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.
Carolina Hard-Core Ecstasy
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ike willis (guitar, vocals)
Ray white (guitar, vocals)
Bobby martin (keyboards, saxophone, vocals)
Alan zavod (keyboards)
Scott thunes (bass)
Chad wackerman (drums)
She wore a milton bradley crayon
But she was something I could lay on,
Can't remember what became of me
Carolina hardcore ecstasy
She put a doobie brothers tape on
Ooh, ooh, ooh listen to the music
I had a roger daltrey cape on oo-wee-oo
A roger daltrey cape on, ooh ooh
There was a bed I dumped her shape on
Can't remember what became of me . . .
Carolina hardcore ecstasy
Somewhat later on I woke up and she was gone
There was dew out on the lawn in the sunrise
Later she came back with a rumpled paper sack
Which she told me would contain a surprise
She stuck her hand right in it to the bottom
Said she knew I'd be surprised she got em
Take a charleston . . . pip . . . to spot em
Then she gave a pair of shoes to me . . .
Plastic leather, 14 triple d
I said: I wonder what's the shoes for
She told me: don't you worry no more
And got right down there on the tile floor:
Now darling
Stomp all over me!
Carolina hardcore ecstasy
Is this something new having people stomp on you?
Is it what I need to do for your pleasure?
(and other things)
What is this, a quiz?
Dont you worry what it is
It is merely just a moment
I can treasure
You know
By ten oclock
Her arms and legs were rendered
She couldnt talk cause her
Mouth had been extendered
It looked to me as though she had been blendered
What was this abject misery, no no
Carolina hardcore ecstasy, weh-hell
What was this abject misery, no no
Carolina hardcore ecstasy
It might seem strange to herb and dee
Carolina hardcore ecstasy
In "Carolina Hard-Core Ecstasy," Frank Zappa describes a sexual experience with a woman who is free-spirited and experimental. He seems to be enamored with her enthusiasm for life and her willingness to try new things, such as wearing a Roger Daltrey cape and giving him a pair of plastic leather shoes to stomp on her with. The woman also introduces Zappa to the music of the Doobie Brothers, which he seems to enjoy.
The lyrics suggest a hedonistic and wild encounter with this Carolina woman, who leaves Zappa feeling dazed and confused by the end of the experience. He wakes up later to find her gone, but she returns with a "rumpled paper sack" containing an unknown surprise. Zappa is intrigued and she instructs him to take a Charleston pipe to "spot 'em." He is then gifted with a pair of triple-D plastic leather shoes, which she insists he stomp all over her with.
Line by Line Meaning
I coulda swore her hair was made of rayon
I thought that her hair was synthetic in material
She wore a milton bradley crayon
She dressed in an odd, vibrant manner
But she was something I could lay on,
She was someone that he could engage in sexual activity with
Can't remember what became of me
He does not recall what happened after their interaction
Carolina hardcore ecstasy
This is the type of pleasure that was experienced
She put a doobie brothers tape on
She played a recording of the Doobie Brothers music
Ooh, ooh, ooh listen to the music
This musical selection was enjoyed by the participants
I had a roger daltrey cape on oo-wee-oo
He was wearing a cape similar to the one Roger Daltrey of The Who wore
There was a bed I dumped her shape on
A bed was used for their encounter
Somewhat later on I woke up and she was gone
When he eventually awakened, she had left
There was dew out on the lawn in the sunrise
It was early in the morning and there was moisture on the ground outside
Later she came back with a rumpled paper sack
She returned with a wrinkled bag
Which she told me would contain a surprise
She hinted at something unexpected being inside the bag
She stuck her hand right in it to the bottom
She immediately reached in the bag
Said she knew I'd be surprised she got em
She claimed that she anticipated his reaction to what she took from the bag
Take a charleston . . . pip . . . to spot em
She suggested that he use a certain drug to help him see what she had in the bag
Then she gave a pair of shoes to me . . .
Finally, she presented him with a pair of shoes
Plastic leather, 14 triple d
The shoes were made of an unusual material, and were extra large in size
I said: I wonder what's the shoes for
He expressed curiosity about the purpose of the shoes
She told me: don't you worry no more
She instructed him not to think too much about it
And got right down there on the tile floor:
She lowered herself to the floor
Now darling
She addressed him affectionately
Stomp all over me!
She requested that he walk on top of her
Is this something new having people stomp on you?
He asked if this was a new experience for her
Is it what I need to do for your pleasure?
He wondered if this was something that she desired
(and other things)
Additional information is not provided
What is this, a quiz?
He is frustrated by her behavior
Dont you worry what it is
She tells him not to be concerned about the experience
It is merely just a moment
She suggests that this is a brief, insignificant occurrence
I can treasure
However, she personally finds value in it anyway
You know
She addresses him familiarly
By ten oclock
It was later in the morning
Her arms and legs were rendered
Her limbs were weakened or strained
She couldnt talk cause her
She was unable to speak
Mouth had been extendered
Her mouth had been developed or stretched in a strange way
It looked to me as though she had been blendered
She appeared to him as if she had been put through a blender
What was this abject misery, no no
He expresses distress over what had happened to her
Carolina hardcore ecstasy, weh-hell
However, this experience seems to have a name and a level of intensity
It might seem strange to herb and dee
This kind of encounter might not be seen as typical by some people
Carolina hardcore ecstasy
But it is something that is real and intense nonetheless
Contributed by Ella P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jackawatkins87
shawnfella Its one of the first solo's that really sucked me into Zappa
Carolina Hard-Core Ecstasy
Muffin Man
Uncle Remus
But then...... Inca Roads (OSFA or YCDTOSA2), More Trouble Every Day (Roxy), Willie the Pimp, My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama (almost any version)....and more and more and more lol
@tyler_ko_durden
The problem with Zappa is that every one of his songs has the best guitar solo of all time...
@zichbold
The problem with Zappa is that 80% of his songs present the best Zappa song ever.
@stevekosak8624
This comment should have a million likes 👽
@Atrayu03
amen
@alwhyte6533
I couldn't agree more. He's certainly my favourite guitarist. I recently watched a 100 Greatest Albums countdown, and there was not one Zappa album, and it made me feel sad. Personally, I think his music should be taught at high school.
@Fnidner
yeah it's fucked up
@asierlarranagadominguez4787
I'm about to present my thesis in a few hours and somehow I've always found peace and confidence in Zappa's music, specially this very solo inspires me.
@knucklehornofficial5558
One of the best lines in the history of music is "She put a Doobie Brothers tape on. I had a Roger Daltrey cape on." Makes me laugh every time.
@Acein2055
Best guitar solo of all Carolina versions.
@napomania
and Muffin Man and all Bongo's Fury album