ordinary procedure ah,
The conventional way of doing things,
That I am circumlocuting at this present time in order to get
The roundabout way I am currently discussing to get
This text on television,
This text onto TV,
Is that ah, if you wanna do something other than what you
Is that, if you want to try something beyond what you
Thought you were gonna do when you first took your clothes off
Intended to do when you first removed your clothing,
And you just happened to have some devices around...
And you just so happen to have some equipment lying around...
Then it's, it's not only okay to get into the
Then it's not only acceptable to explore
Paraphernalia of it all but...hey!
The supplies and accessories involved in such exploration, but hey!
What did he say? ready?
What did he say? Are you ready?
She's just like a penguin in bondage, boy
She is like a helpless and subservient creature, like a penguin in bondage,
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh...
Oh yeah...
Rennenhenninnahenninnenninahennn
Nonsense syllables meant to convey excitement and anticipation
Way over on the wet side
Over on the moist side of the bed,
(knirps for moisture)
Sounds uttered to imitate noise.
Just like the mighty penguin
Like a dominant penguin,
Flappin' her eight ounce wings
Flapping her tiny wings,
Lord, you know it's all over
You know it's all over,
If she comes atcha on the strut & wrap 'em
If she approaches you with confidence and gets her limbs
All around yer head
Wrapped around your head.
Flappin her eight ounce wings, flappinumm
Flapping her tiny wings, flappinumm.
Shake up the pale-dry
Mix up the pale and dry
Ginger ale
Ginger ale
Tremblin' like a penguin
Shaking with fear, like a penguin,
When the battery fail
When the battery dies.
Lord, you must be havin' her jumpin' through
You must be putting her through hell and making her jump through
A hoopa real fire
A fiery hoop for no reason
With some kleenex wrapped around a
Covered in Kleenex that's wrapped around a
Coat-hang wire
Coat-hanger wire.
Aw, you must be careful
You must be cautious,
Not to leave her straps
Make sure not to leave her restraints
Too loose
Too loose,
'Cause she just might box yer dog
Because she might just physically attack you,
She just might box yer doggie
She might even harm your dog,
An' leave you a dried-up dog biscuit...
And leave you with nothing but a dry dog treat...
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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