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.
Beer Shampoo
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Aynsley: When you just stopped it was running on your head
Howard: Well I had to do an Edward Arnold slow-burn, man, there was nothing else I could do, 'cept play it for all it was worth
Aynsley: I said the only other thing to do is go get another can of beer and pour it over HIS head . . .
Howard: Well, it was already getting silly, man. I mean, it was remedial as it is, I think . . .
FZ: Ha ha!
Howard: Let's not make it too childish
Aynsley: [...]
?: Howie [...]
Mark: He, I used to sing, he used to sing "How is the weather" in "Happy Together" and pour a whole glass of water over my head, man, and he liked it so much that he made it an integral part of the show, the kids loved it, so I just let it keep happening
Aynsley: He can't stand it, man, that's all . . .
Mark: And you're just a pansy ass, kiss ass little girl . . .
?: Ha ha ha!
Mark: Simmons!
Howard: Beer is another thing, man! I'm fucking soaked!
Mark: They use beer in some shampoos, Howard
Howard: I don't give a shit, that's all I know it that water would dry up and not stain, and he ruined my shoes, man! I can't believe it
?: Ohhh!
Mark: Materialist!
Howard: Hey lookit, Pat McGregor!
Mark: Materialistic! Materialistic!
Howard: You're the dude who said . . .
(scuffle)
FZ: Oh oh oh!
Mark: Materialist!
?: Ohhh
Howard: Don't do it to you, I don't have any beer, man
Aynsley: Okay
Mark: "New York's so lonely . . . "
Howard: I can't even . . . you keep your hands off me you creep
Mark: "And you are the only . . . "
Jeff: You creep, ha ha!
Howard: Stop it, man!
The lyrics of the song Beer Shampoo by Frank Zappa are a conversation between various people that seem to be in a drunk or high state. The conversation seems to be about pouring beer over someone's head as a joke, and the person who had played the joke, Howard, is getting upset because the beer is soaking his clothes and shoes. Mark is mocking Howard, calling him a "materialistic" person, and Howard is getting more and more frustrated, telling Mark to stop and that he does not have any beer to pour over him. The conversation then moves to other topics, such as weather and loneliness, with some laughing and playful insults being exchanged.
Overall, the lyrics of Beer Shampoo are a satirical take on the concept of humor and pranks. The lyrics showcase how a simple thing like pouring beer over someone's head can turn into a prolonged and silly conversation. The lyrics reveal that what starts out as a joke can easily turn into serious anger and dispute, with people ending up getting wet and upset. The lyrics are a commentary on human behavior, how people can take things too seriously, and how even the smallest misunderstandings or jokes can escalate quickly.
Line by Line Meaning
Mark: That's the kind of guy [...]
Mark is referring to someone who is cruel and likes to humiliate others for their pleasure.
Aynsley: When you just stopped it was running on your head
Beer is being poured over someone's head and it is making them wet.
Howard: Well I had to do an Edward Arnold slow-burn, man, there was nothing else I could do, 'cept play it for all it was worth
The person speaking had no other option than to express their rage to the best of their ability.
Aynsley: I said the only other thing to do is go get another can of beer and pour it over HIS head
Someone is suggesting that they should pour more beer over the other person's head.
Howard: Well, it was already getting silly, man. I mean, it was remedial as it is, I think . . .
Howard thinks that the situation was already ridiculous and there was no need to make it any worse.
FZ: Ha ha!
Frank Zappa laughs.
Howard: Let's not make it too childish
Howard is suggesting that they should not behave like children and do something more mature.
Aynsley: [...]
No meaning can be inferred from this line as it is incomplete.
Mark: Every night for a year and a half, man, no matter how sick I was, or how I felt on stage . . .
Mark sings and someone pours a glass of water over his head every night, even when he is not well.
?: Howie [...]
It is not clear what is meant from this line as the artist's name is incomplete.
Mark: He, I used to sing, he used to sing "How is the weather" in "Happy Together" and pour a whole glass of water over my head, man, and he liked it so much that he made it an integral part of the show, the kids loved it, so I just let it keep happening
Someone pours water over Mark's head during a song and it has become a regular part of the show because it is popular with the audience.
Aynsley: He can't stand it, man, that's all . . .
Someone is unable to tolerate the situation and wants it to stop.
Mark: And you're just a pansy ass, kiss ass little girl . . .
Mark is insulting someone and calling them weak and overly compliant.
?: Ha ha ha!
Someone is laughing.
Mark: Simmons!
Mark is calling someone by their last name, Simmons.
Howard: Beer is another thing, man! I'm fucking soaked!
Howard is upset that beer has been poured on him and he is wet.
Mark: They use beer in some shampoos, Howard
Mark is trying to convince Howard that beer is not that bad and can even be used in some shampoos.
Howard: I don't give a shit, that's all I know it that water would dry up and not stain, and he ruined my shoes, man! I can't believe it
Howard does not care about Mark's suggestion about beer and is upset that his shoes have been damaged by the water.
?: Ohhh!
Someone is expressing discontent or disapproval.
Mark: Materialist!
Mark is calling someone a materialist, which means they value material possessions over other things.
Howard: Hey lookit, Pat McGregor!
Howard changes the subject and points out someone named Pat McGregor.
Mark: Materialistic! Materialistic!
Mark repeats his accusation of materialism.
Howard: You're the dude who said . . .
Howard is addressing someone who said something previously.
(scuffle)
A physical altercation is happening.
FZ: Oh oh oh!
Frank Zappa is reacting with concern.
Mark: Materialist!
Mark is again calling someone a materialist.
?: Ohhh
Someone is expressing discontent or disapproval.
Howard: Don't do it to you, I don't have any beer, man
Howard is trying to prevent someone from pouring beer on him again and says that he does not have any beer to offer.
Aynsley: Okay
Aynsley acknowledges Howard's statement that he does not have any beer.
Mark: "New York's so lonely . . . "
Mark quotes a line from a song that describes New York as being lonely.
Howard: I can't even . . . you keep your hands off me you creep
Howard is uncomfortable and accuses someone of being a creep and tells them to keep their hands off him.
Mark: "And you are the only . . . "
Mark quotes another line from the same song that suggests someone else is the only person he has.
Jeff: You creep, ha ha!
Another person, Jeff, calls someone else a creep and laughs.
Howard: Stop it, man!
Howard tells Jeff to stop making fun of him.
Contributed by Maria L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.