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.
Hot Plate Heaven At The Green Hotel
Frank Zappa Lyrics
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An' I was doin' very well
Depression came along
An' everybody start to yell
'where'd they go, them good ol' days,
'an all that crap we used to sell? '
Now I'm in hot-plate heaven,
At the green hotel
Republicans is fine,
If you're a multi-millionaire
Democrats is fair,
If all you own is what you wear
Neither of 'em's really right,
'cause neithor of 'em care
'bout that hot-plate heaven,
'cause they ain't been there
They really oughta go
'n find out how the hall-way smell --
They'd benefit to know
'bout what the bums in there could tell
(of course we're only dreamin',
But I s'pose it's just as well
That's all you get to dream
Up in the green hotel)
Nature didn't put me here
An' neither did my fate --
I musta been some even ol'
Republican candidate!
He's over here in washington,
But I wish he was in hell
'cause I'm in hot-plate heaven
At the green hotel
Things is slightly better now;
They hope we will forget
The misery of 'trickle down',
An' jelly-bean etiquette
The regal presidential style
Has simply not worn well,
An' neither has my rags,
Up in the green hotel
The lyrics of Frank Zappa's “Hot Plate Heaven at the Green Hotel” takes a satirical approach to comment on American society and politics. The song is about the loss of job and economic struggles of everyday people, while pointing out how Democrats and Republicans are entirely out of touch with their daily lives. Frank Zappa describes his journey of being successful, later losing his job due to the Great Depression and finds solace in his now miserable life at Green Hotel, where he feels like he belongs.
Frank criticizes both sides of the political aisle for their lack of empathy or connection with the needs of common people. Republicans are praised for their wealth but criticized for their lack of understanding of the common man's struggles. While Democrats are depicted as being fair, they are accused of not having enough empathy, and their social welfare policies do not reach the people who need it the most.
The lyrics express anger and frustration from the average person's poverty and day to day struggles. Zappa is pointing out that success is ephemeral and just like him, everybody can fall from grace, and life is not full of abundance. He is also frustrated that the politicians and policymakers are not doing enough to help the common man out of poverty.
The song's unusual name was derived from a real-life experience that Zappa had while touring with the Mothers of Invention. They were staying at a hotel, and the hotel had a diner that had hot plates. This led to Zappa composing the song “Hot Plate Heaven at the Green Hotel” as a satirical take on the experience.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to have a job
The singer once had a job before the depression affected everyone
An' I was doin' very well
The person was performing very well in their job
Depression came along
The depression impacted everyone's lives
An' everybody start to yell
People began to complain about their situation
'where'd they go, them good ol' days,
'an all that crap we used to sell? '
People ask "Where did the good days go?" in a nostalgic tone
Now I'm in hot-plate heaven,
At the green hotel
The singer is now living in a cheap hotel, where the hot plates are the most luxurious feature
Republicans is fine,
If you're a multi-millionaire
Republicans only care about the rich
Democrats is fair,
If all you own is what you wear
Democrats only care about the poor
Neither of 'em's really right,
'cause neithor of 'em care
'bout that hot-plate heaven,
'cause they ain't been there
Both Republicans and Democrats do not understand the issues of poverty and homelessness because they have never experienced it themselves
They really oughta go
'n find out how the hall-way smell --
They'd benefit to know
'bout what the bums in there could tell
The politicians should go to see the living conditions of the homeless themselves and learn from their experiences
(of course we're only dreamin',
But I s'pose it's just as well
That's all you get to dream
Up in the green hotel)
But that is just a dream and it is unrealistic to think anything will change overnight
Nature didn't put me here
An' neither did my fate --
I musta been some even ol'
Republican candidate!
The singer is blaming the Republican candidate for his current status
He's over here in washington,
But I wish he was in hell
'cause I'm in hot-plate heaven
At the green hotel
The singer wishes the Republican candidate was suffering like he is.
Things is slightly better now;
They hope we will forget
The misery of 'trickle down',
An' jelly-bean etiquette
Things are a little better now, but politicians hope people will forget the troubles caused by Reaganomics policies
The regal presidential style
Has simply not worn well,
An' neither has my rags,
Up in the green hotel
The singer notes that the presidential style has not been well received and he is still living in poverty
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Vincent Zappa
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind