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.
Attack! Attack! Attack!
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Roy: Sure, aren't you glad I'm not too hairy . . .
Louis: Yeah . . .
Roy: . . . Too hairy! . . . heh, heh
Louis: . . . That beats . . . yes . . . (Louie laughs like a turkey)
Roy: . . . That's why they have a lot of crabs . . .
Louis: . . . Yes, and um . . .
Roy: . . . A set of crabs?!
Gilly: Huh, my piano . . . It's still dark in here . . . It's the same as it ever was . . . I'm here . . . (sigh) I'm not the same as I ever was
Gilly: Either you're here and I'm here or I'm very different . . .
Girl
The lyrics of Frank Zappa's song "Attack! Attack! Attack!" are a bit nonsensical, but they might be interpreted as a conversation between several people, with Louis and Roy making some jokes about crabs and hairiness while Gilly reflects on the nature of existence. The chorus of the song simply repeats the phrase "Attack! Attack! Attack!" as if calling for action or perhaps emphasizing the absurdity of the situation.
The lines "Crabs are really dangerous, and they are-are-rich as fires" could be interpreted as a reference to pubic lice, which are often colloquially called "crabs" and can be a nuisance but generally not a serious health concern. Meanwhile, the lines "Either you're here and I'm here or I'm very different" could represent a philosophical reflection on the nature of identity and perception.
Overall, Frank Zappa's lyrics in "Attack! Attack! Attack!" may not have a clear meaning, but they showcase his love for playing with language and creating unexpected combinations of words and concepts. The repetition of the chorus and the silly banter between the characters also highlight the irreverent and playful spirit of Zappa's music.
Line by Line Meaning
Louis: RAAAH! ATTACK! ATTACK! Attack and get on ee, eee, each pony or . . . boogey man or something
Louis is encouraging everyone to attack and get on anything or anyone that might be seen as a threat or scary.
Roy: Sure, aren't you glad I'm not too hairy . . .
Roy is making a joke about not being hairy and possibly avoiding getting crabs.
Louis: Yeah . . .
Louis agrees with Roy's joke.
Roy: . . . Too hairy! . . . heh, heh
Roy continues with his joke about being too hairy and possibly attracting crabs.
Louis: . . . That beats . . . yes . . . (Louie laughs like a turkey)
Louis laughs at Roy's joke in a turkey-like manner.
Roy: . . . That's why they have a lot of crabs . . .
Roy continues with his crab joke, suggesting that having a lot of hair attracts crabs.
Louis: . . . Yes, and um . . .
Louis agrees with Roy's joke and wants to add something else to the conversation.
Roy: . . . A set of crabs?!
Roy jokes about someone having a whole set of crabs, possibly implying an infestation.
Louis: Crabs are really dangerous, and they are-are-rich as fires and every once in a while you walk in the streets and when I . . . when I heard of these from, from talk from my, from my home here, my piano!
Louis mentions that crabs are dangerous and has heard of stories about them from talk at his home where he has a piano.
Gilly: Huh, my piano . . . It's still dark in here . . . It's the same as it ever was . . . I'm here . . . (sigh) I'm not the same as I ever was
Gilly comments on the darkness and reminisces about how things have not changed, but acknowledges that they are not the same person as before.
Gilly: Either you're here and I'm here or I'm very different . . .
Gilly questions whether they are still the same person or if they have changed significantly since the last time they were together.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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