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.
Debra Cadabra
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Say she's a witch
Shit-ass Charlotte!
Ain't that a bitch?
Debra Kadabra –
Haw, that's rich!
(Ione, a rancho granny
Shook her wrinkled fanny…)
Shoes are too tight and pointed
Shoes are too tight and pointed
Ankles sorta puffin' out
Cause me to shout:
Oh Debra Algebra Ebneezra Kadabra!
Witch Goddess, Witch Goddess of Lankershim Boulevard!
Cover my entire body with Avon Cologna
And drive me to some relative's house in East L.A. (Wooden dog!)
(Just till my skin clears up)
Turn it to Channel 13
And make me watch the rubber tongue
When it comes out
From the puffed & flabulent Mexican rubber-goods mask
Next time they show The Brnokka
Make me buy The Flosser
Make me grow Braniac Fingers
(But with more hair)
Make me kiss your turquoise jewelry!
Emboss me!
Rub the hot front part of my head
With rented unguents!
Give me bas-relief!
Cast your dancing spell my way
I promise to go under it
Cast your dancing spell my way
I promise to go under it
Cast your dancing spell my way
I promise to go under it
(Oh, hell, yes!)
Cast your dancing spell my way
I promise to go under it
(Oh, hell, yes!)
Cast your dancing spell my way
I promise to go under it
(Oh, hell, yes!)
Cast your dancing spell my way
I promise to go under it
(Oh, heel, yes!)
Learn the Pachuco Hop
And let me twirl ya…
(Learn the Pachuco… learn the Pachuco Hop an' lemme twirl you)
Oh Debra Fauntleroy-Magnesium Kadabra!
Take me with you…
Don't you want any of these?
The song Debra Kadabra by Frank Zappa is a humorous and somewhat nonsensical ode to a woman named Debra Kadabra. The song begins by referring to her as a witch, which is likely a metaphor for her mysterious and enchanting qualities. The lyrics then shift to a more absurd tone, with Zappa shouting about his shoes being too tight and his ankles puffing out. He then addresses Debra by her full name, Debra Algebra Ebneezra Kadabra, and proclaims her to be the "Witch Goddess of Lankershim Boulevard."
Zappa then continues to ramble on about covering his body with Avon Cologna and driving him to a relative's house in East L.A. He also references a "wooden dog" and asks to watch "the rubber tongue" on Channel 13. The lyrics then become even more nonsensical as Zappa asks to grow "Braniac Fingers" and kisses Debra's turquoise jewelry. The song concludes with Zappa begging for Debra to cast her dancing spell on him and promising to go under it.
Overall, the lyrics of Debra Kadabra are a humorous and bizarre tribute to a woman who is shrouded in mystery and enchantment.
Line by Line Meaning
Debra Kadabra
Introducing the character Debra Kadabra
Say she's a witch
Rumor has it that Debra is a witch
Shit-ass Charlotte!
A vulgar insult directed at someone named Charlotte
Ain't that a bitch?
An expression of frustration or annoyance
Debra Kadabra –
Haw, that's rich!
A play on words, where the name Debra Kadabra sounds like 'That's rich', indicating sarcasm or irony
(Ione, a rancho granny
Shook her wrinkled fanny…)
An irrelevant interjection about a character named Ione
Shoes are too tight and pointed
Shoes are too tight and pointed
Ankles sorta puffin' out
Describing the discomfort caused by tight and pointed shoes
Cause me to shout:
Oh Debra Algebra Ebneezra Kadabra!
A nonsensical exclamation of frustration
Witch Goddess, Witch Goddess of Lankershim Boulevard!
Addressing Debra as a powerful, mystical being
Cover my entire body with Avon Cologna
And drive me to some relative's house in East L.A. (Wooden dog!)
(Just till my skin clears up)
Asking Debra to apply lotion to his entire body and then take him to a relative's house until his skin clears up, while making a random mention of a wooden dog
Turn it to Channel 13
And make me watch the rubber tongue
When it comes out
From the puffed & flabulent Mexican rubber-goods mask
Next time they show The Brnokka
Make me buy The Flosser
Make me grow Braniac Fingers
(But with more hair)
Make me kiss your turquoise jewelry!
Emboss me!
Rub the hot front part of my head
With rented unguents!
Give me bas-relief!
A nonsensical and surreal description of various actions Debra can perform on the singer, involving TV shows, buying products, growing special fingers, and physical contact
Cast your dancing spell my way
I promise to go under it
(Oh, hell, yes!)
A request for Debra to captivate him with her dancing and a pledge to fall under her charm
Learn the Pachuco Hop
And let me twirl ya…
(Learn the Pachuco… learn the Pachuco Hop an' lemme twirl you)
Asking Debra to teach him a dance and spin with him
Oh Debra Fauntleroy-Magnesium Kadabra!
Take me with you…
Another rendition of the character's name, followed by an appeal to be taken with her
Don't you want any of these?
A final question with an unknown referent
Contributed by Samantha P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.