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.
Motherly Love
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Motherly love
Forget about
The brotherly and other-ly love
Motherly love
Is just the thing for you
You know your mothers' gonna love ya
The mothers got love
That'll drive ya mad
They're ravin' 'bout the way we do
No need to feel lonely
No need to feel sad,
If we ever get a hold on you
What you need is
Motherly love
(Come on, get it now)
Motherly love
Forget about
The brotherly and other-ly love
Motherly love
Is just the thing for you
You know your mothers' gonna love ya
'Till ya don't know what to do
Nature's been good
To this here band
Don't ever think we're shy
Send us up some little groupies
And we'll take their hands
And rock 'em till they sweat and cry
What you need is
Motherly love
(Get it now)
Motherly love
Forget about
The brotherly and other-ly love
Motherly love
Is just the thing for you
You know your mothers' gonna love ya
'Till ya don't know what to do
We can love ya
'Till ya have a heart attack
You'd best believe that's true
We'll bite your neck
And scratch your back
'Till you don't know what to do
What you need is
Motherly love
Motherly love
Forget about
The brotherly and other-ly love
Motherly love
Is just the thing for you
You know your mothers' gonna love ya
'Till ya don't know what to do
You know I've got a little motherly love for you baby, yeah
You know I've got a little motherly love for you honey, yeah
You know it doesn't bother me at all
That you're only eighteen years old
'Cause I got a little motherly love for you baby
Frank Zappa's song "Motherly Love" showcases the concept of the unconditional love of a mother. The song begins with a call to abandon all kinds of love except for motherly love. Motherly love is pure and everlasting, unlike other forms of love that can be fleeting and fickle. Zappa plays with the traditional notion of motherly love by infusing it with sexual undertones. He hints towards the maternal comfort that comes with being taken care of by a mother, but he also attributes a sort of sexual drive to the love they give. Zappa also challenges the idea of age being a barrier in relationships by saying, "You know it doesn't bother me at all that you're only eighteen years old. 'Cause I got a little motherly love for you baby."
In the lyrics, Zappa and his band value motherly love above all else. They suggest that they can love their listeners until they have a heart attack, implying they will not hold back or stop giving love that is so profound; they fully embrace their capacity to love. Zappa also hints at the band's desires for their listeners, which they are not hesitant to fulfill. They talk about taking groupies' hands and rocking them until they sweat and cry, celebrating the innate rebellious psyche of Rock N Roll music. Zappa calls to get some motherly love, reinforcing the idea that we all desire affection of such pure quality.
Line by Line Meaning
Motherly love
The type of love given by a mother
Motherly love
The type of love given by a mother
Forget about
The brotherly and other-ly love
Disregard other forms of love and focus only on motherly love
Motherly love
Is just the thing for you
Motherly love is exactly what you need
You know your mothers' gonna love ya
'Till ya don't know what to do
A mother's love for her child is so intense it can overwhelm them
The mothers got love
That'll drive ya mad
They're ravin' 'bout the way we do
Mothers have a love that can be overwhelming and they appreciate the way we perform
No need to feel lonely
No need to feel sad,
If we ever get a hold on you
What you need is
Motherly love
If you feel unsupported or unhappy, the solution is to seek motherly love
(Come on, get it now)
Encouragement to seek out motherly love immediately
Nature's been good
To this here band
Don't ever think we're shy
Our band has been blessed by nature and don't assume we are unassuming
Send us up some little groupies
And we'll take their hands
And rock 'em till they sweat and cry
If given the opportunity, we will show these young admirers a good time
We can love ya
'Till ya have a heart attack
You'd best believe that's true
We'll bite your neck
And scratch your back
'Till you don't know what to do
We are capable of loving you to the point of overwhelming you, physically and emotionally
You know I've got a little motherly love for you baby, yeah
You know I've got a little motherly love for you honey, yeah
You know it doesn't bother me at all
That you're only eighteen years old
'Cause I got a little motherly love for you baby
The singer is expressing his love for his lover in a twisted and inappropriate way, implying a motherly type of care and affection for her
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: FRANK ZAPPA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mariano Paredes
Motherly love
Motherly love
Forget about
The brotherly and other-ly love
Motherly love
Is just the thing for you
You know your Mothers' gonna love ya
Till ya don't know what to do
The Mothers got love
That'll drive ya mad
They're ravin' 'bout the way we do
No need to feel lonely . . .
No need to feel sad,
If we ever get a hold on you
What you need is . . .
Motherly love
(Come on, get it now)
Motherly love
Forget about
The brotherly and other-ly love
Motherly love
Is just the thing for you
You know your Mothers' gonna love ya
Till ya don't know what to do
Nature's been good
To this here band
Don't ever think we're shy
Send us up some little groupies
And we'll take their hands
And rock 'em till they sweat and cry
What you need is . . .
Motherly love
(Get it now)
Motherly love
Forget about
The brotherly and other-ly love
Motherly love
Is just the thing for you
You know your Mothers' gonna love ya
Till ya don't know what to do
We can love ya
Till ya have a heart attack
You'd best believe that's true
We'll bite your neck
And scratch your back
Till you don't know what to do
What you need is . . .
Motherly love
Motherly love
Forget about
The brotherly and other-ly love
Motherly love
Is just the thing for you
You know your Mothers' gonna love ya
Till ya don't know what to do
You know I've got a little motherly love for you baby, yeah
You know I've got a little motherly love for you honey, yeah
You know it doesn't bother me at all
That you're only eighteen years old
'Cause I got a little motherly love for you baby
stephane lo sardo
This album is AWESOME, one of the most important brick in the wall of the history of music
Niko
Yes
georgeharrison70
Freak Out! is such a great album. Frank Zappa is the man.
Gabriel Guzman
Dude this album is so great my eyes exploded
J Martin
Icwatumeen
audhumbla
so your ears explode while viewing fine art? interesting
Kazoo Fum
@audhumbla see, cool
Jour ,Contre-Jour
@audhumbla almost as good as dancing to architecture
Elaine Brown
As a 15 yr old suburban white chick, my first vinyl. Ay back in 66. I still listed to the Mothers today. Genius, warped me reallll good. So glad. Forever FREAKS
J Martin
AddaPublicReplay