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.
Canard du Jour
Frank Zappa Lyrics
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1972
engineer: Kerry McNab
FZ--bouzouki
Jean-Luc Ponty--baritone violin
Terry Bozzio--voice
2:38
Bozzio: Yeah . . .
O'Hearn: Kinda reminds you of home, doesn't it?
The lyrics in Frank Zappa's song Canard du Jour are quite cryptic and can be interpreted in many ways. However, it seems that the song is questioning the nature of truth and media manipulation. The title "Canard du Jour" translates to "Duck of the day" in French, which is a term sometimes used to describe sensationalist news items that are short-lived and forgotten once a new story emerges. This idea is reinforced in the opening lines of the song, where Zappa sings "If you want to stay in this fancy hotel/You'd better stick to this sort of story like hell."
Moreover, the lyrics suggest that the media can shape our reality and perception of events. In the lines "You've got the right to get the news/But when you cross over to/Zipperhead territory/Remember where you are," Zappa seems to be warning the audience that the news they consume can be biased and sensationalized based on the target audience. The use of the term "Zipperhead" is also interesting as it is a derogatory term for Asians and could be interpreted as a comment on the way news organizations portray foreign events.
Overall, the song seems to be a commentary on the power of media and its influence on our perception of the truth. Zappa questions the truthfulness of news reporting and urges the audience to remain cautious and aware of potential manipulations.
Line by Line Meaning
Paramount Studios, LA
This song was recorded in 1972 at Paramount Studios, located in Los Angeles, California.
1972
The year this song was recorded was 1972.
engineer: Kerry McNab
Kerry McNab was the sound engineer for this recording.
FZ--bouzouki
Frank Zappa played the bouzouki on this track.
Jean-Luc Ponty--baritone violin
Jean-Luc Ponty played the baritone violin on this track.
Terry Bozzio--voice
Terry Bozzio provided the vocals for this track.
Patrick O'Hearn--voice
Patrick O'Hearn also provided vocals for this track.
2:38
The duration of this song is two minutes and thirty-eight seconds.
Bozzio: Yeah . . .
Terry Bozzio responds to an unknown comment with an affirmative 'yeah.'
O'Hearn: Kinda reminds you of home, doesn't it?
Patrick O'Hearn comments that this song brings back memories of home, insinuating that it may remind him of something or someone from his past.
Contributed by London F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.