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.
50/50
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
An' my breath is chartreuse
I know I ain't cute
An' my voice is ka-poot
But that's awright people
I'm just crazy enough to sing to you
Any old way
I figure the odds be fifty-fifty
I just might have some thing to say
Ain't gonna sing you no love song
How my heart is all sore
Will not beg your indulgence
'Cause you heard it before
But that's awright people
I'm just crazy enough to sing to you
Any old way
I figure the odds be fifty-fifty
I just might have some thing to say
I have taken your time
I have sung you my song
Ain't no great revelation
But it wasn't too long
But that's awright people
I'm just crazy enough to sing to you
Any old way
I figure the odds be fifty-fifty
I just might have some thing to say
The lyrics to Frank Zappa's "50/50" are a tongue-in-cheek commentary on his own appearance and abilities as a singer, acknowledging that he may not be conventionally attractive or have the greatest voice, but he still has something to say. The opening lines reference his dandruff and halitosis, indicating that he is not trying to present a polished image. He then declares that he is "crazy enough" to sing in any manner, regardless of how it may come across to the listener.
Despite not wanting to sing a typical love song, Zappa suggests that he is just as likely to have something important to say as anyone else, with the odds being "fifty-fifty." The repetition of this line throughout the song reinforces the idea that his message could go either way - he could have a revelation, or it could be nothing special. The final verse sums up the song's message by acknowledging that he has taken the listener's time to share his music, but it was not a groundbreaking or transformative experience.
Overall, "50/50" is an ironic and self-aware song that pokes fun at the conventions of love songs and the idea of a singer needing to look or sound a certain way to be successful. Zappa's lyrics suggest that there is value in being oneself, even if it means not conforming to mainstream expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, my dandruff is loose
My scalp is flaking and I have visible dandruff.
An' my breath is chartreuse
My breath is so foul it's greenish like chartreuse.
I know I ain't cute
I am self-aware that I am not attractive.
An' my voice is ka-poot
My voice is broken or not working properly.
But that's awright people
But it's okay, my dear listeners.
I'm just crazy enough to sing to you
I am eccentric and confident enough to perform for you.
Any old way
In any style or manner.
I figure the odds be fifty-fifty
I believe that there is a 50/50 chance of success.
I just might have some thing to say
I possibly have something significant to express.
Ain't gonna sing you no love song
I refuse to perform a traditional love song.
How my heart is all sore
I won't sing about a broken heart or romantic woes.
Will not beg your indulgence
I will not plead for your approval.
'Cause you heard it before
Because you've already heard it.
I have taken your time
I have used up your time.
I have sung you my song
I have performed my music for you.
Ain't no great revelation
It's not a big surprise or mind-blowing revelation.
But it wasn't too long
But at least it wasn't too lengthy or boring.
Contributed by Eli N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@whiskeyriver4322
Frank Zappa – guitar, vocals on all tracks except "Fifty-Fifty" and most of "Zomby Woof"
Kin Vassy – vocals on "I'm the Slime", "Dinah-Moe Humm" and "Montana"
Ricky Lancelotti – vocals on "Fifty-Fifty" and "Zomby Woof"
Sal Marquez – trumpet, vocals on "Dinah-Moe Humm"
Ian Underwood – clarinet, flute, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone
Bruce Fowler – trombone
Ruth Underwood – percussion, marimba, vibraphone
Jean-Luc Ponty – violin, baritone violin
George Duke – synthesizer, keyboards
Tom Fowler – bass
Ralph Humphrey – drums
Tina Turner and the Ikettes – backing vocals (uncredited) (Tracks 2-3 and 5-7)
@ChuckSchickx
The bass line on this song kills!
@IcaroGiorgio
For sure, man! Sick!!
@geoffbaxter1509
Tom Fowler kicks it through the whole album. As does everyone. I was 11 or so when I first heard this album, this is the song that got me hooked on Zappa and The Mothers
@michaelhenshaw258
He is in my top 10 bass players of all time 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
@charlesrobinson7469
I love the slower live groovy version.👍🏾
@OliverMitchellGuitar
Nothing short of astonishing, great guitar, amazing band
@OliverMitchellGuitar
Jean Luc Ponty stings violin
@rundoetx
Zappa and the Mothers of Invention at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin TX is one of my top 10 concerts of all time.
@moondog50002000
I've smoked weed backstage with so many hero's there to name
@rundoetx
@Reverb Twang cool.