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.
Porn Wars
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Steve vai (guitar)
Johnny "guitar" watson (guitar, vocals)
Ike willis (guitar, vocals)
Ray white (guitar, vocals)
Bobby martin (keyboards, vocals)
Tommy mars (keyboards)
Scott thunes (bass)
Ed mann (percussion)
The reason for this hearing
Is not to promote any legislation,
(indeed, I don't know of any suggestion
That any legislation 'd be passed),
But to simply provide a form
For airing the issue itself,
For ventilating the issue,
For bringing it out in the public domain.
Senator hollings?
I've had the opportunity to ah,
Attend a, a showing you might say,
A presentation of ah,
This porn rock as they call it.
In the tested pornography,
One of the things to look at
Is that it does not have any redeeming social value.
Ah, there could be an exception here
Because I haven't attended that presentation.
A redeeming social value,
I find that it's inaudible.
I have a hard time understanding it.
And, paul, since I travelled the country for three years
And they said they couldn't understand me,
Maybe I could make a good rock-star, I don't know.
But in all candour I would tell you it's,
It's outrageous filth.
So I'll be looking from this senator's standpoint
Not just to bring pression,
But to try to see if there is some constitutional provision
To tax, or procedure can be used on the congress
To limit this outrageous filth.
Senator trible?
Rape, incest, it's outrageous filth...
Sexual violence
Now, the effects of such lyrics on a well adjusted child may
Not be cataclysmic
It's outrageous filth!
A lot of the emotional damage is more subtle
Fire and chains and...leather
It's outrageous filth!
Objectionable...
Tools and presentations in some twisted minds...
...effects of such lyrics on a well adjusted child may not be
Cataclysmic...
...porn rock...
A lot of the emotional damage is more subtle
Fire and chains and...leather
This must be the end of the world!
All the people turning into pigs and ponies
I can't let it happen to me!
What is the reason for these hearings...
Sex!
Well...
Sex!
Thank you, I think that statement...
Sex!
...tells the story of these many...
Listen you little slut...
What is the reason for these hearings...
Sex!
Bondage!
Listen you little slut!
Listen you little slut!
Mixture of drugs...
Sex! sex! sex! sex!...
I might be interested to see what toys your kids ever had
Why would you be interested?
Just as a point of interest in this ah...
Well, come on over to the house and I'll show them to you.
Really!
I, I might do that!
Now, the effects of such lyrics on a well adjusted child may
Not be cataclysmic
It's outrageous filth!
A lot of the emotional damage is more subtle
Fire and chains and...leather
It's outrageous filth!
Objectionable...
Tools and presentations in some twisted minds...
...effects of such lyrics on a well adjusted child may not be
Cataclysmic...
...porn rock...
A lot of the emotional damage is more subtle
Fire and chains and...leather
Thank you very much, mr. zappa.
You understand that ah,
The previous witnesses were not asking for legislation
And ah, I don't know,
I can't speak for senator hollings,
But I think that the prevailing view here is
That nobody's asking for legislation.
The question is just focusing
On what a lot of people could feel that could be a problem.
And you've indicated that you at least understand
That there is another point of view.
Really nearly over the year...
Senator gore?
Thank you very much, ah, mister chairman.
I found your statement very interesting and,
Ah let me say although I disagree with
Some of the statements that you make,
And have made on other occasions
- I have been a fan of your music, believe it or not -
And I, I ah respect you as a true original and,
And ah tremendously talented musician.
Wait a minute!
Maybe I could make a good rock-star, I don't know
Comics, comics, comics daddy!
Maybe I could make a good rock-star, I don't know
Comics, comics daddy!
Maybe I could make a good rock-star, I don't know
Comics, comics, comics daddy!
They don't even understand their music...
Of course nobody does, but ah...
They don't, they don't even know what they're doing
No!
I've, I've seen 'em a couple of times...
Did you, did you see their uniforms?
Unbelievable!
Which ones? they're the red ones?
All those rhinestones of their rings and things like that
Do you know what i...
Golden may hoof-covers
Unbelievable!
Maybe I could make a good rock-star!
Gonna drive my love inside you!
Etc...
It's outrageous filth!
Comics daddy!
Etc...
Rock, rock, porn rock!
Etc...
And I think your suggestion is a good one
If you pledge those words.
That would go a long way for...
All we have to do is find out how it's gonna be paid for...
Pyromania!
No question!
Burn the building!
Burn! burn! burn!
Yeah!
If I could find some way constitutionally to do away with it I would!
This issue is too hot...
So I'll be looking from this senator's standpoint
Not just to bring pression,
But to try to see if there is some constitutional provision
To tax, or procedure can be used on the congress
To limit this outrageous filth.
Yeah!
We'll get back to de whimp
And his low-budget conceptium of personal freedom
In just a moment.
But foist, welcome to:
What de fuck gwine on here?
A celebratium o' de american way o' life!
I see some y'all be frownin'...
'cause mebbe why'think what I's tellin' ya' is a lie!
Am I right?
Les' jes' have a test...
How many o' you nice folks think I knows what I's talkin'
'bout?
Raise why'hain up!
Uh-huh!
An' how many thinks my potato been bakin' too long?
Raise yo mizzable hain up!
Uh-huh!
Now...how many you folks is convinced
De gubnint be totally 'unconcerned'
Wit de proliferatium o' undesirable tenants
In de condominium o' life?
An' how many folks believe they number won't come up,
Next time de breeze blow fum de easterly directium?
Les' face it, peoples!
Ugly as I mights be,
I am yo' futchum!
Ain't that right, sister ob'dewlla?
Hmm hmm! oh, oh yeah! thass right!
Senator gorton?
Mr. zappa, I ah, am astounded at the ah,
Courtesy and soft-voiced ah,
Nature of the comments of my friend
The senator from tennessee.
I can only say that I find your statement
To be boorish, ah, incredibly and ah,
Insensitively insulting the people who were here previously.
That you could manage
To get the first amendment
Of the constitution of the united states
A bad name - if I doubt that you have the slightest
Understanding of it - which I do not,
And have the slightest understanding of the difference between
Government action and private action.
And ah, you have certainly destroyed any case
You might otherwise have had with this senator.
Thank you mr. chairman.
Is this private action?
I don't think this is constitutional...
The voluntary labelling is not censorship...
Bend up and smell my anal vapor!
The voluntary...voluntary...voluntary...
...is not censorship...
De-de-de-de-degradation...humiliation...
Is this private action?
In chains...
Listen you little slut...
There-there-there...
There's no absolute rock...
There's no absolute rock...
Well... ... bend up and smell my anal vapor!
There-there-there...
There's no... there's no...
Mr. zappa, thank you very much for your testimony.
Thank you.
Next witness is john denver...
The song "Porn Wars" by Frank Zappa is a satirical commentary on a hearing held by the US Senate Subcommittee on Communications in September 1985. The hearing was meant to debate the need for censorship of music industry lyrics, specifically addressing pornographic content in rock music. Zappa's song includes snippets of audio recordings from the hearing, featuring Senators Hollings, Trible, Gore, Gorton, and others, along with Zappa's own commentary. The song mocks the Senators' narrow-mindedness and lack of understanding of popular culture, freedom of speech, and the artistic value of music.
Zappa's lyrics are full of irony, sarcasm, and humor, pointing out the absurdity and hypocrisy of the senators' arguments. Zappa, who was a staunch defender of free speech and artistic expression, used this song as a medium to express his outrage at the hearing and highlight the danger of censorship. "Porn Wars" is a powerful critique of political censorship and a defense of artistic freedom.
Line by Line Meaning
The reason for this hearing
Is not to promote any legislation,
(indeed, I don't know of any suggestion
That any legislation 'd be passed),
But to simply provide a form
For airing the issue itself,
For ventilating the issue,
For bringing it out in the public domain.
The hearing aims to provide a platform for discussing and understanding the issue of pornography and not to promote any legislation related to it.
In the tested pornography,
One of the things to look at
Is that it does not have any redeeming social value.
Ah, there could be an exception here
Because I haven't attended that presentation.
Pornography must not have any social value, although this specific presentation may be an exception since I haven't studied it.
A redeeming social value,
I find that it's inaudible.
I have a hard time understanding it.
I cannot find any social value in pornography, and I find it difficult to comprehend.
It's outrageous filth.
So I'll be looking from this senator's standpoint
Not just to bring pression,
But to try to see if there is some constitutional provision
To tax, or procedure can be used on the congress
To limit this outrageous filth.
Pornography is indecent, and as a senator, I will seek constitutional provisions to tax or restrict the Congress in limiting it.
Now, the effects of such lyrics on a well adjusted child may
Not be cataclysmic
It's outrageous filth!
A lot of the emotional damage is more subtle
Fire and chains and...leather
Objectionable...
Tools and presentations in some twisted minds...
...effects of such lyrics on a well adjusted child may not be
Cataclysmic...
...porn rock...
Although the effects of pornography may not be immediate in a healthy child, it can cause emotional damage in subtle ways. The acts portrayed in it are unacceptable, and the twisted minds making it use various tools and presentations to do so.
If I could find some way constitutionally to do away with it I would!
This issue is too hot...
We'll get back to de whimp
And his low-budget conceptium of personal freedom
In just a moment.
If I could legally eliminate pornography, I would. But the complexity of this issue is too high, and we will revisit this concept of personal freedom with a low budget shortly.
Mr. zappa, thank you very much for your testimony.
Zappa is thanked for his testimony and participation in the hearing.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind