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 So Happy I Could Cry
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I left behind me when I went out
To see this great big world
I hope that she feels the same about me
As she did before I went out
To see this great big world
I know I love that girl
And I hope that she still wants me to be
Going back to see that girl I love
And I'm so happy I could cry
Going back to take her in my arms again
And tell her that I'm not
Gonna leave her anymore
I love her so much
I just can't wait until I touch
Her and I'm not gonna leave her anymore
I know I love that girl
And I hope that she still wants me to be
Her one and only guy
Going back to see that girl I love
And I'm so happy I could cry
I'm looking forward to that day
When she will love me in her way
All day long I sit and pray
Someday soon I'll hear her say
Looking forward to that day
When she will love me in her way
All day long I sit and pray
Someday soon I'll hear her say
You have been away so long
I missed you so much since you've gone
And now you are standing at my door
I love you so much
I just can't wait until I touch
You, dear, and now you are standing at my door
Please, let me take you in my arms
And squeeze you, baby, and don't mind
The tear that's in my eye
'Cause, darling, you've come back with me
I'm so happy I could cry
I'm so happy I could cry
I'm so happy I could cry
The lyrics of Frank Zappa's song "I'm So Happy I Could Cry" speak of a man who is returning to see the woman he loves after being away for a long time. He hopes that she still feels the same about him as she did before he left. He longs to take her in his arms again and tell her that he is not going to leave her anymore. The lyrics convey a feeling of happiness mixed with a sense of apprehension, as the man wonders if the woman still loves him.
The song speaks to everyone who has been away from someone they love for an extended period and can relate to the feelings expressed in the lyrics. The song's melody is simple but effective, and Zappa's vocal delivery is gentle and comforting, reflecting the soothing effect of being reunited with a loved one. The repetition of the phrase "I'm so happy I could cry" reinforces the idea of intense emotion that overwhelms the singer.
Overall, "I'm So Happy I Could Cry" is a sweet and tender love song that explores the universal theme of longing to be with someone you love. It captures the joy and relief of finally being reunited with that person after a long absence and the fear of losing them.
Line by Line Meaning
Going back again to see that girl
Returning to the place where he left the girl behind when he went to explore the world.
I left behind me when I went out
He left the girl behind to see the world.
To see this great big world
He left to explore the world.
I hope that she feels the same about me
He hopes that the girl still has the same feelings for him as before.
As she did before I went out
He hopes that the girl still loves him as she did before he left.
I know I love that girl
He knows that he loves the girl.
And I hope that she still wants me to be
He hopes that the girl still wants to be with him.
Her one and only guy
He hopes to be the only one for her.
Going back to see that girl I love
Returning to see the girl he loves.
And I'm so happy I could cry
He is overwhelmed with happiness.
Going back to take her in my arms again
He is returning to embrace and hold the girl he loves.
And tell her that I'm not
He will tell the girl that he is not going to leave her again.
Gonna leave her anymore
He is not going to leave the girl again.
I love her so much
He loves the girl deeply.
I just can't wait until I touch
He is excited to feel physically close to her again.
Her and I'm not gonna leave her anymore
He is determined to stay with the girl for good.
I'm looking forward to that day
He is eagerly anticipating their reunion.
When she will love me in her way
He hopes that the girl will express her love for him in her own way.
All day long I sit and pray
He spends all day praying for their reunion to go well.
Someday soon I'll hear her say
He hopes to hear the girl express her love again soon.
You have been away so long
She acknowledges that he has been gone for a long time.
I missed you so much since you've gone
She missed him a lot since he left.
And now you are standing at my door
He is now standing at her doorstep.
Please, let me take you in my arms
He asks for permission to hold her.
And squeeze you, baby, and don't mind
He wants to hug her tightly and tells her not to worry.
The tear that's in my eye
He is crying out of happiness.
'Cause, darling, you've come back with me
He is happy that she has agreed to be with him again.
I'm so happy I could cry
He is overwhelmed with joy again.
Contributed by Aaron C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Larry Ciptak
Lyrics:
"I'm So Happy I Could Cry"
Going back again to see that girl
I left behind me when I went out
To see this great big world
I hope that she feels the same about me
As she did before I went out
To see this great big world
I know I love that girl
And I hope that she still wants me to be
Her one and only guy
Going back to see that girl I love
And I'm so happy I could cry
Going back to take her in my arms again
And tell her that I'm not
Gonna leave her anymore
I love her so much
I just can't wait until I touch
Her and I'm not gonna leave her anymore
I know I love that girl
And I hope that she still wants me to be
Her one and only guy
Going back to see that girl I love
And I'm so happy I could cry
I'm looking forward to that day
When she will love me in her way
All day long I sit and pray
Someday soon I'll hear her say
Looking forward to that day
When she will love me in her way
All day long I sit and pray
Someday soon I'll hear her say
You have been away so long
I missed you so much since you've gone
And now you are standing at my door
I love you so much
I just can't wait until I touch
You, dear, and now you are standing at my door
Please, let me take you in my arms
And squeeze you, baby, and don't mind
The tear that's in my eye
'Cause, darling, you've come back with me
I'm so happy I could cry
I'm so happy I could cry
I'm so happy I could cry
Larry Ciptak
Lyrics:
"I'm So Happy I Could Cry"
Going back again to see that girl
I left behind me when I went out
To see this great big world
I hope that she feels the same about me
As she did before I went out
To see this great big world
I know I love that girl
And I hope that she still wants me to be
Her one and only guy
Going back to see that girl I love
And I'm so happy I could cry
Going back to take her in my arms again
And tell her that I'm not
Gonna leave her anymore
I love her so much
I just can't wait until I touch
Her and I'm not gonna leave her anymore
I know I love that girl
And I hope that she still wants me to be
Her one and only guy
Going back to see that girl I love
And I'm so happy I could cry
I'm looking forward to that day
When she will love me in her way
All day long I sit and pray
Someday soon I'll hear her say
Looking forward to that day
When she will love me in her way
All day long I sit and pray
Someday soon I'll hear her say
You have been away so long
I missed you so much since you've gone
And now you are standing at my door
I love you so much
I just can't wait until I touch
You, dear, and now you are standing at my door
Please, let me take you in my arms
And squeeze you, baby, and don't mind
The tear that's in my eye
'Cause, darling, you've come back with me
I'm so happy I could cry
I'm so happy I could cry
I'm so happy I could cry
roberthyke75
you deserve a million likes for posting the lyrics
vac
this is beautiful. I may be naive, but I hear some sincerity in the finished version of "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance" - maybe it's just the magic of the melody, which sounds so truly sweet to me, and not at all in a saccharine way.
Chris Henniker
I love Zappa's versatility. He could do pop songs, social commentary , comedy numbers, satire, more avant garde work and classical music as an original composer. This is a straight pop song, but also an affectionate parody of one too.
cravinbob
Been listening to Frank since day one (almost) and this sounds so clean as if it were recorded yesterday. Frank was into the greasy doo-wop 1-6-4-5 progression so many teenage love songs employed in the 1950's. Wowie Zowie Thanks for this one!
mike demike
tHE REASON HE LOVED DOO WOP is it had a special place in the middle high school Frank...He had a sweetheart across the road which his and her parents split up...One day her family had just moved after his dad caught them in the hanky panky...This stole his youth....this song is maybe their return to find each other and that life had moved along...hence it was never released in Franks life.
Frankincensed
Frank could do absolutely anything. Simply amazing.
DiscordianDisciple27
I love that, even in songs where there could be sentimentality, Frank just ruins any chance of it :) Never let pop get too big for it's britches!
knellvin
I guess this song had a special place in Frank's heart
Glenn Wheatcroft
Amazing how much music, and such different styles, came out of one brain.