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.
Disco Boy
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Disco boy! Pucker your lip, and check your shoulders,
'Cause some dandruff might be hiding there.
Disco boy, your the disco king, aw the
Disco thing made you think someday that you
Just might go somewhere.
Disco boy, to treat you right.
He'll do a little dance, take you home tonight.
Leave his hair alone, but you can kiss his comb.
Disco boy! Run to toilet and comb your hair.
Disco boy! Shake it more than three times and you're
Playing with @!#%! while you're standing there.
Disco boy, do the bump every night, 'til the disco girl
Who's really right, gonna fall for your line,
And feed you a box full of chicken delight.
Disco chit-chat so demure,
Pump that booty all across the floor.
A disco drink, a disco wink,
You never go duty that's what you think.
You never go duty that's what you think.
You never go duty that's what you think.
Duty. Go duty!
Duty. Go duty!
Duty. You never go duty.
Duty. You never go duty.
Duty. You never go duty.
Duty. You never go duty.
You never duty. Go duty.
Duty. You never duty.
Disco boy! You got one more chance, to comb your hair again.
Disco boy! They're closing the bar, and she's
Leaving with your friend.
Disco boy, that's the way it goes, so wipe your nose, and
Try it again, to get a little lay tomorrow.
Disco boy, no one understands, but thank the lord that you
Still got hands, to help you do that jerkin' that'll
Blot out your disco sorrow.
It's disco love tonight. Make sure you look alright.
It's disco love tonight. Make sure you look alright.
The song βDisco Boyβ by Frank Zappa is a humorous commentary on the disco culture of the '70s. The song starts with a direct address to Disco Boy, advising him to fix his hair and check for dandruff. Disco Boy sees himself as the herald of the disco age, and through his fancy dance moves, he thinks he will make it big someday. But his limited world is shaken up when he meets Disco Girl, a vibrant girl who is looking for a partner who can treat her right. The lyrics describe the mating language of the disco culture, primarily discussing the bum, drinks, winks, and jerks.
Zappa made the Disco Boy the target of his sarcasm, mocking his innocent efforts to fit into the disco culture. The characters speak in a poetic language that reflects the slang of the disco culture. The message of the song is clear that the superficialities of Disco culture are vapid and indulgent. The song highlights the emptiness beneath the facade of the disco culture, indicating that such a culture lacks emotional depth and authenticity.
Line by Line Meaning
Disco boy! Run to toilet and comb your hair.
Addressing a boy who's prepared to go to a disco, to advise him to comb his hair by running to the toilet.
Disco boy! Pucker your lip, and check your shoulders, 'Cause some dandruff might be hiding there.
Advising the disco boy to check his shoulders for dandruff and pucker his lips.
Disco boy, your the disco king, aw the Disco thing made you think someday that you Just might go somewhere.
Telling the boy that he's considered a 'disco king' and the disco thing might take him places.
Disco girl, you're outa sight, you need a Disco boy, to treat you right. He'll do a little dance, take you home tonight. Leave his hair alone, but you can kiss his comb.
Telling the disco girl that she needs a disco boy to dance and have a good time with. However, she can kiss the boy's comb but not disturb his hair.
Disco boy! Shake it more than three times and you're Playing with @!#%! while you're standing there.
Telling the disco boy to be careful while shaking it more than three times, as it might lead to unwanted actions.
Disco boy, do the bump every night, 'til the disco girl Who's really right, gonna fall for your line, And feed you a box full of chicken delight.
Urging the disco boy to do the bump dance every night until he finds the perfect girl, who'll fall for him and treat him with a box of chicken delights.
Disco chit-chat so demure, Pump that booty all across the floor. A disco drink, a disco wink, You never go duty that's what you think. You never go duty that's what you think. You never go duty that's what you think. Duty. Go duty! Duty. Go duty! Duty. You never go duty. Duty. You never go duty. Duty. You never go duty. Duty. You never go duty. You never duty. Go duty. Duty. You never duty.
Encouraging people to dance across the floor and flirt with each other in a cool and sophisticated manner, without making any excuses and to always be dancing.
Disco boy! You got one more chance, to comb your hair again. Disco boy! They're closing the bar, and she's Leaving with your friend.
Telling the disco boy that he has one more chance to comb his hair, as the bar is closing, and the girl he liked is leaving with his friend.
Disco boy, that's the way it goes, so wipe your nose, and Try it again, to get a little lay tomorrow.
Telling the disco boy that such situations happen, and he should wipe his nose and try again tomorrow in getting a girl.
Disco boy, no one understands, but thank the lord that you Still got hands, to help you do that jerkin' that'll Blot out your disco sorrow.
Telling the disco boy that he might not be understood by many, but he should thank God that he has hands to help him blot out his disco sorrow by jerking.
It's disco love tonight. Make sure you look alright. It's disco love tonight. Make sure you look alright.
It's disco night tonight, so make sure to look alright to find a perfect match.
Lyrics Β© O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
That 70's Guitarist
@flower "It may have been pretty superficial?" Trust me, disco was totally superficial!π€£
I spent my fair share of nights in discos, and believe me, disco was all about sex, sex and nothing but sex. If you looked good, smelled good and moved well on the dance floor, you were definitely going to get lucky that night, which was the only reason I ever went. At the time, I was in peak physical condition, training in martial arts and modern dance every damned day of the week, so I got tons of attention from the ladies.
The music was simplistic, straightforward, and generally all about "making love." The people were also pretty superficial, too; it was about sex, and the better you looked, the more you got. Even the clothes were tacky!
Michael Jackson started his solo career as a disco artist, and it really shows. If you examine all of his earliest hits, they all had that classic disco beat. He pretty much singlehandedly turned "disco" into "pop," and the superficial noise continues to this day.π€£
Today's dance music is still all about sex, only now it's a lot less subtle, has far fewer gentle euphemisms, and is pretty much completely in your face about its sexual nature.
Meanwhile, I'm still listening to 50+ years worth of great rock music. At least when a rock song is all about sex, it's still playful enough to resort to euphemisms and metaphors.π
justagymteacher
Disco boy! Run to toilet and comb your hair
Disco boy! Pucker your lip, and check your shoulders
'Cause some dandruff might be hiding there
Disco boy, your the disco king, aw the
Disco thing made you think someday that you
Just might go somewhere
Disco girl, you're outa sight, you need a
Disco boy, to treat you right
He'll do a little dance, take you home tonight
Leave his hair alone, but you can kiss his comb
Disco boy! Run to toilet and comb your hair
Disco boy! Shake it more than three times and you're
Playing with it while you're standing there
Disco boy, do the bump every night, 'til the disco girl
Who's really right, gonna fall for your line
And feed you a box full of chicken delight
Disco chit-chat so demure
Pump that booty all across the floor
A disco drink, a disco wink
You never go duty that's what you think
You never go duty that's what you think
You never go duty that's what you think
Duty, go duty
Duty, go duty
Duty, you never go duty
Duty, you never go duty
Duty, you never go duty
Duty, you never go duty
You never duty, go duty
Duty, you never duty
Disco boy! You got one more chance, to comb your hair again
Disco boy! They're closing the bar, and she's
Leaving with your friend
Disco boy, that's the way it goes, so wipe your nose, and
Try it again, to get a little lay tomorrow
Disco boy, no one understands, but thank the lord that you
Still got hands, to help you do that jerkin' that'll
Blot out your disco sorrow
It's disco love tonight, make sure you look alright
It's disco love tonight, make sure you look alright
hugo ache
Disco boy! Run to toilet and comb your hair.
Disco boy! Pucker your lip, and check your shoulders,
'cause some dandruff might be hiding there.
Disco boy, your the disco king, aw the
disco thing made you think someday that you
just might go somewhere.
Disco girl, you're outa sight, you need a
disco boy, to treat you right.
He'll do a little dance, take you home tonight.
Leave his hair alone, but you can kiss his comb.
Disco boy! Run to toilet and comb your hair.
Disco boy! Shake it more than three times and you're
playing with @!#%! while you're standing there.
Disco boy, do the bump every night, 'til the disco girl
who's really right, gonna fall for your line,
and feed you a box full of chicken delight.
Disco chit-chat so demure,
pump that booty all across the floor.
A disco drink, a disco wink,
you never go duty that's what you think.
You never go duty that's what you think.
You never go duty that's what you think.
Duty. Go duty!
Duty. Go duty!
Duty. You never go duty.
Duty. You never go duty.
Duty. You never go duty.
Duty. You never go duty.
You never duty. Go duty.
Duty. You never duty.
Disco boy! You got one more chance, to comb your hair again.
Disco boy! They're closing the bar, and she's
leaving with your friend.
Disco boy, that's the way it goes, so wipe your nose, and
try it again, to get a little lay tomorrow.
Disco boy, no one understands, but thank the lord that you
still got hands, to help you do that jerkin' that'll
blot out your disco sorrow.
It's disco love tonight. Make sure you look alright.
It's disco love tonight. Make sure you look alright
Phil M
A brilliant song from a brilliant album. Frank Zappa was such a musical genius and his songs ranged from being amazingly technical to ridiculously simple but ALWAYS brilliant. He was also very funny too especially when making social comments. His insights to the world around him always proved just how intelligent he was. Many musicians often source as Zappa being an influence to them. I can see why. He was definitely a guitar god as well as a musical genius. It's time that Zappa is allowed the prestige of joining the pantheon of Rock Gods.
Benson Dead from the neck up
Well said! AND he had a great sense of humor!
Dyls Wife
Still sounds as great today as it did in the 70s! RIP genius!
zappasmustache
I love the use of three different guitar tones: The cheap fuzz through the Pignose, then over compressed clean, then super reverby acoustic. Genius!
hope and loren's boyk Chasteen
In my opinion,Frank was a cultural and musical genius, and don't usually throw around the genius label all the time. Love this album
Colonel Marcellus
Zappa hit the nail on the head with this one. That's exactly the way they were.
S D Keys
So what you're trying to say here is, the crux of the biscuit was the apostrophe?
Blackhorse 11th ACR
You are so damn right. The Disco Boy was exactly as described in the lyrics. Comb that Disco hair as Disco Boy has to look at himself in the mirror for Disco Girl. Damn Disco really sucked! Steve Dahl exploded all those shitty records in White Sox park and a riot started. LMAO π€£
Benson Dead from the neck up
@Blackhorse 11th ACR but COCAINE!!
Leanne Gibson
Yes were. Where are they now