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.
Sleep Dirt
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got that tempo?
Hm hm
Heh!
Gettin' tired?
No, fingers got stuck!
The opening lines of Frank Zappa's Sleep Dirt are quite peculiar and don't make much sense at first glance. However, upon closer inspection, they may hint at the nature of the song. The song is quite repetitive and has a steady tempo, which is why the first line may be asking if the tempo is correct. This sets the mood for a hypnotic experience that may be akin to drifting off to sleep or a dreamlike state. When Zappa asks if the listener is tired, he may be implying that the song has a lulling quality to it. The final line about fingers getting stuck may reflect the trance-like state that the listener is supposed to be in.
As the song progresses, it features a variety of instruments, including a saxophone and electric guitar. The saxophone parts are particularly noteworthy as they add a haunting quality to the song. The overall soundscape is quite textured, with different instruments and sound effects blending together seamlessly. It's almost as if the listener is being transported to a different world. The lyrics don't have a clear narrative, but they do evoke dream-like imagery. For example, one line goes, "Naked in the desert with a stake in your ass". This is likely a symbol rather than a literal description. The song seems to explore the abstract nature of dreams and the subconscious mind.
Line by Line Meaning
Heh!
A vocal expression used to get the attention of the listeners.
Got that tempo?
Asking if the tempo of the music is correct or if it needs adjusting.
Hm hm
A vocal expression used to acknowledge understanding or agreement.
Heh!
A vocal expression used to get the attention of the listeners.
Gettin' tired?
Asking if fatigue is setting in.
No, fingers got stuck!
A playful excuse for not playing well, blaming it on stuck fingers rather than lack of skill or practice.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
And I
27 years without Zappa today... He will never be equaled
Frederik E
He had scrambled an orchestra of 20 pro musicians that played all kind of weird?..instruments and therefore weird sounds
when he was invited at a show to introduce himself and his musically ART to the public.His instrument was a Bike for plucking the spokes and blowing through its handlebar..
jordian me
This is the best guitar solo ever played. The crescendo that leads to 1:02 is dramatically beautiful. You feel those notes inside the bones.
Nelson Fundamento
i couldn´t agree more, my friend.
martin ratcliffe
I'm feeling the whole thing in my bone
Anke Unruh
some words of yours to take as another hint to try to listen this very night
lupash
who's playing the solo? Zappa? I've always thought Zappa is actually playing that beautiful arpeggio
dairymilk ooarr
@lupash Zappa is playing the solo..you hear the arpeggiator asking "at this tempo?" at the beginning, and zappa responds "mm-hmm"
Andy Okus
The only real Zappa album I bought. It's great! He was musically so authentic. So mocking of commercial jive. It's depressing to even call yourself a musician compared to him.
Kevin Lee
This is just one of those songs that has stuck to my ribs for my entire life. I feel like a weepy old man crying at the opera when I hear it.