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.
Murder By Numbers
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
First you make a stone of your heart
And if you find that your hands are still willing
Then you can turn a murder into art
There really isn't any need for bloodshed
You just do it with a little more finesse
If you can slip a tablet into someone's coffee
It's murder by numbers one two three
It's as easy to learn as your ABC
Murder by numbers, one, two, three
It's as easy to learn as your ABC
Now if you have a taste for this experience
And you're flushed with your very first success
Then you must try a twosome or a threesome
And you'll find your conscience bothers you much less
Because murder is like anything you take to
It's a habit-forming need for more and more
You can bump off every member of your family
And anybody else you find a bore
Because it's murder by numbers, one, two, three
It's as easy to learn as your ABC
Murder by numbers, one, two, three
It's as easy to learn as your ABC
Now you can join the ranks of the illustrious
In history's great dark hall of fame
All our greatest killers were industrious
At least the ones that we all know by name
But you can reach the top of your profession
If you become the leader of the land
For murder is the sport of the elected
And you don't need to lift a finger of your hand
Because it's murder by numbers, one, two, three
It's as easy to learn as your ABC
Murder by numbers, one, two, three
It's as easy to learn as your A, be , see, D, E
The lyrics of "Murder By Numbers" present a cold and calculated view of committing murder. The song suggests that taking someone's life can be done with precision and almost scientific precision. The lyrics start by saying that the first step, once deciding to kill, is to make a "stone" of your heart because any hesitation or guilt can get in the way of the act. The lyrics then suggest that it's possible to commit murder without any bloodshed- by using "finesse" and slipping someone a pill. The song goes on to suggest that committing murder can be a habit-forming activity- and that once someone has killed, the urge to do it again can grow stronger.
Line by Line Meaning
Once that you've decided on a killing
After making the decision to commit murder
First you make a stone of your heart
Begin by emotionally distancing yourself from the act
And if you find that your hands are still willing
If you can overcome your reluctance to act
Then you can turn a murder into art
The process of the murder can become a creative achievement
There really isn't any need for bloodshed
Violence and bloodshed are unnecessary
You just do it with a little more finesse
With careful planning, murder can be executed smoothly
If you can slip a tablet into someone's coffee
Poisoning can be a less messy method
Then it avoids an awful lot of mess
The poison technique can minimize the physical evidence of the murder
It's murder by numbers one two three
The acts of murder can be a simple, step-by-step process
It's as easy to learn as your ABC
The method of murder is easy enough that anyone can learn it
Now if you have a taste for this experience
If murder becomes an enjoyable experience for you
And you're flushed with your very first success
If you feel thrilled by the outcome of your first murder
Then you must try a twosome or a threesome
Committing murder in pairs or groups can reduce moral conflict
And you'll find your conscience bothers you much less
Committing repeated acts of murder can desensitize you to the moral implications
Because murder is like anything you take to
Murder can become addictive, like any other habit
It's a habit-forming need for more and more
The desire to commit murder can grow over time
You can bump off every member of your family
The line between victim and perpetrator can blur for serial killers
And anybody else you find a bore
Killing can become a way to eliminate people who are bothersome or unimportant
Now you can join the ranks of the illustrious
Murder has been committed throughout history by influential people
In history's great dark hall of fame
Some notorious killers throughout history have achieved a sort of infamy
All our greatest killers were industrious
Most infamous killers have been relentlessness in their pursuit of murder
At least the ones that we all know by name
The most notorious murderers are difficult to forget
But you can reach the top of your profession
Murder can become a 'profession' for serial killers
If you become the leader of the land
Some leaders in positions of power have been rumored to have committed murder
For murder is the sport of the elected
The power that comes with high office can sometimes be abused in deadly ways
And you don't need to lift a finger of your hand
Through the use of subordinates, the powerful can quietly eliminate their enemies
It's as easy to learn as your ABC
Murder can be such a simple process that anyone can learn it
Murder by numbers, one, two, three
The process of murder can be broken down into simple steps
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANDY SUMMERS, GORDON SUMNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind