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.
Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(La la la-la-la-la-la la la-la la-la-la la-la-la-la
La-la la-la-la la-la la-la-la la-la la-la-la)
Teeh tee-tee-tee-tee-teeh tee-tee-teeh yah-ho!
(Pom-pom pom-pom-po-po-pom pom
Po-po-po pom-pom bro-po-po-po-pom
A-rum-pa-pom-pom a-rum-pa-pom-pom
La la la la la la la la la la la la rum-pam!
Rat-ta-da da-dah!
The lyrics to Frank Zappa's song Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus are nonsensical and meant to be heard as a playful and experimental piece of music. The song starts with a simple melody, repeating "la la" with some variations, and adding some percussion sounds. The lyrics then shift to a distorted and playful chanting of non-words, which resemble more of a vocalization of the percussion instruments than actual language. The song builds up to a crescendo with a rapid drumming and a final shout of "rat-ta-da da-dah!", as if closing a circle of improvised composition.
Zappa's music is known for its experimental nature, and the lyrics to Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus are no exception. In many ways, the song can be seen as an ode to the power of sound and music itself, as it emphasizes the rhythms and sounds of percussion instruments and the pure joy of vocal expression without the need for coherent language. At the same time, it also showcases Zappa's trademark humor and his willingness to create music that defies convention and challenges listeners.
Overall, Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus is a fun and playful piece of music, meant to be enjoyed for its experimental and nonsensical nature. The lyrics are open to interpretation, but they can be seen as a celebration of improvisation, experimentation, and the power of music to connect people through the energy of sound and rhythm.
Line by Line Meaning
La la-da-la-la-la la-da-la la la-la
The introductory notes for the song, indicating a lively and upbeat tempo.
(La la la-la-la-la-la la la-la la-la-la la-la-la-la
La-la la-la-la la-la la-la-la la-la la-la-la)
The continuation of the instrumental introduction, characterized by vocalizations and rhythmic beats.
Teeh tee-tee-tee-tee-teeh tee-tee-teeh yah-ho!
An excited utterance, signaling the commencement of the lyrics.
(Pom-pom pom-pom-po-po-pom pom
Po-po-po pom-pom bro-po-po-po-pom
A-rum-pa-pom-pom a-rum-pa-pom-pom
A-rum-pa-pom-pom)
Musical phrases composed of varying percussion and vocal sounds, adding complexity to the instrumentation.
La la la la la la la la la la la la rum-pam!
A vocal interlude, in tune with the instrumental rhythm of the song.
Rat-ta-da da-dah!
A closing phrase, indicating the end of the song.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@AroCaceresdrums
La la-da-la-la-la la-da-la la la-la
(La la la-la-la-la-la la la-la la-la-la la-la-la-la
La-la la-la-la la-la la-la-la la-la la-la-la)
Teeh tee-tee-tee-tee-teeh tee-tee-teeh yah-ho!
(Pom-pom pom-pom-po-po-pom pom
Po-po-po pom-pom bro-po-po-po-pom
A-rum-pa-pom-pom a-rum-pa-pom-pom
A-rum-pa-pom-pom)
La la la la la la la la la la la la rum-pam!
Rat-ta-da da-dah!
@manca5882
La la-da-la-la-la la-da-la la la-la
(La la la-la-la-la-la la la-la la-la-la la-la-la-la
La-la la-la-la la-la la-la-la la-la la-la-la)
Teeh tee-tee-tee-tee-teeh tee-tee-teeh yah-ho!
(Pom-pom pom-pom-po-po-pom pom
Po-po-po pom-pom bro-po-po-po-pom
A-rum-pa-pom-pom a-rum-pa-pom-pom
A-rum-pa-pom-pom)
La la la la la la la la la la la la rum-pam!
Rat-ta-da da-dah!
@duster71
Totally Epic,who has ever written something like this,no jazzer, no rocker,no band. Zappa's music is a world unto its own.The best part is you can't label it, its just Zappa.Uncle Frank had no barriers,he wrote it all,he played it all, he shlept his vision across the world. I lived just outside of NYC and Halloween was called Zappa night from 74 on. We would hire a school bus to drive us all down to NYC so we could party.I was 14 and everybody else were 17 and up, at least 25 of us on the bus.
@typkicojestfajny4877
Podobne piosenka:
King Crimson - Lizard (nie cała, tylko pewną część)
@wyrdingroom6081
thx FZ for putting the horn section to work!🤘
@fredericfreddyfreddo850
When he sings at the end... What a troll ! Love it...
@Frankybroadcast
Terapin Station. Lol
@Frankybroadcast
I sing that Rup Pupum Pum line over the Terapin outro all the time. Lol
@joaomarcoslacerda3077
Genius
@monty70
Frank Zappa lives!
@bodhisattva71
I loves me this song!
@PrimitiveInTheExtreme
What a wonderful song 🔝🔝🔝