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.
Honey Don't You Wanna Man Like Me?
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ray White (rhythm guitar, vocals)
Eddie Jobson (keyboards, violin, vocals)
Patrick O'Hearn (bass, vocals)
Terry Bozzio (drums, vocals)
Ruth Underwood (percussion, synthesizer)
Don Pardo (vocals)
David Samuels (vibes)
Mike Brecker (tenor saxophone, flute)
Lou Marini (alto saxophone, flute)
Ronnie Cuber (baritone saxophone, clarinet)
Tom Malone (trombone, trumpet, piccolo)
John Bergamo (percussion over-dub)
Ed Mann (percussion over-dub)
Louanne Neil (osmotic harp over-dub)
Honey honey, hey
Baby don't you want a man like me
Honey honey, hey
Baby don't you want a man like me
He was the Playboy Type (he smoke a pipe)
His fav'right phrase was "OUTA-SITE!"
He had an Irish Setter
It was a singles bar, a Tuesday night
The moon was dim, the band was tight
They did the bump together
What a splendid sight,(Ren-nen-nen-nen) her teeth were white
The drinks were cheap (it was Ladies Nite)
He was glad that he met her
She was an office girl ("My name is Betty")
Her fav'right group was HELEN REDDY
(They discussed the weather)
Honey honey, hey
Baby don't you want a man like me
Honey honey, hey
Baby don't you want a man like me
Honey honey, hey
Baby don't you want a
Baby don't you want a
Baby don't you want a man
She was the lonely sort, just a little too short
Her jokes were dumb and her fav'right sport
Was hockey (in the winter)
He was duly impressed and was quick to suggest
Any sport with a PUCK had to be 'bout the best
As he jabbed his elbow in her ("Get it honey? Get it?")
Later on they went off to where the music was soft,
The candles were drippy, they saw a REAL HIPPY
Who delivered their dinner
The rice was brown, and soon they found
That the crowd around that had jammed the room,
Well it seemed to be getting thinner
Honey honey, hey
Baby don't you want a man like me
Honey honey, hey
Baby don't you want a man like me
Honey honey, hey
Baby don't you want a
Baby don't you want a
Baby don't you want a man
He took her home to a motor court
She wouldn't kiss him, he tried to ignore it,
But it made him angry!
Angry, it made me angry, it made me so angry I could have killed that
Lousy BITCH!)
He called her a slut, a pig and a whore
A bitch and a cunt and she slammed the door
In a petulant frenzy!
(A petulant frenzy, this is a petulant frenzy.
I'm petulant, and I'm having a frenzy)
On the sofa she weeps
BOO HOO HOO HOO
She weeps and she weeps
BOO HOO HOO HOO HOO HOO
She weeps and she peeks
Through the curtain
He just got in his car
But the battery's dead
So he asks to use the phone
And she gives him some head
And that's the end of the story
Honey honey, hey
Baby don't you want a man like me
Honey honey, hey
Baby don't you want a man like me
Honey honey, hey
Baby don't you want a
Baby don't you want a man
Baby don't you want a man sometimes?
The lyrics of Frank Zappa's song "Honey Don't You Want a Man Like Me" tell the story of two people who meet at a singles bar and end up going back to the woman's place. The man is a stereotypical "Playboy Type" and tries to impress the woman with his sophistication and wit. However, when she refuses to kiss him, he becomes angry and resorts to insulting her with sexist slurs. Eventually, they make up and have sex, but the song ends with a sense of uncertainty as to whether their relationship will continue.
The lyrics of the song are a commentary on the societal expectations placed on gender roles and the toxic behavior that can result from them. The man's attempts to impress the woman are superficial and show a lack of real connection or understanding. When he is rejected, he reacts with anger and resorts to using insults to try and reassert his dominance. The woman, on the other hand, is portrayed as being vulnerable and emotionally fragile, but ultimately gives in to the man's advances. The song can be seen as a critique of the way society constructs and reinforces harmful gender stereotypes.
Line by Line Meaning
Honey honey, hey
The singer is calling out to his lover with a term of endearment
Baby don't you want a man like me
The singer is asking his lover if she wants a partner like him
He was the Playboy Type (he smoke a pipe)
The singer describes a man who was fond of smoking a pipe and living the playboy lifestyle
His fav'right phrase was "OUTA-SITE!"
The man's favorite phrase was "OUTA-SITE!" indicating that he found things to be amazing
He had an Irish Setter
The man had a pet dog which was an Irish Setter
It was a singles bar, a Tuesday night
The singer describes the setting in which the man and his lover met - a singles bar on a Tuesday night
The moon was dim, the band was tight
The moon was not bright, but the band was playing well
They did the bump together
The artist describes the dance style, 'The Bump', that they did together
What a splendid sight,(Ren-nen-nen-nen) her teeth were white
The artist admires the woman's appearance and compliments her white teeth
The drinks were cheap (it was Ladies Nite)
The drinks were inexpensive due to it being Ladies Night
He was glad that he met her
The man is pleased to have met the woman
She was an office girl ("My name is Betty")
The woman introduces herself as Betty, an office worker
Her fav'right group was HELEN REDDY
Helen Reddy was the favorite music group of the woman
(They discussed the weather)
The singer notes that the couple had a conversation about the weather
She was the lonely sort, just a little too short
The woman was lonely and shorter than average
Her jokes were dumb and her fav'right sport
Was hockey (in the winter)
The woman had a poor sense of humor and her favorite sport was hockey
He was duly impressed and was quick to suggest
Any sport with a PUCK had to be 'bout the best
As he jabbed his elbow in her ("Get it honey? Get it?")
The man was impressed that her favorite sport involved a puck and made a playful jab to get a reaction from her
Later on they went off to where the music was soft,
The candles were drippy, they saw a REAL HIPPY
Who delivered their dinner
The couple went to a place with soft music and dim lighting. They saw a hippie who brought their food to them
The rice was brown, and soon they found
That the crowd around that had jammed the room,
Well it seemed to be getting thinner
The singer describes the food they ate and notes that the crowd around them started to disperse
He took her home to a motor court
The man took the woman back to a motor court
She wouldn't kiss him, he tried to ignore it,
But it made him angry!
The woman refused to kiss the man which made him angry
Angry, it made me angry, it made me so angry I could have killed that
Lousy BITCH!)
The man is extremely angry and even considers killing the woman
He called her a slut, a pig and a whore
A bitch and a cunt and she slammed the door
In a petulant frenzy!
The singer shares the hurtful and offensive words the man used toward the woman before she slammed the door in frustration
(A petulant frenzy, this is a petulant frenzy.
I'm petulant, and I'm having a frenzy)
The artist describes a petulant frenzy in which the man is giving in to his impulsive anger
On the sofa she weeps
BOO HOO HOO HOO
She weeps and she weeps
BOO HOO HOO HOO HOO HOO
She weeps and she peeks
Through the curtain
The woman is sitting on the sofa, weeping and occasionally peeking through the curtain
He just got in his car
But the battery's dead
So he asks to use the phone
And she gives him some head
And that's the end of the story
The man's car battery dies and he asks to use the phone. In return, the woman performs oral sex on him before the story ends
Baby don't you want a
Baby don't you want a
Baby don't you want a man
The singer repeats the title of the song, asking his lover if she wants a man like him
Honey honey, hey
Baby don't you want a man like me
Honey honey, hey
Baby don't you want a man like me
The artist continues to ask his lover if she would like to be with a man like him
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Zappa
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ayuh8911
Zappa is the best
@bodhisattva71
I love the vision Frank triggers with my imagination through this.
@U_ever
"Outta sight !"
@bigduke5150
The band was tight!
@user-cm1sl4ro7r
Maximus fantasticus
@robertgillen979
A puck gotta be best.
Get it honey. 💪
@biagiomura5749
GENIUS.!!!!!!
@fuegoranou9705
ouep, super et merci , irène
@oldschoolfoil2365
Awesome
@PrimitiveInTheExtreme
🎧▶🎶🔥