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.
Dog Breath In The Year Of The Plague
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
AY-YEAH... AY-YEAH...
La la la la la wee-ooo (Ay!)
La la la la la wee-ooo (Woo-pah!)
Bom-bop-bom bom-bom-pa-paw,.
Bom-bop-bom bom-bom-pa-paw, etc.
La la la la la wee-ooo (Uh-uh-hey!)
Dit-dit-dit-dit-dit-dit-dit-dit
Dit-dit-dit-dit-dit-dit-dit-dit
Please, hear my plea!
Cucuroo carucha (Chevy '39)
Going to El Monte Legion Stadium
Pick up on my weesa (she is so divine)
Helps me stealing hub caps
Wasted all the time
Fuzzy Dice
Bongos in the back
My ship of love is
Ready to attack
Primer mi carucha (Chevy '39)
Going to El Monte Legion Stadium
Pick up on my weesa (she is so divine)
Helps me stealing hub caps
Wasted all the time
Fuzzy Dice
Bongos in the back
My ship of love
Ready to attack
Won't you please hear my plea
Primer mi carucha (Chevy '39)
Got me to El Monte Legion Stadium
Pick up on my weesa (she is so divine)
Helps me stealing hub caps
Wasted all the time
Fuzzy Dice
Bongos in the back
My ship of love
Ready to attack
The lyrics of Frank Zappa's song, "Dog Breath In The Year Of The Plague," are very unique and memorable. The song tells a story about a man driving his Chevy '39 to the El Monte Legion Stadium with his muse, "weesa," by his side. The song includes a lot of repetition, with the "AY-YEAH" and "La la la la la wee-ooo" sections acting as a catchy chorus. Zappa's use of onomatopoeia is also evident with "Bom-bop-bom bom-bom-pa-paw," which creates a lively vibe.
The repetition in the song emphasizes the importance of the Chevy '39 and "weesa," who helps the singer steal hubcaps in their wasted times. The lyrics about "Fuzzy Dice" and "Bongos in the back" add to the fun and adventurous tone of the song. Overall, the song is about enjoying life and the adventures that come along the way while having a good companion and a reliable car to accompany them.
Line by Line Meaning
AY-YEAH... AY-YEAH...
Excited exclamations expressing the energetic mood of the song.
La la la la la wee-ooo (Ay!)
Nonsense syllables imitating the sound of a crowd shouting.
Bom-bop-bom bom-bom-pa-paw,.
Drum sounds marking the rhythm of the music.
Please, hear my plea!
The singer's request for the audience's attention.
Cucuroo carucha (Chevy '39)
The singer's car, a 1939 Chevy, named Cucaracha.
Going to El Monte Legion Stadium
The destination of the singer's journey in the car, a local venue for concerts.
Pick up on my weesa (she is so divine)
The singer's companion, described as an attractive woman ('weesa' sounds like 'wife', but may also mean 'chick' or 'girlfriend').
Helps me stealing hub caps
The woman's active participation in petty theft.
Wasted all the time
The singer's idle and unproductive lifestyle.
Fuzzy Dice
A decorative accessory typically hung from the rearview mirror.
Bongos in the back
An unconventional percussive instrument played in the car's trunk.
My ship of love is
The singer's metaphorical expression for his car, which carries him and his beloved.
Ready to attack
The singer's assertive stance towards life, accompanied by the car and the woman.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Zappa
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Geraint3000
It always amazes me how people can't see how beautiful these songs are. They're so uplifting and so cynical at the same time. Just genius.
@Teabonesteak
Pearls before Swine
@chumauyamadu2053
Well saided.
@motowngirl5891
Was lucky to be young in these days, got to see FZ
@blattulanyon9556
my 10 yo grand daughter sings this song to me........
what could be better :)
@MrDizzyvonclutch
I'd like to see a video of it.
@MrDizzyvonclutch
i almost had my grandkids singing some Jethro Tull Hot Mango Flush, at least they had fun dancing to it!
@onetrueslave
What could be odder?
@DrMackSplackem
That's a tough one to top. Perhaps you you could to teach her to sing that VSO'd horn outro.
@petermaxwell2965
That is so fantastic, 🎵🎼🎹🎤