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.
I'm Doomed
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dick: Yeah, I hope you don't use up your vital . . . statistics
Howard: I'm doomed. Two shows, man . . .
Dick: Never two shows important, I mean
Howard: Couldn't have spared me another twenty minutes sleep, another three hours worth of sleep, coul have driven down?
Dick: I cut it to the bare minimum, Howard
Howard: Yeah, man, you're O.D.'ing on Preparation H at this very moment
The lyrics of Frank Zappa's song "I'm Doomed" are centered around the difficulties of performing two shows in a night, and the exhaustion that comes with it. The conversation between Howard and Dick reflects the stress and anxiety of performing and the pressure to deliver an outstanding performance. Howard expresses his apprehension about having to perform two shows in one night, believing that it will exhaust him beyond his means. Dick tries to console him by suggesting that the shows are not as important as they seem, but Howard remains worried about his ability to deliver. The line, "you're O.D.'ing on Preparation H at this very moment," is a humorous way of describing the stress and anxiety that performers often feel before going on stage.
The song reflects the reality of the music industry and the struggles that artists face when performing. The constant pressure to deliver quality performances can often lead to exhaustion and burnout. The song sheds light on the behind-the-scenes aspects of the music industry and the hard work that goes into every performance.
Line by Line Meaning
Howard: We gotta do two shows tonight?
Howard questions why they have to perform two shows in one night.
Dick: Yeah, I hope you don't use up your vital . . . statistics
Dick hopes that Howard won't exhaust himself too much during the performances.
Howard: I'm doomed. Two shows, man . . .
Howard feels overwhelmed and resigned to the fact that he has to perform twice in one night.
Dick: Never two shows important, I mean
Dick tries to reassure Howard that the shows are not incredibly important.
Howard: Couldn't have spared me another twenty minutes sleep, another three hours worth of sleep, coul have driven down?
Howard wishes he had more time to rest and recover before the performances, and wonders if they could have delayed their departure to allow for more sleep.
Dick: I cut it to the bare minimum, Howard
Dick explains that they are running on a tight schedule and have minimized their preparation time as much as possible.
Howard: Yeah, man, you're O.D.'ing on Preparation H at this very moment
Howard sarcastically comments on Dick's stress levels and suggests that he is being overly medicated to cope with the pressure.
Contributed by Katherine D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.