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.
Dew On The Newts We Got
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the newts we got
Newt money dew
It's a payment on the rental for the dewy little
Newts we got
We got 'em dewy
Left 'em in the yard all night
Hope they didn't get uptight
The saucy little vixens
I hope they didn't get pissed off
I hope
That they did not
Did not
I hope
That they did not
Dash off
Into the night
The lyrics of Frank Zappa's song "Dew On The Newts We Got" appears to be a nonsensical and humorous narrative about taking care of newts. The opening line "Dew on the newts we got" suggests that the newts are being watched over and taken care of. The next line "Newt money dew" could be interpreted as a payment made to someone involved in the care of the newts, or perhaps just a play on words based on the homophonic similarity of the words "newt" and "new," indicating that this is a new experience for the singer.
The following lines describe leaving the newts in the yard all night and hoping they didn't get upset. The word "vixens" could be interpreted as a reference to female newts, or perhaps any small, mischievous creatures. The playful and mischievous tone is reinforced with the word "saucy." The repeated phrase "I hope that they did not" adds to the humor of the lyrics, as if the singer is overly concerned about the newts' feelings and behavior.
Overall, the lyrics of "Dew On The Newts We Got" are a lighthearted and whimsical portrayal of taking care of small creatures. It is a playful and amusing reminder to not take ourselves too seriously and to find humor in even the smallest of things.
Line by Line Meaning
Dew
Referring to the moisture on the newts.
On the newts we got
Talking about the newts they acquired.
Newt money dew
The payment they received for acquiring newts.
It's a payment on the rental for the dewy little
The payment is for the newts they acquired that were wet with dew.
Newts we got
Referring to the newts they acquired.
We got 'em dewy
The newts they acquired were wet with dew.
Left 'em in the yard all night
The newts were left outside overnight.
Hope they didn't get uptight
Hoping the newts were not stressed or agitated.
The little vixens
Referring to the newts with a playful and mischievous tone.
The saucy little vixens
Again, referring to the newts with a playful and mischievous tone.
I hope they didn't get pissed off
Hoping the newts were not angry or upset.
I hope
Continuation of the previous line.
That they did not
Hoping that the newts did not do something in particular.
Did not
Continuation of the previous line.
I hope
Continuation of the previous lines expressing hope for the well-being of the newts.
That they did not
Second time of expressing hope that the newts did not do something in particular.
Dash off
Hoping that newts did not run away suddenly and quickly.
Into the night
Painting a picture of the newts disappearing into darkness.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Vincent Zappa
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind