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.

In France
Frank Zappa Lyrics

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We're playin' in a tent
It's payin' the rent
If you persevere,
It's amazing you can
In France
Way down in France
Way on down
Way on down

In France

The girls is all salty
The boys is all sweet
The food ain't too shabby,
An' they piss in the street
In France
Way down in France
Way on down
Way on down
In France

They got diseases
Like you never seen
Got a mystery blow-job
Turn your pee to green
In France
Way down in France
Way on down
Way on down
In France

They got some coffee,
Eatin' right through the cup,
An' when you go ka-ka
They make you stand up
In France
Way down in France
Way on down
Way on down
In France

If you're not careful,
It'll stick to your cheek
You'll smell like a native
For a couple of week
In France
Way down in France
Way on down
Way on down
In France

We cannot wait
Till we go back
It gets so exciting
When the poodles 'react'
In France
Way down in France
Way on down
Way on down
In France

Never try to get yo' penis sucked
In France

Overall Meaning

Frank Zappa's song In France is a playful and ironic commentary on the exoticism of the country, drawing both from common stereotypes and from more obscure observations. The song is sung in a cheerful, almost tongue-in-cheek tone, with a melody that seems to recall accordion music and chanson, the traditional French music genre. The first stanza describes a makeshift gig in a tent that pays the rent and invites perseverance, setting an almost heroic tone to the adventure of touring. The second stanza describes the people of France, with girls being salty and boys being sweet, a possible reference to the country's history of romanticism, and the food not being too shabby. However, the crude detail of people urinating in public space reminds the listener of the less glamorous aspect of a foreign country. The third stanza introduces the theme of diseases and sexual practices, with a mysterious blow-job that turns urine green, probably a reference to an STD. The fourth stanza introduces a new idiosyncrasy of French culture: their strong coffee, which can "eat right through the cup". The detail of the people having to stand up while performing their physiological need of defecation is both humorous and insightful of cultural differences. The fifth stanza warns the listener of the danger of the local cuisine, which can stick to the cheek and cause a lasting odor, making the visitor "smell like a native" for weeks. The last stanza humorously refers to the sexual practices of poodles, which the band members apparently find stimulating, and concludes with the exhortation of not trying to get a penis sucked in France, reminding the listener that sex tourism is not without hazard.

Line by Line Meaning

We're playin' in a tent
We are performing in a tent.

It's payin' the rent
The tent is generating enough profits for us to pay our rent.

If you persevere,
If you continue despite challenges,

It's amazing you can
You can accomplish incredible things.

In France
This is all occurring in France.

Way down in France
This is happening far into France.

Way on down
This is happening far away.

The girls is all salty
The women are bitter.

The boys is all sweet
The men are kind.

The food ain't too shabby,
The food is decent.

An' they piss in the street
People urinate in public.