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.
D.C. Boogie
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Would you like to have this
Song end? One at a time! With
A boogie? Wait a minute
Just a minute just so that
We won’t be inadequlate
Inadequately represented here
We have one one side that says it should
It end with a ballad? Ok
We have some other people wanna have it
End with a ballad how many wanna have it end
With a march? How many wanna have it
End with a polka? How many would like to
Have it end with a dog food
Jingle? Well, let's see so far
Looks like it's a choice between
The boogie and the ballad
Contestant number one would be
The boogie! How many
Say boogie? How many say ballad? Well
Guess what it ends with!
The lyrics to Frank Zappa's song "D.C. Boogie" depict a humorous scenario where the process of deciding how the song should end becomes a democratic discussion among the participants. Zappa presents this situation as a playful commentary on the potential lack of representation and the difficulty in reaching a consensus in democratic processes. The lyrics suggest that everyone has different preferences, represented by various styles of music, for how the song should conclude.
Zappa starts the lyrics by proposing a democratic approach to deciding the song's ending, asking the participants how they would like to have the song end. He presents options such as ending with a boogie, a ballad, a march, a polka, or even a dog food jingle. As the discussion unfolds, it becomes clear that there are divided opinions among the participants, with some favoring the boogie and others suggesting a ballad. The lyrics playfully emphasize this division by repeating the question of how the song should end and highlighting the different choices, ultimately revealing that the song ends with the boogie, despite the popularity of the ballad option among some participants.
This song showcases Zappa's satirical and playful approach to music, where he uses irony and absurdity to comment on social and political aspects of society. "D.C. Boogie" serves as a lighthearted critique of the challenges and complexities of democracy, highlighting the difficulty in reaching consensus when multiple individuals with varying preferences are involved.
Line by Line Meaning
Let's make this a democratic process how
Let's approach this as a democratic process by involving everyone
Would you like to have this
Would you like to decide the outcome of this song
Song end? One at a time! With
How would you like the song to conclude? Let's hear suggestions one by one
A boogie? Wait a minute
Possibly ending with an energetic dance tune, but hold on
Just a minute just so that
Just a moment, let's pause and make sure
We won’t be inadequlate
We won't be lacking or insufficient
Inadequately represented here
Everyone's preferences and ideas should be properly included
We have one one side that says it should
There are some on one side suggesting
End with a boogie does anybody wanna have
Conclude the song with an energetic dance tune, is anyone in favor
It end with a ballad? Ok
Alternatively, ending with a slow, emotional song is acceptable
We have some other people wanna have it
There are others who would like to
End with a ballad how many wanna have it end
End the song with a slow, emotional tune, how many are in favor
With a march? How many wanna have it
With a marching tune, how many would like that
End with a polka? How many would like to
End with a lively polka rhythm, who is interested
Have it end with a dog food
Consider concluding the song with a jingle about dog food
Jingle? Well, let's see so far
A catchy advertisement jingle, let's assess the options up to this point
Looks like it's a choice between
It seems we have a decision to make between
The boogie and the ballad
Choosing either the energetic dance tune or the slow emotional song
Contestant number one would be
The first option to consider is
The boogie! How many
Conclude with the energetic dance tune, how many support this
Say boogie? How many say ballad? Well
Raise your voice for boogie or ballad, let's determine the popular choice
Guess what it ends with!
Can you guess the final decision for the song's ending?
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
VoluntaristJAM
Frank Zappa – conductor, guitar, vocals
Earl Dumler – woodwinds
Tom Malone – saxes, piccolo trumpet, trumpet, tuba
Malcolm McNab – trumpet
Gary Barone – trumpet, flugelhorn
Glenn Ferris – trombone
Bruce Fowler – trombone
Tony Duran – slide guitar
Dave Parlato – bass
Jim Gordon – drums
star cloud
As time goes by Frank makes even more sense.
Blue Dream Microgreens
imagine that haha
Laural Bodin
He was a brilliant musician
打禅 DahZen
@james wiblishauser and more waves... the ripples keep multiplying
james wiblishauser
i was just thinking the same thing
Daniele Saletti
I am 62 years old. I am listening to Zappa's music since 1973. I am still discovering new tracks, new stuff. I hope to live till 90 years old to listen to his music.
Henry banbelle
Idem😊
Chris Cox
Stay Stoked Bro !!
I'm finding how much we've missed, and cherishing every jam
manoftheworld1000
The more you listen to Frank's music the longer you live!
timoj24
Okay all you old guys and gals go check out Tyler Bartman’s “breakdown” of ALIEN ORIFICE”. I GUARANTEE you will still be impressed by Zappa’s greatness and the great part is Tyler’s youth and INCREDIBLE knowledge of his music. All of his videos are truly amazing...