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.
Montana
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just to raise me up a crop of Dental Floss Raisin' it up
Waxen it down
In a little white box
I can sell uptown
By myself I wouldn't
Have no boss,
But I'd be raisin' my lonely Dental Floss
Well I just might grow me some bees
But I'd leave the sweet stuff
For somebody else...
but then, on the other hand
I'd Keep the wax N' melt it down
Pluck some Floss N' swish it aroun'
I'd have me a crop
An' it'd be on top
(that's why I'M movin' to Montana)
Movin' to Montana soon
Gonna be a Dental Floss tycoon
(yes I am)
Movin' to Montana soon
Gonna be a mennil-toss flykune
I'm pluckin' the ol' Dennil Floss
That's growin' on the prairie
Pluckin' the floss!
I plucked all day an' all night an' all Afternoon...
I'm ridin' a small tiny hoss
(His name is MIGHTY LITTLE)
He's a good hoss
Even though He's a bit dinky to strap a big saddle or
Blanket on anyway
He's a bit dinky to strap a big saddle or
Blanket on anyway
Any way I'm pluckin' the ol' Dennil Floss
Even if you think it is a little silly, folks
I don't care if you think it's silly, folks
I don't care if you think it's silly, folks
I'm gonna find me a horse
Just about this big
An' ride him all along the border line
With a Pair of heavy-duty
Zircon-encrusted tweezers in my hand
Every other wrangler would say
I was mighty grand
By myself I wouldn't
Have no boss
But I'd be raisin' my lonely Dental Floss
Raisin' my lonely Dental Floss
Raisin' my lonely Dental Floss
Well I might Ride along the border
With my tweezers gleamin'
In the moon-lighty night
And then I'd Get a cuppa cawfee
N' give my foot a push...
Just me 'n the pymgy pony
Over the Dennil Floss Bush
N' then I might just Jumb back on
An' ride Like a cowboy
Into the dawn to Montana
Movin' to Montana soon
(Yippy-Ty-O-Ty-Ay)
Movin' to Montana soon
The lyrics of "Montana" by Frank Zappa can be interpreted as a satirical take on the American dream - a dream of independence and self-sufficiency. The singer in the song portrays himself as an independent entrepreneur, one who is going to Montana to grow a crop of dental floss, wax it down and sell it in a little white box uptown. The dental floss here is a metaphor for something insignificant, something that people don't really need, but the singer is willing to go all the way to Montana to grow and sell it. The singer wants to be his own boss and doesn't want to depend on anyone else. Yet, he finds the idea of growing dental floss to be a bit silly, and he's aware that others might think the same.
As the song progresses, the singer seems to switch between different ideas, one of growing bees and the other of plucking the old dental floss that is growing on the prairie. He wants to make something of himself, but he's not entirely sure what that something is. The final verse sees the singer imagining himself riding along the border with a pair of tweezers, plucking dental floss on a small horse, a "pygmy pony," and once again reiterating his desire to be the master of his fate, his own boss.
Some possible interpretations of the song might be that it is a critique of the American obsession with self-reliance and rugged individualism. Alternatively, it could be seen as a commentary on how capitalism has commodified everything, even something as small and meaningless as dental floss, and how chasing profits can lead one to pursue absurd and meaningless projects.
Line by Line Meaning
I might be movin' to Montana soon
I am considering moving to Montana in the near future
Just to raise me up a crop of Dental Floss Raisin' it up
I want to cultivate a crop of dental floss and raise it so that I can profit from it
Waxen it down In a little white box I can sell uptown
I plan to process the dental floss and package it in small white boxes to sell it in the city for a profit
By myself I wouldn't Have no boss, But I'd be raisin' my lonely Dental Floss
I want to be my own boss while cultivating dental floss as a business venture
Raisin' my lonely Dental Floss
Continuation of the desire to cultivate dental floss alone
Well I just might grow me some bees But I'd leave the sweet stuff For somebody else... but then, on the other hand I'd Keep the wax N' melt it down Pluck some Floss N' swish it aroun' I'd have me a crop An' it'd be on top
I might consider beekeeping as well, but I'd rather leave the honey to others. I would keep the beeswax and use it to process the dental floss. If I continue with this venture, I would succeed and it would be profitable.
(that's why I'M movin' to Montana)
Further reaffirmation of the reason for the potential move to Montana
Gonna be a Dental Floss tycoon (yes I am)
I aim to be a successful entrepreneur in the dental floss industry.
Gonna be a mennil-toss flykune
A nonsensical wordplay continuation of the desire for success in the dental floss industry.
I'm pluckin' the ol' Dennil Floss That's growin' on the prairie Pluckin' the floss!
I am currently cultivating dental floss that grows natively on the prairie and processing it for future profit.
I plucked all day an' all night an' all Afternoon... I'm ridin' a small tiny hoss (His name is MIGHTY LITTLE) He's a good hoss Even though He's a bit dinky to strap a big saddle or Blanket on anyway He's a bit dinky to strap a big saddle or Blanket on anyway
I spent an extensive amount of time plucking dental floss, and I am riding a small horse named Mighty Little, who is a bit too small for saddles or blankets.
Any way I'm pluckin' the ol' Dennil Floss Even if you think it is a little silly, folks I don't care if you think it's silly, folks I don't care if you think it's silly, folks
I will continue to cultivate dental floss regardless of what others may think of it, and I don't care about their opinions.
I'm gonna find me a horse Just about this big An' ride him all along the border line With a Pair of heavy-duty Zircon-encrusted tweezers in my hand Every other wrangler would say I was mighty grand
I plan to get a medium-sized horse and ride along the border carrying expensive tweezers to show off my wealth and success to the other ranchers.
Raisin' my lonely Dental Floss Raisin' my lonely Dental Floss
Reiteration of the desire to cultivate dental floss alone
Well I might Ride along the border With my tweezers gleamin' In the moon-lighty night And then I'd Get a cuppa cawfee N' give my foot a push... Just me 'n the pymgy pony Over the Dennil Floss Bush N' then I might just Jumb back on An' ride Like a cowboy Into the dawn to Montana
I might go on a late-night ride along the border with my shiny tweezers gleaming in the moonlight. I would stop for a coffee and then continue riding with my small horse through the dental floss bushes. Finally, I would return to Montana, riding like a cowboy into the dawn.
Movin' to Montana soon
Final reaffirmation of the potential move to Montana.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: GUSTAVO ALFREDO SANTAOLALLA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bob Whitworth
This really should be the official state song of Montana. Every time I drove across the border up I-15 from Idaho, I had this song playing in my head. Every...time.
Mike Bowden
absolutely !
Daniel Land
Yup!👍😜🍺🍺🤪🏌️♂️😊
Just A Cup
@G E LOL, for realz.
Michael Kenna
@Stäni Steinbock
Nice addition to the comments !
Michael Kenna
👍
Arkadia Moon
I have a great admiration for any artist who can't be confined in a genre, but takes genres, drops them in a mixmaster, and makes them over into something totally other that can't be labelled as anything other than that artist's work. Frank Zappa was one of these geniuses. Kudos forever to his name.
jp codnia
@Draculaque yeepy-ontana-yaaaay !!!
Suitable ending
Jesse Wipert
Mike Patton
TheCyVirus
Check out Mr. Bungle and their self titled album. One of the greatest pieces of musical art