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.
Rhymin' Man
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tall and tan,
Rhyme or reason,
Play your hand --
Rhyme on this -- rhyme on that
Oh, you naughty democrat!
They say when doctor king got shot,
Dipped his hands in the doctor's blood,
'n rubbed his shirt like playin' with mud
Looked around for all the press
'n said: 'check me out, my name is jess!
I'll be known from towns 'n farms --
Doctor king died in my arms!'
Rhymin' man,
Tall and tan,
Rhyme or reason,
Play your hand --
Rhyme on this -- rhyme on that
Oh, you naughty democrat!
A few years later, legend says,
Rhymin' man made a run for prez
Farrakhan made him a clown,
Over there near hymie-town
Said he was a diplomat --
Hobbin' an-a-knobbin' with arafat
Castro was simpatico,
But the u.s. voters, they said: 'no!'
Rhymin' man,
Tall and tan,
Rhyme or reason,
Play your hand --
Rhyme on this -- rhyme on that
Oh, you naughty democrat!
Okay, here we go again!
Rhymin' man says he's your friend
Any fool can make a rhyme --
Cowboys do it all the time
People say: 'now he's mature!'
Cowboys rhyme that with horse manure
Horse manure!
That's for sure!
You been cheatin' --
We kept score!
Are you 'this'?
Or are you 'that'?
Oh, you naughty
Democrat!
The song "Rhymin' Man" by Frank Zappa is an ironic commentary on the world of politics, particularly on the politicians who use rhymes to manipulate the masses. The singer uses the metaphor of a "rhymin' man," a tall and tan figure who can rhyme at will, to criticize the hypocrisy and deceit of politicians who use language to mask their true intentions.
The first verse of the song ridicules Democrats who can't resist using rhyming propaganda to win votes. The singer ironically calls them "naughty Democrats" and warns them to "play their hand" and to use rhyme at their own peril. The second verse is a scathing indictment of Jesse Jackson, who is portrayed as using the shooting of Martin Luther King Jr. to gain fame and power. The singer accuses Jackson of rubbing King's blood on his shirt and mugging for the cameras in a ruthless quest for attention.
The third verse takes aim at Al Sharpton, who is accused of running for president and cozying up to dictators like Fidel Castro and Yasser Arafat. Sharpton is portrayed as a political clown, a diplomat of little substance, who's only real talent is rhyming on cue. The final verse is a critique of politicians in general, who are lambasted for being phony and insincere. The singer challenges them to be more honest, to speak from their hearts instead of their calculators.
Line by Line Meaning
Rhymin' man,
The character being described is a person who is skilled in creating rhyming verses
Tall and tan,
The person in focus seems to have a charming personality with good looks
Rhyme or reason,
Creating art through poetry or literature, without having a specific reason behind it
Play your hand --
Taking a chance and expressing oneself creatively
Rhyme on this -- rhyme on that
Using rhyme to express oneself on different topics
Oh, you naughty democrat!
Calling out a person in politics for their actions
They say when doctor king got shot,
Referring to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Jesse hatched an evil plot,
Jesse Jackson is accused of having planned something malicious
Dipped his hands in the doctor's blood,
Jackson is figuratively seen as having had direct involvement in King's assassination
'n rubbed his shirt like playin' with mud
Jesse was seemingly unfazed by the tragedy, even playful and cavalier about it
Looked around for all the press
Searching for attention and to be recognized for his actions
'n said: 'check me out, my name is jess!
Boasting and narcissistic behavior, trying to be seen as a strong leader
I'll be known from towns 'n farms --
Ambition to gain publicity from all over the country
Doctor king died in my arms!'
Incorrectly taking credit for King's death
A few years later, legend says,
Talking of another event, some years after the previous event
Rhymin' man made a run for prez
The rhyming man is running for presidency
Farrakhan made him a clown,
Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, made fun of him and ridiculed his attempt at presidency
Over there near hymie-town
Hymie is considered a derogatory term for Jews, and is used to describe a place with Jews living there
Said he was a diplomat --
Claiming to be a skilled diplomat who could handle foreign relations
Hobbin' an-a-knobbin' with arafat
Being in close contact with Yasser Arafat, former chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization
Castro was simpatico,
Fidel Castro was seen as friendly or like-minded
But the u.s. voters, they said: 'no!'
The voters of the United States did not support his presidential campaign
Okay, here we go again!
Starting another attempt (at rhyming or politics)
Rhymin' man says he's your friend
The rhyming man claims to be a friend of yours
Any fool can make a rhyme --
Claiming that anybody can create rhymes
Cowboys do it all the time
Criticizing the simplicity of cowboy culture and their easy use of rhyming
People say: 'now he's mature!'
Being acknowledged for having improved and developed as a person
Cowboys rhyme that with horse manure
Cowboys mock the rhyming man's claims
Horse manure!
Exclaiming the mockery of the cowboy culture
That's for sure!
Agreeing with the criticisms and ridicule
You been cheatin' --
Accusing the rhyming man of dishonesty
We kept score!
Noting and keeping track of his actions
Are you 'this'?
Asking if he is one thing in particular
Or are you 'that'?
Asking if he is something else entirely
Oh, you naughty
Calling him out for his supposed bad behavior
Democrat!
Referencing his political affiliation, but also could possibly be referencing his supposed deceitfulness
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