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.
Sharleena
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm cryin'
Cryin' for Sharleena.
Can't you see
I called up all my baby's friends
'N ask'n um
Where she done went.
But nobody 'round here seems to know,
Where my Sharleena's been.
Where my Sharleena's been.
Ten long years I have been lovin' here
Ten long years
And I thought deep down in my heart
She was mine.
Ten long years I have been lovin' here
Ten long years and I would call her my baby, and now,
I'm always cryin'.
I would be so delighted.
I would be so delighted.
If they would just
Send her on home to me
The lyrics to "Sharleena" by Frank Zappa are about a man who is desperately searching for his lost love, Sharleena. He is crying and calling all of her friends to try and figure out where she has gone, but no one seems to know where she is. He has been in love with her for ten long years, and believed that she was his. Now, he is constantly crying and pleading for someone to send her back to him.
Throughout the song, Zappa's use of repetition and simple language creates a sense of urgency and desperation. The repetition of "I'm cryin'" in the chorus emphasizes the singer's sadness and frustration, while the repetition of "Ten long years" highlights the length of time he has been searching for Sharleena. The use of colloquial language, such as "done went," adds to the sense of authenticity and realness of the singer's emotions.
Overall, "Sharleena" is a moving song about the pain of lost love and the intensity of longing. Zappa's ability to capture the depth of the singer's emotions through powerful lyrics and simple language makes it a timeless classic.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm cryin'
Expressing sadness and tears are flowing from my eyes.
Cryin' for Sharleena.
Feeling emotional pain for the absence of my lover, Sharleena.
Can't you see
Implying if someone else sees the same discomfort or not.
I called up all my baby's friends
I tried to get in touch with all the friends of my lover.
'N ask'n um
Asking them questions regarding my lover's whereabouts.
Where she done went.
Asking about the physical location where my lover might have gone.
But nobody 'round here seems to know,
However, no one living close to me has any clue about where she might be.
Where my Sharleena's been.
Asking for the location of my lover, Sharleena.
Ten long years I have been lovin' here
It's been a decade since I fell in love with Sharleena.
Ten long years
I loved Sharleena for ten years.
And I thought deep down in my heart
I believed in my heart that Sharleena belonged to me.
She was mine.
I thought I had exclusive ownership over Sharleena’s love and affection.
And now, I'm always cryin'.
Now, I'm going through the emotional pain of not having Sharleena.
I would be so delighted.
If I were to find Sharleena, the resulting joy would be massive.
If they would just Send her on home to me
Requesting to whoever has taken Sharleena away to send her back home to me.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Zappa
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@RaoulDukeSr
A true Maestro and conductor, producer, player, and genuine genius âš¡
@Jclarkhawkins
Amazing song...the rhythm section; drums and bass, are just so on point...I'm cryin'!
@RaoulDukeSr
And Frank arranged it all !!
@thepamesan4184
Chunga's revenge is a very underrated album...
@AlbertoVO5
The Pamesan why do you say it's underrated?
@johnroebuck3532
I don't think it's underrated at all, I think it's a second best album, behind Hot Rats
@jabu003
i don´t think so.........
@Io-Io-Io
Not by me
@johnroebuck3532
Not in my world, it's in my top five
@yaminovitchable
one of frankie"s finest albums!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!