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.
Son Of Suzy Creamcheese
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What's got into ya?
Suzy you were such a sweetie
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Once you were my one and only
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Blow your mind on too much cool-aid
Took my stash and left me lonely
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Suzy Creamcheese, Oh, baby, now
What's got into ya?
Suzy Creamcheese, Oh, mama, now
What's got into ya?
Got to find my Suzy Creamcheese
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Think I'll go and start my car
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Really dig her, she's so freaky
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Heard The Heat knows where you are
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Suzy Creamcheese, Oh, baby, now
What's got into ya?
Suzy Creamcheese, Oh, mama, now
What's got into ya?
Cruised the Strip and went to Canter's
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Suzy Creamcheese, please come home
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Vito said she split for Berkeley
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Protest-marching Styrofoam
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Suzy Creamcheese, Oh, baby, now
What's got into ya?
Suzy Creamcheese, Oh, mama, now
What's got into ya?
In Frank Zappa's "Son of Suzy Creamcheese," a worried and distraught narrator is searching for his former lover, Suzy Creamcheese, who has transformed from a sweet, innocent girl into a rebellious and erratic figure. The phrase "Suzy Creamcheese" was originally coined by Zappa in the 1966 album "Freak Out!," where it was used as an archetype for the stereotypical California hippie girl. The lyrics suggest that Suzy's transformation may have been caused by her excessive drug use, as the singer accuses her of "blowing her mind on too much Kool-Aid."
Further into the lyrics, the singer attempts to locate Suzy by cruising the Sunset Strip and visiting Canter's Deli, both well-known hangouts for LA's counterculture scene. However, he ultimately discovers that Suzy has left for Berkeley to join a protest movement. The song reflects the social and cultural upheavals of the late 1960s, with references to hippie slang and events such as student protests.
Overall, "Son of Suzy Creamcheese" portrays the transformation of a once-innocent girl into a radical activist, the cultural clashes of the era, and the difficulties of coming to terms with personal change.
Line by Line Meaning
Suzy Creamcheese, Oh, mama, now
Addressing Suzy and questioning why she's changed
What's got into ya?
Asking Suzy what has caused her change in behavior
Suzy you were such a sweetie
Reminding Suzy of her former self
Once you were my one and only
Recalling the intimacy between the singer and Suzy
Blow your mind on too much cool-aid
Suggesting Suzy has indulged in excess and lost control
Took my stash and left me lonely
Blaming Suzy for taking away the singer's possessions and leaving him isolated
Got to find my Suzy Creamcheese
Expressing the singer's desire to locate Suzy
Think I'll go and start my car
Preparing to go search for Suzy
Really dig her, she's so freaky
Admitting the singer's attraction to Suzy's unconventional behavior
Heard The Heat knows where you are
Seeking help from the band 'The Heat' in finding Suzy
Cruised the Strip and went to Canter's
Describing the singer's search for Suzy in different locations
Suzy Creamcheese, please come home
Pleading with Suzy to return home
Vito said she split for Berkeley
Disclosing what someone named Vito said about Suzy leaving for Berkeley
Protest-marching Styrofoam
Implying Suzy is involved in a political protest
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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