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.
Drowning Witch
Frank Zappa Lyrics
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Ike willis (guitar, rhythm guitar, vocals)
Ray white (guitar, vocals)
Bobby martin (keyboards, saxophone, vocals)
Alan zavod (keyboards)
Scott thunes (bass)
Chad wackerman (drums)
Steve vai (guitar)
Ed mann (percussion)
There's a ship arriving too late
To save a drowning witch
She was swimmin' along
Tryin' to keep a date
With a merchant marine
Who told her he was really rich
But it doesn't matter no more...
She's on the ocean floor
'n the water's all green down there
'n it's not very clean down there
'n water snakes
'n rusty wrecks
Is all that she can see
As the light goes dim
And she's tryin' to swim
Will she make it?
(boy, we sure hope so...)
Not even a witch oughta be caught
On the bottom of america's spew-infested
Ho-ho-ho, hey-hey...
She could get radiation all over her
She could mutate insanely... (aie-ee-aie)
She could mutate insanely... (earth wall)
Then you know
She could go on the freeway and grow up to be 15 feet tall
And very very scary-lookin'
And then...
Cars could crash all over the place
As a result of people with hawaiian shirts on...
Lookin' up to hear her go "ha ha ha..."
Sardines in her eyebrows...
Lobsters up 'n down her pudenda
All of them horribly large from graduation...
And smelling very bad
And dangerous!
Maybe a submarine could save her,
That's right! yes, that's true!
And bring her back just like a mud-shark...
Tell 'em what they win, bob!
Well, therefore ladies:
A full week's supply of gartenion's onion rings,
Bronco's new bondage-in-a-bottle!
It won't crack, it won't stake, it won't beat, it won't budge,
It won't bite the old fate...
And of course a brand new, absolutely brand new,
New, new, and of course, but also a new car!
The song "Drowning Witch" by Frank Zappa tells the story of a witch who is drowning in the ocean because she was trying to impress a man who claimed to be rich. As she sinks to the bottom of the ocean, she sees rusty wrecks, water snakes, and other unpleasant things. The lyrics suggest that the water is polluted and toxic, with the possibility of her being contaminated with radiation. The song ends with a sarcastic suggestion that a submarine could rescue her and bring her back to shore where she will be given a bunch of pointless prizes.
The song is a social commentary on the state of the environment and America's pollution problem. The witch's story is a metaphor for the disregard for nature and the consequences of ignoring environmental protection. The song emphasizes the negative effects of pollution and suggests that if people continue to pollute the environment, the consequences could be disastrous, as seen in the witch's mutations and the chaos that ensues.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a ship arriving too late
A ship has arrived too late to save a witch who is drowning.
To save a drowning witch
The witch is in danger of drowning and needs help.
She was swimmin' along
The witch was swimming in the water.
Tryin' to keep a date
The witch was trying to meet someone on time.
With a merchant marine
The person the witch was meeting is a merchant marine.
Who told her he was really rich
The merchant marine claimed to be wealthy.
But it doesn't matter no more...
Whatever the merchant marine said is irrelevant now.
She's on the ocean floor
The witch is now on the ocean floor.
'n the water's all green down there
The water on the ocean floor is green.
'n it's not very clean down there
The water on the ocean floor is polluted and unclean.
'n water snakes
There are snakes in the water on the ocean floor.
'n rusty wrecks
There are rusty shipwrecks on the ocean floor.
Is all that she can see
The witch can only see the murky water, snakes, and wrecks.
As the light goes dim
As she sinks deeper, the witch can see less.
'n she's tryin' to swim
The witch is trying to swim despite the obstacles.
Will she make it?
There is hope that the witch will be rescued in time.
(boy, we sure hope so...)
The singers express their concern for the witch's safety.
Not even a witch oughta be caught
The singers believe that no one deserves to be in danger like the witch.
On the bottom of america's spew-infested
The witch is on the polluted bottom of the ocean, which represents America's carelessness.
Ho-ho-ho, hey-hey...
The singers make a sarcastic comment about the situation.
She could get radiation all over her
The witch is at risk of radiation exposure, which could be dangerous.
She could mutate insanely... (aie-ee-aie)
The witch could undergo severe and unexpected changes due to the radiation.
She could mutate insanely... (earth wall)
The mutation could cause the witch to grow or distort in unintended ways.
Then you know
If the witch were to mutate, the resulting chaos would be inevitable.
She could go on the freeway and grow up to be 15 feet tall
If the witch mutated, she could become huge and dangerous on the freeway.
And very very scary-lookin'
Her size and appearance would cause fear and panic.
And then...
The mutation would cause additional consequences.
Cars could crash all over the place
The drivers on the road might lose control and crash.
As a result of people with hawaiian shirts on...
The drivers who crash might be wearing Hawaiian shirts.
Lookin' up to hear her go "ha ha ha..."
The witch would be laughing menacingly, adding to the chaos.
Sardines in her eyebrows...
The witch would have unusual things growing on her body like sardines in her eyebrows.
Lobsters up 'n down her pudenda
The witch's mutation might result in sea creatures growing on her genitals.
All of them horribly large from graduation...
These strange growths would be large and abnormal.
And smelling very bad
The strange growths would be unpleasant to experience.
And dangerous!
Furthermore, these growths might harm or hurt others.
Maybe a submarine could save her,
The artists suggest that a submarine might save the witch.
That's right! yes, that's true!
They affirm the practicality of this solution.
And bring her back just like a mud-shark...
The witch would be rescued, like a previous victim of a shark attack.
Tell 'em what they win, bob!
Bob is asked to announce the prize for saving the witch.
Well, therefore ladies:
The artists address their female audience.
A full week's supply of gartenion's onion rings,
The prize for saving the witch includes a supply of onion rings.
Bronco's new bondage-in-a-bottle!
The prize also includes a new product called bondage-in-a-bottle from a company called Bronco.
It won't crack, it won't stake, it won't beat, it won't budge,
The product is impressive in that it won't fail for any of these reasons.
It won't bite the old fate...
The product won't have any negative effects on the user's life.
And of course a brand new, absolutely brand new,
The prize also includes a brand new item, with emphasis placed on its newness.
New, new, and of course, but also a new car!
The grand prize is a new car as well.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Zappa
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind