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.
Road Ladies
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah! Sure gets lonesome
Don't it ever get sad when you go out on the road?
Oh, there was one time in Minneapolis when I thought I had the clap for sure
Don't it ever get lonesome?
Lonesome ain't the word
Don't it ever get sad when you go out on a thirty day tour?
Oh, I'll take away
You got nothing but groupies and promoters to love you
And a pile of laundry by the hotel door
Don't it ever get lonesome?
Don't it ever give a young man the blues?
Don't it ever get lonesome?
Don't it ever make a young man wanna go back home?
When the P.A. system eats it,
And the band plays some of the most terriblest shit you've ever known
Don't you ever miss your
House in the country and your
Hot little mama too?
Don't you ever miss your
House in the country and your
Hot little mama too?
Don't you better get a
Shot from the doctor what the
Road Ladies do to you?
I know someday I will never,
I'll never go out on the road again, oh, yeah
I know someday I will never,
I ain't gonna roam the countryside
No more
I'm gonna hang up them ol' Holiday Inns, yeah
And heal my knees up,
From when I was doin' it on the floor
See me doing it!
See me do it on the floor
Don't you ever miss your
House in the country and your
Hot little mama too?
Don't you ever miss your
House in the country and your
Hot little mama too?
Don't you better get a
Shot from the doctor what the
Road Ladies do to you?
The lyrics to Frank Zappa's "Road Ladies" reflect the loneliness and sadness that can come with life on the road. The repetition of the question "Don't it ever get lonesome?" emphasizes this feeling of isolation. The singer admits to receiving temporary comfort from groupies and promoters, as well as the thrill of being on the road, but ultimately longs for the familiarity of home. The mention of a potential STD scare in Minneapolis adds to the idea that life on the road can be very unpredictable and dangerous. The chorus of the song repeats the question of whether or not the singer misses his house in the country and his "hot little mama," but also suggests that a shot from the doctor may be necessary after being with the "Road Ladies."
The final verse of the song provides some resolution to the singer's struggles. He recognizes that the glamor and excitement of the road cannot compare to the stability and comfort of home. He plans to quit life on the road and "hang up them ol' Holiday Inns," perhaps indicating a desire for a more grounded and domestic life. The final line, "See me do it on the floor," may be interpreted as a celebration of the singer's sexuality and desire, even as he moves away from the lifestyle of a touring musician.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't it ever get lonesome?
Do you never feel lonely?
Yeah! Sure gets lonesome
Yes, I feel extremely lonely
Don't it ever get sad when you go out on the road?
Do you never feel sad when you travel?
Oh, there was one time in Minneapolis when I thought I had the clap for sure
There was one time in Minneapolis when I thought I had a sexually transmitted infection
Lonesome ain't the word
There are no words to describe how lonely I am
Don't it ever get sad when you go out on a thirty day tour?
Do you never feel sad when you travel for 30 days?
Oh, I'll take away
I'll forget about it
You got nothing but groupies and promoters to love you
The only people who seem to care about you are groupies and promoters
And a pile of laundry by the hotel door
All you have waiting for you at the hotel is a pile of dirty laundry
Don't it ever get lonesome?
Do you never feel lonely?
Don't it ever give a young man the blues?
Don't you ever feel depressed as a young man?
Don't it ever get lonesome?
Do you never feel lonely?
Don't it ever make a young man wanna go back home?
Don't you ever feel like going back home as a young man?
When the P.A. system eats it,
When the sound system fails,
And the band plays some of the most terriblest shit you've ever known
And the band plays some really bad music
Don't you ever miss your
Don't you ever long for your
House in the country and your
home in the countryside and your
Hot little mama too?
lover too?
Don't you better get a
Shouldn't you get a
Shot from the doctor what the
Vaccine from the doctor to prevent what
Road Ladies do to you?
Road Ladies can do to your health?
I know someday I will never,
I know someday I will never,
I'll never go out on the road again, oh, yeah
I'll never travel on the road again
I know someday I will never,
I know someday I will never,
I ain't gonna roam the countryside
I won't travel through the countryside
No more
anymore
I'm gonna hang up them ol' Holiday Inns, yeah
I'll stop staying at those old Holiday Inns
And heal my knees up,
And take care of my knees,
From when I was doin' it on the floor
From the strain of performing on the floor
See me doing it!
See me performing!
See me do it on the floor
See me performing on the floor
Don't you ever miss your
Don't you ever long for your
House in the country and your
home in the countryside and your
Hot little mama too?
lover too?
Don't you better get a
Shouldn't you get a
Shot from the doctor what the
Vaccine from the doctor to prevent what
Road Ladies do to you?
Road Ladies can do to your health?
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Zappa
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind