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.
Is That All There Is?
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Philipshalle, Dusseldorf, Germany
May 22, 1982
FZ CUSTOM STRAT
Ray White rhythm guitar
Steve Vai stunt guitar
Tommy Mars keyboards
Ed Mann percussion
Scott Thunes bass
Chad Wackerman drums]
The lyrics to Frank Zappa's song "Is That All There Is?" are a commentary on the disillusionment, boredom, and emptiness often experienced in modern society. The song begins with a monologue spoken by a female narrator, recounting her experiences of disappointment and ennui. She explains that after experiencing various events and endeavors, including love affairs and parties, she still feels unfulfilled and wonders if there is more to life than this.
The chorus of the song presents a resigned acceptance of this emptiness, with the repeated refrain of "Is that all there is?" conveying a sense of hopelessness and defeat. The verses that follow continue to detail the singer's sense of disillusionment, with images of burning buildings and the final line "If that's all there is, my friends, then let's keep dancing" suggesting a sense of resignation and despair.
Overall, the lyrics to "Is That All There Is?" seem to suggest a need for a deeper sense of meaning and purpose in life, rather than simply pursuing shallow pleasures and experiences. The repeated question of "Is that all there is?" prompts the listener to consider whether they too are simply going through the motions and questioning whether there is more to life than what they have experienced so far.
Line by Line Meaning
Is that all there is?
Have we really reached the end or is there more to discover?
Is that all there is?
Are all the things we see and experience in life all there is to it or is there something deeper?
If that's all there is my friends,
If what we're experiencing is all there is, then is it really enough?
Then let's keep dancing
If this is all we have, then let's keep enjoying it.
Let's break out the booze and have a ball
We might as well make the most of it and have fun while we can.
If that's all there is
If this is really all there is, then why not enjoy it while we can?
And when I was 12 years old
This is a personal reflection on the singer's past experiences.
My daddy took me to the circus
A childhood memory of going to the circus with the artist's father.
The greatest show on earth
How the circus was considered the best entertainment at the time.
There were clowns and elephants
A description of some of the things the artist saw at the circus.
Dancing bears
Another example of an act the singer saw at the circus.
And a beautiful lady in pink tights flew high above our heads
A specific performance the artist vividly remembers.
And as I sat there watching
Back to the idea of the singer reflecting on their past.
I had the feeling that something was missing
Despite the excitement of the circus, there was still not quite enough.
I don't know what, but when it was over
The singer can't quite put their finger on what was missing, but knew it wasn't fully satisfying.
I said to myself, 'Is that all there is to a circus?'
Even with all the excitement, there was something lacking and the artist wonders if this is all there is to the experience.
Is that all there is?
Again, reflecting on whether what they experienced was truly enough.
Is that all there is?
Wondering if there is more to the circus or any experience.
If that's all there is my friends
If the experience is lacking something, then it's not enough.
Then let's keep dancing
Despite that, might as well make the best of it and keep going.
Let's break out the booze and have a ball
Similar to earlier, let's enjoy what we can while we can.
If that's all there is
Regardless of whether it's enough, this might be all there is, and we might as well continue to enjoy it.
Contributed by Wyatt N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.