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.
Any Kind Of Pain
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Somebody invented
In a grim little office
On madison ave.
They were specific
They made you terrific:
Red lips;
Blonde hair;
Un-wise --
You're all-american,
And, darling, they said so
You'd take any kind of pain from me,
Wouldn't you, baby?
You'd take any kind of pain from me,
Wouldn't you, baby?
Since you haven't got a brain,
Let me just explain:
Any kind of pain
Is never a maybe
Her head's full of bubbles;
Her nose is petite!
She looks like she never
Gets nothin' to eat!
She dines with actors,
'n wall street characters:
Dull talk;
Nice clothes --
See her?
She blows --
She's so important
'cause he gets to do talk shows --
And she'd take any kind of pain from me,
Wouldn't you, bobby?
She'd take any kind of pain from me,
Wouldn't you, bobby?
Since you haven't got a name,
Let me just explain:
Any kind of pain
Is probably her hobby
She has moves up now;
She's come a long way --
They give her bunches
Of words she can say!
When she's in a bold mood,
'confinement loaf' sounds good --
That's right,
She's wrong!
Let's end
Her song
(it seems she's everywhere
We just can't escape her --
Is this a miracle of pure evolution?
And all the yuppie boys, they dream they will rape her --
She brings the 80's
To a thrilling conclusion!)
Yes, she's every bit as tame as me,
Isn't she tender?
Yes, she's every bit as lame as me,
Let us remember,
She gets only half the blame
Only half the blame
Only half the blame
Unless we extend her --
The song Any Kind of Pain by Frank Zappa satirizes the superficiality and shallowness of American culture, represented by a girl who was invented in a New York office to fit the perfect image of what an American girl should look like. The lyrics suggest that this girl has no individuality or original thought and that she is simply a product of media and societal expectations. She is described as having no brain and being willing to take any kind of pain from the singer, which can be interpreted as representing the girl's desperate desire for approval and acceptance by conforming to societal norms.
The song also comments on the celebrity culture that is pervasive in American society, where people are idolized for being on talk shows or having wealth, power, and status. The girl in the song is portrayed as being vapid and superficial, obsessed with her image and reputation, yet lacking in substance or genuine talent. The song ends with the suggestion that this girl is not entirely to blame for her actions, as she is a product of a larger system that values appearance over substance and conformity over individuality.
Line by Line Meaning
You are the girl
Addressing the girl and acknowledging her presence
Somebody invented
Implying that the girl was created or fashioned by someone else
In a grim little office
Suggesting that the girl's creation may not have been glamorous and was likely done in a mundane setting
On madison ave.
Referring to a well-known commercial area in New York, implying that the girl was created for marketing purposes
They were specific
Implying that the creators had a particular purpose or goal in mind when inventing the girl
They made you terrific:
Suggesting that the creators did a good job in crafting the girl to meet their objectives
Red lips;
Describing one of the girl's physical features
Blue eyes;
Describing another of the girl's physical features
Blonde hair;
Describing another of the girl's physical features
Un-wise --
Implying that the girl may not be the smartest
You're all-american,
Describing the girl's nationality and perhaps implying that she has certain cultural characteristics
And, darling, they said so
Suggesting that the creators communicated this image of the girl to others
You'd take any kind of pain from me,
Suggesting that the girl is willing to endure hardships or suffering for the singer
Wouldn't you, baby?
Asking the girl if she would indeed go through pain for the singer
Since you haven't got a brain,
Insinuating that the girl lacks intelligence or critical thinking abilities
Let me just explain:
Introducing an explanation in regards to the previous statement
Any kind of pain
Referring to a hypothetical scenario where the girl would endure pain for the artist
Is never a maybe
Asserting that in this scenario, the girl's willingness to endure pain is certain
Her head's full of bubbles;
Metaphorically describing the girl's thoughts or ideas as being insubstantial
Her nose is petite!
Describing another physical feature of the girl
She looks like she never
Observing the girl's appearance and making a judgement based on it
Gets nothin' to eat!
Suggesting that the girl may not eat enough or may not be well-nourished
She dines with actors,
Describing the girl's social circle, which includes actors
'n wall street characters:
Expanding on the girl's social circle to include financiers or business people
Dull talk;
Describing the conversations the girl may have with her associates
Nice clothes --
Describing the girl's fashion and perhaps implying that it is a priority for her
See her?
Drawing attention to the girl again
She blows --
Using crude slang to suggest that the girl is sexually promiscuous
She's so important
Indicating that the girl holds some level of status or value in society
'cause he gets to do talk shows --
Revealing that the girl may be involved with someone who has connections in the world of talk shows
And she'd take any kind of pain from me,
Bringing the focus back to the girl's willingness to suffer for the singer
Wouldn't you, bobby?
Addressing the girl as 'bobby' and reiterating that she would endure pain for the artist
Since you haven't got a name,
Imagining the girl as anonymous or without individual character
Let me just explain:
Transitioning to another explanation for the audience
Any kind of pain
Repeating the hypothetical scenario from earlier in the song
Is probably her hobby
Expanding on the idea that the girl enjoys pain
She has moves up now;
Describing how the girl has become more successful
She's come a long way --
Implying that the girl has achieved something noteworthy
They give her bunches
Referring to the people around the girl who support her or give her opportunities
Of words she can say!
Suggesting that the girl may not be genuine in her speech and may rely on cliches or prepared lines
When she's in a bold mood,
Observing the girl's mental state or attitude
'confinement loaf' sounds good --
Giving an example of a phrase the girl might say, which sounds strange or made-up
That's right,
Affirming the previous statement
She's wrong!
Claiming that the girl is misguided or incorrect
Let's end
Suggesting that this is the conclusion of the song
Her song
Metaphorically referring to the girl's life as a song and the discussion of her as lyrics
(it seems she's everywhere
Commenting on the girl's omnipresence in popular culture or media
We just can't escape her --
Suggesting that the girl's image or influence cannot be avoided or ignored
Is this a miracle of pure evolution?
Asking if the girl's existence and impact on society is a natural occurrence or a result of human manipulation
And all the yuppie boys, they dream they will rape her --
Making a controversial statement about the girl's sexual appeal and the fantasies of certain men
She brings the 80's
Associating the girl with the 1980s, a decade known for its conspicuous consumption and cultural trends
To a thrilling conclusion!)
Concluding the song on a sarcastic or tongue-in-cheek note
Yes, she's every bit as tame as me,
Comparing the artist with the girl and suggesting they are similar in some way
Isn't she tender?
Praising the girl's perceived gentle or delicate qualities
Yes, she's every bit as lame as me,
Reaffirming the singer's similarity to the girl, but in a critical way
Let us remember,
Asking the audience to take something into consideration
She gets only half the blame
Implying that the girl is only partially responsible for her actions or her role in society
Only half the blame
Repeating the previous statement
Only half the blame
Emphasizing the idea that someone else shares responsibility for the girl's behavior
Unless we extend her --
Suggesting that the girl's role in society may be perpetuated by others who enable or reinforce her behavior
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Vincent Zappa
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind