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.
Cruising for Burgers
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My fake I.D.
Freeeeeees me
Gotta do a few things
To make my life complete
I gotta live my life
Out on the street
The difference between us
Cruising for burgers
In daddy's new car
My phony freedom card
Brings to me
Instantly
ECSTASY
The “Cruising for Burgers” song by Frank Zappa is a rebellious and sarcastic commentary on the youth culture of the mid-1960s, particularly the desire for personal freedom and the use of drugs. The lyrics convey the idea that the youth are seeking an escape from the constraints of society and are willing to do anything to attain this freedom – including using fake IDs and cruising around in their parent’s cars. The line “My phony freedom card brings to me instantly ecstasy” refers to drugs as the ultimate way to achieve a sense of freedom and escape from reality.
The song paints a picture of the youth culture at the time, with its focus on living life to the fullest and seeking instant gratification. The idea of cruising for burgers in a car, without any real purpose or direction, highlights this aimless pursuit of pleasure without any real consequences or responsibilities. The song pokes fun at the youth’s desire to break free from societal norms and expectations, and suggests that their freedom is not really freedom at all – but rather an illusion manufactured by drugs and instant gratification.
Line by Line Meaning
I must be free
It is my utmost desire to be liberated from anything that restricts me.
My fake I.D.
An identification card that doesn't have legal validity.
Freeeeeees me
It sets me free from the clutches of being identified as somebody else.
Gotta do a few things
Certain activities are needed to be performed by me, to feel satisfied in my life.
To make my life complete
To add that final fulfilling element to my life.
I gotta live my life
I must lead my life the way I want to.
Out on the street
I have to do this on the road with an itinerant lifestyle.
The difference between us
The variance between you and me is marginal.
Is not very far
This variation doesn't create any significant difference between us.
Cruising for burgers
Strolling around to get burgers while driving.
In daddy's new car
Driving daddy's brand new car on this trip.
My phony freedom card
A counterfeit identity card that deceives authority.
Brings to me
It brings me closer to my ultimate goal of being free.
Instantly
Without any delay.
ECSTASY
A state of pleasure or elation that is overwhelming.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Zappa
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nightheme365
Fantastic!
@youngfrank111
Great stuff I also like the track on uncle meat
@candido1970
And on Make A Jazz Noize Hear, even better
@PrimitiveInTheExtreme
🎧▶🎶⚓
@bodhisattva71
Why do I picture Five Guys burger shop, with this genius Composition?