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.

Hitch Hike
Frank Zappa Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm goin' to Chicago; that's the last place my baby strayed
(Hitch hike) Hitch hike (Hitch hike baby)
I'm packin' up my bags, gonna leave this old town right away
(Hitch hike) Hitch hike (Hitch hike baby)
I've got to find that girl if I have to hitch hike 'round the world
(Hitch hike) Hitch hike

Chicago City Limits, that's what the sign on the highway read

(Hitch hike) Hitch hike (Hitch hike baby)
I'm gonna keep movin till I get to that street corner 6th and 3rd
(6th and 3rd, hitch hike baby) Hitch hike, yeah
I've got to find that girl if I have to hitch hike 'round the world
(Hitch hike) Hitch hike, baby

Hitch hike (Hitch hike) Now hitch-a hike (Hitch hike baby)
It's all right (Hitch hike) Hitch hike Jenny (Hitch hike Susan)
Hitch hike (Hitch hike) Hitch hike (Hitch hike dance)
Yeah, hitch hike (Hitch hike) Hitch hike Jenny

Hitch hike baby, hitch hike Susan
Hitch hike baby, hitch hike Susan
Hitch hike baby, hitch hike baby

I'm goin' to St. Louis, but my next stop just might be L.A.
(Hitch hike) Now what'd I say? (L.A.)
Got no money in my pocket so I'm gonna have to hitch hike all the way
(All the way) Yeah (Hitch hike baby)
I've got to find that girl if I have to hitch hike 'round the world
(Hitch hike) Now what'd I say

Come on, hitch hike (Hitch hike baby)
Come hitch hike Jenny (Hitch hike Susan)

Overall Meaning

The song "Hitch Hike" by Frank Zappa tells the story of a man who is searching for his lost love. He is willing to go anywhere and do anything to find her, even if it means hitchhiking around the world. He decides to go to Chicago because he knows that is where she went. As he hitches a ride on the highway, he keeps moving forward until he gets to 6th and 3rd street corner, where he believes she might be. He repeats the chorus as a mantra to himself, showing his determination to find the woman he loves.

The song has a catchy and upbeat melody that echoes the singer's sense of urgency and willingness to do whatever it takes to find his girlfriend. The song also has an element of humor in it as the refrain of "Hitch hike baby" is repeated frequently, making it almost like a call and response from the singer to the audience. Additionally, the chorus features the names "Jenny" and "Susan", suggesting that they are common names for potential love interests.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm goin' to Chicago; that's the last place my baby strayed
I am headed to Chicago, that is where my lover went last.

(Hitch hike) Hitch hike (Hitch hike baby)
I will be hitchhiking to get there.

I'm packin' up my bags, gonna leave this old town right away
I will be leaving my current location immediately.

I've got to find that girl if I have to hitch hike 'round the world
I will do whatever it takes to find my lover, even if it means traveling the world by hitchhiking.

Chicago City Limits, that's what the sign on the highway read
I have arrived at the city limits of Chicago.

I'm gonna keep movin till I get to that street corner 6th and 3rd
I will be continuing to move until I reach the designated street corner.

Now hitch-a hike (Hitch hike baby)
I will be hitchhiking again.

It's all right (Hitch hike) Hitch hike Jenny (Hitch hike Susan)
It is okay, I will continue to hitchhike to find both Jenny and Susan.

I'm goin' to St. Louis, but my next stop just might be L.A.
I will be heading to St. Louis, and possibly to Los Angeles after that.

Got no money in my pocket so I'm gonna have to hitch hike all the way
I have no money, so I will need to hitchhike my way to my destinations.

Come on, hitch hike (Hitch hike baby)
I will be hitchhiking once again.

Come hitch hike Jenny (Hitch hike Susan)
I will be searching for both Jenny and Susan during my hitchhiking travels.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CLARENCE O. PAUL, MARVIN GAYE, MARVIN P GAYE, WILLIAM STEVENSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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