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.
Nanook Rubs It
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A fur-trapper who was strictly from commercial
Had the unmitigated audacity to jump up from behind my igloo peekaboo
And he started into whippin' on my favorite baby seal
With a lead-filled snowshoe
I said, with a
Lead-Filled
He said, peekaboo
I said, with a
Lead-Filled
With a lead filled snowshoe
He said, peekaboo
He went right upside the head of my favorite baby seal
He went whap with a lead-filled snowshoe, and
He hit him on the nose and hit him on the fin, and he
That got me just about as evil as an eskimo boy can be. so I bent down
And I reached down, and I scooped down and I gathered up a generous
Mitten-ful of the deadly yellow snow
The deadly yellow snow, from right there where the huskies go!
Whereupon I proceeded to take that mittenful of the deadly yellow snow
Crystals and rub it all into his beady little eyes with a vigorous
Circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined
To take the place of the mudshark in your mythology
Here it goes,the circular motion, now rub it!
(Here fido)
And then
In a fit of anger
I pounced
And I pounced again
Great googly moogly!
I jumped up and down on the chest of the him
I injured
The fur trapper
Well he was very upset, as you can understand
And rightly so, because the
Deadly yellow snow crystals had
Deprived him of his
Sight
And he stood up, and he looked around, and he said
I can't see
I can't see
Oh, woe is me
I can't see
Well.....you know
I can't see
Nothin'
He took a dog-doo snow cone and stuffed it in my right eye
He took a dog-doo snow cone and stuffed it in my other eye
And the husky wee-wee
I mean the doggie wee-wee
Has blinded me
And I can't see
Temporarily
Well, the fur-trapper stood there, with his arms outstretched across the
Frozen white wasteland, trying to figure out what he was going to do about
His deflicted eyes. and it was at that precise moment that he remembered
And ancient eskimo legend, wherein it is written (on whatever it is that
They write it on up there) that if anything bad ever happens to your eyes
As the result of some sort of conflict with anyone named
Nanook,
The only way you can get it fixed up is to go
Trudging across the tundra
Mile after mile
Trudging across the tundra
Right down to the parish of st. alphonzo
The lyrics of the song "Nanook Rubs It" by Frank Zappa narrate a story of a fur-trapper who approaches an isolated Eskimo's igloo and proceeds to beat his favorite baby seal with a lead-filled snowshoe, just when he is up in the igloo taking care of some important business. The Eskimo, who is severely agitated by this display of animal cruelty, goes on to take revenge on the fur-trapper by gathering up a generous mitten full of deadly yellow snow and rubbing it into his beady little eyes, effectively blinding him.
What follows is a comical sequence of events as the fur-trapper tries to figure out how to get his eyes fixed, as per an ancient Eskimo legend, by trudging across the tundra to the parish of St. Alphonzo. The song culminates in the fur trapper temporarily blinding the Eskimo in one eye with a dog-doo snow cone, leaving both parties in undesirable circumstances.
However, the song is not meant to be taken too seriously but is a lighthearted approach to describing the violent and comedic interactions between two people from different backgrounds that stem from ignorance and lack of understanding. The lyrics are full of double entendres and puns, with references to popular culture and linguistic playfulness, making it characteristic of Frank Zappa's music.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, right about that time people
At that particular moment, other individuals were present
A fur-trapper who was strictly from commercial
A man who made a living through trapping of animals appeared
Had the unmitigated audacity to jump up from behind my igloo peekaboo
He was bold enough to make a surprise appearance behind my dwelling place
And he started into whippin' on my favorite baby seal
He began to physically assault my beloved baby seal
With a lead-filled snowshoe
He used a piece of footwear weighed down with lead to carry out the assault
I said, with a Lead-Filled With a lead filled snowshoe
I repeated the use of a snowshoe filled with lead
He said, peekaboo I said, with a Lead-Filled
He responded with a phrase commonly used to get children's attention, but I reemphasized the use of the snowshoe filled with lead
He went right upside the head of my favorite baby seal
He hit my favorite baby seal on the head
He went whap with a lead-filled snowshoe, and
He made a whacking sound by striking with the weapon described earlier
He hit him on the nose and hit him on the fin, and he
His blows targeted the nose and fin of the baby seal
That got me just about as evil as an eskimo boy can be. so I bent down
I was filled with intense rage, to the level expected of an Eskimo boy. I immediately crouched down
And I reached down, and I scooped down and I gathered up a generous Mitten-ful of the deadly yellow snow
I gathered a significant amount of the infamous deadly yellow snow
The deadly yellow snow, from right there where the huskies go!
I picked up that hazardous substance from the spot where the huskies defecate
Whereupon I proceeded to take that mittenful of the deadly yellow snow
At that point, I acted on my intention to use the deadly yellow snow
Crystals and rub it all into his beady little eyes with a vigorous Circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined To take the place of the mudshark in your mythology
I extracted the crystals from the deadly yellow snow and rubbed the mixture into his eyes using a method never witnessed before in this region. This technique will become a topic in your culture's storytelling, replacing the previous tale of the mudshark
Here it goes,the circular motion, now rub it! (Here fido)
I performed the circular motion and ordered 'Fido' to witness the act
And then In a fit of anger I pounced
I became consumed by anger and launched myself forward
And I pounced again Great googly moogly! I jumped up and down on the chest of the him
I repeated the pouncing and exclaimed, then proceeded to jump on his chest
I injured The fur trapper
The fur trapper suffered physical harm due to my offensive actions
Well he was very upset, as you can understand And rightly so, because the Deadly yellow snow crystals had Deprived him of his Sight
As expected, he was severely agitated because the harmful crystals took away his ability to see
And he stood up, and he looked around, and he said I can't see I can't see Oh, woe is me I can't see Well.....you know I can't see Nothin'
In a state of panic, he rose to his feet and lamented his inability to see anything, to the point of resignation
He took a dog-doo snow cone and stuffed it in my right eye He took a dog-doo snow cone and stuffed it in my other eye And the husky wee-wee I mean the doggie wee-wee Has blinded me
He retaliated by placing a disgusting concoction involving dog feces and urine into both of my eyes, causing temporary blindness
Well, the fur-trapper stood there, with his arms outstretched across the Frozen white wasteland, trying to figure out what he was going to do about His deflicted eyes.
The fur-trapper stood there in the snow-covered area with his arms extended, puzzled about how to deal with his damaged eyes
and it was at that precise moment that he remembered And ancient eskimo legend, wherein it is written (on whatever it is that They write it on up there) that if anything bad ever happens to your eyes As the result of some sort of conflict with anyone named Nanook, The only way you can get it fixed up is to go Trudging across the tundra
At that instant, he recollected an old Eskimo legend scribed in an unknown surface saying that to restore your eyes after engaging in a fight with someone called Nanook, you must undertake a long journey through the wasteland
Mile after mile Trudging across the tundra
One must walk through the empty terrain for miles and miles
Right down to the parish of st. alphonzo
Their destination is the church of St. Alphonzo
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Zappa
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@chestnut909
Well right about that time, people,
A fur trapper
Who was strictly from commercial
(Strictly Commershil)
Had the unmedicated audacity to jump up from behind my igyaloo
(Peek-a-Boo Woo-ooo-ooo)
And he started in to whippin' on my fav'rite baby seal
With a lead-filled snow shoe...
I said:
With a lead
Lead
Filled
Lead-filled
A lead-filled snow shoe
Snow shoe
He said Peak-a-boo
Peek-a-boo
With a lead
Lead
Filled
Lead-filled
With a lead-filled snow shoe
SNOW SHOE
He said Peak-a-boo.
Peek-a-boo
He went right up side the head of my favorite baby seal
He went whap!
With a lead-filled snow shoe
An' he hit him on the nose 'n he hit him on the fin 'n he...
That got me just about as evil
As an Eskimo boy can be... so I bent down 'n I reached down 'n I scooped down
An' I gathered up a generous mitten full of the deadly...
Yellow snow
The deadly Yellow Snow from right there where the huskies go
Whereupon I proceeded to take that mitten full
Of the deadly Yellow Snow Crystals
And rub it all into his beady little eyes
With a vigorous circular motion
Hitherto unknown to the people on this area,
But destined to take the place of THE MUD SHARK
In your mythology
Here it goes now...
The circular motion... (rub it)...
(Here Fido... Here Fido)
And then, in a fit of anger, I...
I pounced
And I pounced again
Great googly-moogly
I jumped up 'n down on the chest of the...
I injured the fur trapper
Well, he was very upset, as you can understand
And rightly so
Because
The deadly Yellow Snow Crystals
Had deprived him of his sight
And he stood up
And he looked around
And he said:
I can't see
(Do... Do do-do do do do... Yeah!)
I can't see
(Do... Do do-do do do do... Yeah!)
Oh woe is me
(Do... Do do-do do do do... Yeah!)
I can't see
(Do... Do do-do do do do... Well!)
No no
I can't see
No... I...
He took a dog-doo sno-cone
An' stuffed it in my right eye
He took a dog-doo sno-cone
An' stuffed it in my other eye
An' the huskie wee-wee,
I mean the doggie wee-wee
Has blinded me
An' I can't see
Temporarily
Well the fur trapper
Stood there
With his arms outstretched
Across the frozen white wasteland
Trying to figure out what he's gonna do
About his deflicted eyes
And it was at that precise moment that he remembered
An ancient Eskimo legend
Wherein it is written
On whatever it is that they write it on up there
That if anything bad ever happens to your eyes
As a result of some sort of conflict
With anyone named Nanook
The only way you can get it fixed up
Is to go trudgin' across the tundra...
Mile after mile
Trudgin' across the tundra...
Right down to the parish of Saint Alfonzo...
@lobo2367
I remember listening to this back in 1913 and was so happy when Zappa time traveled back to the 70's so I could hear it again before I died.
@SallyRose-ue7fx
What???
@davidbowman4259
Nobody like this guy. Nobody. One of the true musical geniuses.
@cintarocko5095
He is BRILLIANT LOVE YA FRANK Z. ❤😢
@mechcavandy986
Unfortunately, his worst songs are the most popular among the general public. The “Yellow Snow” thing, case in point.
@carlogiugni3424
Peek-a-boo! As for me, I do like him, and I say I like much of his albums, his fantastic music, the way he produced his studio recordings, and his great guitar playing!
CIAO! 👍🏻😸✌🏿🔭🎸🎶
@aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasdf
You call it a visualizer, I call it Frank's head moving around for a few minutes.
@jamielee7676
Still worth it
@fredconnell8385
But, his eyes blink!
@ruthmckay9086
@@fredconnell8385 Ikr!! I was onto the second track when I 'thought' I saw him blink... Nah, surely not...? Imagine my surprise when it happened again!