Frank Vincent Zappa (born December 21, 1940 in Baltimore, Maryland, United … Read Full Bio ↴Frank Vincent Zappa (born December 21, 1940 in Baltimore, Maryland, United States – December 4, 1993 in Los Angeles, California, United States) was an American composer, guitarist, singer, bandleader and producer. He was one of the most prolific musicians of his time, releasing over fifty albums of original material spanning over a thirty-five year career.
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.
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.
Flakes
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
Flakes, flakes
Flakes, flakes
They don't do no good
They never be workin' when they oughta should
They waste your time
They're wastin' mine
California's got the most of them
Boy, they got a host of them
Swear to God they got the most
At every business on the coast, yeah
Swear to god they got the most
At every business on the coast
They got the flakes
Flakes, flakes
They can't fix your brakes
You ask 'em, "where's my motor?"
"Well, it was eaten by snakes"
You can stab and shoot and spit
But they won't be fixin' it
They're lyin' and lazy
They can be drivin' you crazy
Swear to god they got the most
At every business on the coast, yeah
Swear to god they got the most
At every business on the coast
Take it away, Bob
I asked as nice as I could
If my job would
Somehow be finished by Friday
Well, the whole damn weekend came and went, Frankie
Wanna buy some mandies, Bob?
You know what, they didn't do nothin'
But they charged me double for Sunday
Now, you know, no matter what you do
They gonna cheat and rob you
And then they'll give you a bill
That'll get your senses reelin'
And if you do not pay
They got computer collectors
That'll get you so crazy
'Til your head'll go through the ceilin'
Yes it will
I'm a moron and this is my wife
She's frosting a cake with a paper knife
All what we got here's American made
It's a little bit cheesy, but it's nicely displayed
Well, we don't get excited when it crumbles 'n breaks
We just get on the phone and call up some Flakes
They rush on over and wreck it some more
And we are so dumb, they're linin' up at our door
Well, my toilet went crazy yesterday afternoon
The plumber he says, "never flush a tampoon"
This great information cost me half a week's pay
And the toilet blew up later on the next day, ay, ay
Yay, yay, yay
Yay, yay, yay
Yay, yay, yay
Blew up the next day
Woo
One, two, three, four
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Flakes, flakes
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Flakes, flakes
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Flakes, flakes
Ooh, ooh, ooh
One, two, three, four (flakes)
Ah, ah, ah, ah (bow, dow, dow, dow)
Ah, ah, ah, ah (bow, dow, dow, dow)
Ah, ah, ah, ah (bow, dow, dow, dow)
Ah, ah, ah, ah
We are millions and millions
We're coming to get you
We're protected by unions
So don't let it upset you
Can't escape the conclusion
It's probably God's will
That civilization
Will grind to a standstill
And we are the people
Who will make it all happen
While your children is sleepin'
Your puppy is crappin'
You might call us flakes
Or something else you might coin us
We know you're so greedy
That you'll probably join us
We're coming to get you, we're coming to get you
We're coming to get you, we're coming to get you
We're coming to get you, we're coming to get you
We're coming to get you, we're coming to get you
Flakes, flakes
They don't do no good
They never be workin' when they oughta should
They waste your time
They're wastin' mine
California's got the most of them
Boy, they got a host of them
Swear to God they got the most
At every business on the coast, yeah
Swear to god they got the most
At every business on the coast
They got the flakes
Flakes, flakes
They can't fix your brakes
You ask 'em, "where's my motor?"
"Well, it was eaten by snakes"
You can stab and shoot and spit
But they won't be fixin' it
They're lyin' and lazy
They can be drivin' you crazy
Swear to god they got the most
At every business on the coast, yeah
Swear to god they got the most
At every business on the coast
Take it away, Bob
I asked as nice as I could
If my job would
Somehow be finished by Friday
Well, the whole damn weekend came and went, Frankie
Wanna buy some mandies, Bob?
You know what, they didn't do nothin'
But they charged me double for Sunday
Now, you know, no matter what you do
They gonna cheat and rob you
And then they'll give you a bill
That'll get your senses reelin'
And if you do not pay
They got computer collectors
That'll get you so crazy
'Til your head'll go through the ceilin'
Yes it will
I'm a moron and this is my wife
She's frosting a cake with a paper knife
All what we got here's American made
It's a little bit cheesy, but it's nicely displayed
Well, we don't get excited when it crumbles 'n breaks
We just get on the phone and call up some Flakes
They rush on over and wreck it some more
And we are so dumb, they're linin' up at our door
Well, my toilet went crazy yesterday afternoon
The plumber he says, "never flush a tampoon"
This great information cost me half a week's pay
And the toilet blew up later on the next day, ay, ay
Yay, yay, yay
Yay, yay, yay
Yay, yay, yay
Blew up the next day
Woo
One, two, three, four
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Flakes, flakes
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Flakes, flakes
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Flakes, flakes
Ooh, ooh, ooh
One, two, three, four (flakes)
Ah, ah, ah, ah (bow, dow, dow, dow)
Ah, ah, ah, ah (bow, dow, dow, dow)
Ah, ah, ah, ah (bow, dow, dow, dow)
Ah, ah, ah, ah
We are millions and millions
We're coming to get you
We're protected by unions
So don't let it upset you
Can't escape the conclusion
It's probably God's will
That civilization
Will grind to a standstill
And we are the people
Who will make it all happen
While your children is sleepin'
Your puppy is crappin'
You might call us flakes
Or something else you might coin us
We know you're so greedy
That you'll probably join us
We're coming to get you, we're coming to get you
We're coming to get you, we're coming to get you
We're coming to get you, we're coming to get you
We're coming to get you, we're coming to get you
The lyrics to Frank Zappa's song "Flakes" are a commentary on the lazy and unreliable nature of certain individuals and businesses in California. Zappa sings that these "flakes" waste time and money, and cannot be relied upon to do their jobs properly. He also criticizes their lack of motivation and tendency to make excuses instead of solving problems.
Throughout the song, Zappa lists a variety of scenarios where these flakes have let him down - from mechanics who can't fix his brakes to plumbers who give him bad advice. He also sings about the frustration of dealing with these people, as they often charge exorbitant fees for their subpar work. To Zappa, these flakes symbolize a larger problem within society, where people prioritize greed and laziness over hard work and integrity.
Overall, "Flakes" presents a humorous but pointed critique of the attitudes and behaviors that lead to inefficiency and dishonesty in the workplace.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Zappa
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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@peternelson7430
Best Bob Dylan parody ever!!🤣
@lucdesmarais2203
That’s Adrian Belew imitating Bob.
@peternelson7430
@@lucdesmarais2203 Yes. Great job. Even the harmonica playing is perfect!
@RainerChristianboeckle
Joan Baez can it better! 🤗
@simonthomas-il5gf
Bob Dylan. CRAP
@cliffspencer9989
The lyrics are more relevant today than they were 43 years ago when frank wrote this ❤❤
@markbrown1609
aint dat the truth
@seanandersen5331
Sad but true
@dennisspinkshappyforbusker2523
@@markbrown1609 yes
@yourwifesboyfriend42069
I have a feeling people don't get the satire 😊