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.
Harry and Rhonda
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They told me it had c-c-colored
Folk in it, Rhonda
And that's always a sure sign of good, solid
Musical entertainment! How was I supposed to
Know they'd be this ugly?
Harry! they fuckin' pissed on us!
Look at my fox!
I know, dearbut they pissed on me toohe
Did say they were incontinent!
Just smell this! I think we should get out of
Here before they do something else to us!
Leave? Now? At these ticket
Prices? Just hold your
Horses! And it probably wasn't real piss
Only theater piss! They probably have
A formula some special stuff
Comes out right out of the fur with woolite
What's happened to broadway
Harry? Used to be you could
Come to one of these
Things and the wind would be
Rushing down the plain
Or a fairy on a string would go over the
Audiencebut now Harry I ask
You is this entertainment?
You're absolutely correct
Dear! So far we haven't seen a
Single good-looking pair of legsa
Single sequin-encrusted whatchamacallit
No firm, rounded breasts!
This show is a disaster, Rhonda
A complete and utter disaster!
M-m-m-m! say derehey! umm hmm!
Thass right! hey
You! you two ugly white folksover heahhh!
As you know
De presence of carboniferous hard-core
Unemployables has gen'rally, in
De historical past
Guaranteed an evenin' of upliftin'
Frolic and cavortmentit'd
Be a shame fo y'all t'miss
On dis here one! got some nice chairs fo' ya
Rights ovuh heahhh
Uhhhbeg pardon? What's going on here?
Oh! they're touching me! Harry!
Harry! Harry! Harry
Do something! They're putting chains on
Me! I'll be stuck to
The chair! Oh! What'll I
Do? I'll miss intermission!
They're only 'theater chains'
Rhonda! just some sort of
These are real goddam chains, harry
And they're not gonna come off with woolite!
I don't mind the way they
Feelthey don't bother me
Honeyrelax! Go with the flow
Harry, you are an over-educated shit head!
Look here, folksdis only fo yo own
Protexium! once we gets rollin' heah
Things be happnin' all over de place
Dat could prove dangerous to
Persons not previously acquainted wit de
San Quentim mashed potatoes!
I want the wind to come rushing
Down the plain! I want fairies
On a string over the audience! I
Want real broadway entertainment! feathers!
Spot-lights! guilt! hours upon
Hours of guilt! About my mother! about my
Father! about brave women, suffering at
The hands of infantile, insensitive
Dominating men! and what do I get? a potato
Headed jig-a boo with Catholic
Clothes on! incomprehensible
Duck lips! weak bladders draining through
Abnorminably large organs! Jesus
Harry! What the fuck is going on here?
Simmer down! If you'll just roll with
The punchesand don't rock the boat
I'm sure we'll have a lovely
Evening at the theater!
Thass right! we got fairies on a string fo
Yo ass jes' a little later! meanwhile
I b'lieves y'all requires some
Updatement on de
Co-log-nuh situatium! sister Ob'dewlla
'X'! express yo'seff!
The lyrics of “Harry and Rhonda” by Frank Zappa are a commentary on the state of Broadway musicals and the expectations of the audience. Harry and Rhonda attend a show, expecting a spectacle with colored folk and solid entertainment, but are disappointed and disgusted by what they see. They complain about the lack of good-looking performers, sequins, firm rounded breasts and the absence of the wind rushing down the plain. This is a reference to the song “Oklahoma” from the 1943 Broadway musical of the same name. They are disturbed by the unattractive appearance of the performers, their weak bladders, and the fact that they are peeing on them, which leads them to the conclusion that the show is a disaster.
The song takes a satirical tone, with Harry and Rhonda depicted as out-of-touch and entitled audience members who are unaware of the changing times and the evolving nature of Broadway shows. They are critical of the performers and the production, which are representative of the mainstream musical culture of the time. The lyrics highlight the stark contrast between the expectations of the audience and the realities of the performance and suggest that the expectations of the audience are unrealistic and outmoded.
Line by Line Meaning
Harry, this is not Dreamgirls!
I expected Dreamgirls to have good, solid musical entertainment, but it turns out this show is not Dreamgirls.
They told me it had c-c-colored Folk in it, Rhonda
Someone told me this show would have colored folk performing in it.
And that's always a sure sign of good, solid Musical entertainment! How was I supposed to Know they'd be this ugly?
I thought colored folk performing in a show was an indication of good entertainment, but I didn't anticipate that they would be this unattractive.
They pissed on us Harry! they fuckin' pissed on us! Look at my fox!
They urinated on us, Harry! They ruined my fox.
I know, dearbut they pissed on me tooheDid say they were incontinent!
I know, my love, but they urinated on me too. They did warn me that they were incontinent.
Just smell this! I think we should get out of Here before they do something else to us!
Take a whiff of this! I think we should leave before they do something worse to us.
Leave? Now? At these ticket Prices? Just hold yourHorses! And it probably wasn't real piss Only theater piss! They probably have A formula some special stuff Comes out right out of the fur with woolite
Leave now, at these ticket prices? No way! It probably wasn't real urine, only theater urine. They probably have a special formula that they use to clean it out of the costumes with Woolite.
What's happened to broadway Harry? Used to be you could Come to one of these Things and the wind would be Rushing down the plain Or a fairy on a string would go over the Audiencebut now Harry I ask You is this entertainment?
What has happened to Broadway, Harry? Back in the days, you could come to a show and the wind would blow, or fairies would fly over the audience. Now, Harry, is this what passes as entertainment?
You're absolutely correct Dear! So far we haven't seen a Single good-looking pair of legsa Single sequin-encrusted whatchamacallit No firm, rounded breasts! This show is a disaster Rhonda A complete and utter disaster!
You're absolutely right dear! We haven't seen a single attractive pair of legs, a single sequin-encrusted item, or firm, rounded breasts. This show is terrible, Rhonda. An absolute disaster!
M-m-m-m! say derehey! umm hmm! Thass right! hey You! you two ugly white folksover heahhh!
Excuse me! Hey, you! Ugly white folks over here!
As you know De presence of carboniferous hard-core Unemployables has gen'rally, in De historical past Guaranteed an evenin' of upliftin' Frolic and cavortmentit'd Be a shame fo y'all t'miss On dis here one! got some nice chairs fo' ya Rights ovuh heahhh
As you know, in the historical past, the presence of unemployed people has guaranteed an uplifting and enjoyable evening. It would be a shame if you miss out on this one! We have some nice chairs reserved for you over here.
Uhhhbeg pardon? What's going on here?
I'm sorry, but can you explain what's happening here?
Oh! they're touching me! Harry! Harry! Harry! Harry Do something! They're putting chains on Me! I'll be stuck to The chair! Oh! What'll I Do? I'll miss intermission!
Oh, they are touching me! Harry, help me! They're putting chains on me, and I'll be stuck to this chair. What will I do? I'll miss intermission!
They're only 'theater chains' Rhonda! just some sort of
They are only 'theater chains,' Rhonda! Some kind of prop.
These are real goddamn chains, Harry And they're not gonna come off with woolite!
These are real chains, Harry, and they won't come off with Woolite!
I don't mind the way they Feelthey don't bother me Honeyrelax! Go with the flow
I don't mind the chains; they don't bother me. Relax, honey. Go with the flow.
Harry, you are an over-educated shit head!
Harry, you are an over-educated person with no common sense.
Look here, folksdis only fo yo own Protexium! once we gets rollin' heah Things be happnin' all over de place Dat could prove dangerous to Persons not previously acquainted wit de San Quentim mashed potatoes!
Listen up, folks! This is for your protection. Once the show gets started, there will be things happening all over the place that could be dangerous for people not familiar with San Quentin mashed potatoes.
I want the wind to come rushing Down the plain! I want fairies On a string over the audience! I Want real broadway entertainment! feathers! Spot-lights! guilt! hours upon Hours of guilt! About my mother! about my Father! about brave women, suffering at The hands of infantile, insensitive Dominating men! and what do I get? a potato Headed jig-a boo with Catholic Clothes on! incomprehensible Duck lips! weak bladders draining through Abnorminably large organs! Jesus Harry! What the fuck is going on here?
I want the wind to blow fiercely, fairies to dance over the audience, and real Broadway entertainment, including feathers, spotlights, and emotions that leave you feeling guilty for hours afterward! I want to hear stories about brave women who suffer at the hands of insensitive men! But look what I get! A black person with a head that resembles a potato, wearing Catholic attire, with lips that are hard to understand and weak bladders that cause urinary problems. What the hell is going on here, Harry?
Simmer down! If you'll just roll with The punchesand don't rock the boat I'm sure we'll have a lovely Evening at the theater!
Calm down! If you'll relax and not cause a scene, I'm sure we'll have an enjoyable evening at the theater.
Thass right! we got fairies on a string fo Yo ass jes' a little later! meanwhile I b'lieves y'all requires some Updatement on de Co-log-nuh situatium! sister Ob'dewlla 'X'! express yo'seff!
That's correct! We'll have fairies on a string for you very soon! Meanwhile, I believe you need an update on the Cologne situation. Sister Ob'dewlla X, please share your thoughts!
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Zappa
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind