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.
Soft Sell Conclusions
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Friends in the vegetable kingdom. they
Think: oh, ah, what can I say? what can
A person like myself say to a vegetable?
But the answer is simple, my friends:
Just call, and tell them how you feel
About muffins...pumpkins...wax
Paper...caledonia, mahoganies, elbows
Soon, a new rapport...you and your
New little green and yellow buddies,
Grooving together...oh, no! maintaining
Your coolness together! worshipping
Together in the church of your
Choice...(only in america...)
Call any vegetable call it by name
Aw, you gotta call one today
When you get off the train
Call any vegetable
And the chances are good
Wow! that the vegetable will respond to you
Oh, no! can you see them responding? the
Pumpkin is breathing hard...h-h-h-h
H-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h - h - hhhhhhhhhhhh!
(what a pumpkin!)
This quirky and tongue-in-cheek song by Frank Zappa seems to be a call to people to connect and communicate with the natural world, specifically with vegetables. The first verse begins by acknowledging how people often feel awkward or unsure about how to connect with vegetables, as they are obviously not capable of conversing in the same way humans are. However, Zappa suggests that it's actually quite simple - just call out to them and share your feelings on random topics like muffins, mahoganies, or green things in general. By doing so, you can establish a newfound rapport with your "little green and yellow buddies" and groove together, while maintaining your "coolness" and "worshipping together in the church of your choice" - all uniquely American experiences, according to Zappa.
The chorus then urges listeners to take action and call any vegetable by name, assuring them that the vegetable will likely respond. At this point, the song takes on a more theatrical and imaginative quality, exaggerating and personifying the vegetables' responses. For example, the pumpkin is depicted as breathing heavily and making strange noises in response to the call. The overall tone of the song is playful and whimsical, underscored by Zappa's signature eclectic and unconventional musical style.
Line by Line Meaning
A lot of people don't bother about their
Many individuals fail to pay attention to their
Friends in the vegetable kingdom. they
Vegetables, seen as friends, are often overlooked by these people.
Think: oh, ah, what can I say? what can
They sometimes wonder what to do or say with these vegetable friends.
A person like myself say to a vegetable?
They don't know what to tell the vegetables because of differences in being and communication.
But the answer is simple, my friends:
Frank suggests that it's not so hard as it seems.
Just call, and tell them how you feel
Simply reach out with your message
About muffins...pumpkins...wax
Talk to them about anything you're fond of like muffins or wax.
Paper...caledonia, mahoganies, elbows
Bring up unique and obscure topics like Caledonia or mahogany or even elbows.
...green things in general...and
Include any green item in your conversation.
Soon, a new rapport...you and your
It will result in a new understanding between you and these plant friends.
New little green and yellow buddies,
The vegetable kingdom has now expanded your social life.
Grooving together...oh, no! maintaining
Frank envisions that you're now dancing with vegetables and being hip simultaneously.
Your coolness together! worshipping
A new sense of coolness and perhaps even religious bond has now started.
Together in the church of your
And this place of worship is the vegetable kingdom, and you're now part of it!
Choice...(only in america...)
The church of your choice exists only in America or could pertain to any patriotic sense of belonging.
Call any vegetable call it by name
Name a vegetable to help start this new line of conversation.
Aw, you gotta call one today
Frank is saying that you must connect with your vegetable friend today.
When you get off the train
It could be as simple as contacting a nearby vegetable after you go home.
And the chances are good
Frank feels that the odds are favorable for a good response.
Wow! that the vegetable will respond to you
And the reaction from the vegetable makes Frank ecstatic!
Oh, no! can you see them responding? the
Frank imagines, and laughs at, a pumpkin gasping for air as it responds to your call, playfully suggesting that your relationship with your vegetables is now even more vivid.
Pumpkin is breathing hard...h-h-h-h
Frank devises an entertaining vision of a pumpkin reacting to your call.
H-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h - h - hhhhhhhhhhhh!
The sound produced was a joyous response of communication between yourselves and your now lively vegetables.
(what a pumpkin!)
Frank is filled with mirth and amazement at how simple, yet effective, this new mode of understanding between you and your vegetable friend has become.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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