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.
Spider Of Destiny
Frank Zappa Lyrics
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You must heed the call of cosmo-biology
Listen to me
If you eat the earthlings now
Things will all be fine and then
We'll repair our love somehow
And resume the busy schedule of our ruthless conquest once again
Listen carefully, spider of destiny
I will not allow this marvelous opportunity to be taken from me
Taken from me
Eat the earth people, eat them and chew them and brutally
Stomp on the rest of what's left and then report to me
For the conquest of earth and the moon and the stars
And the space in between, all the comets and stars will be ours
Eat the earth people, eat them and chew them and brutally
Stomp on the rest of what's left
Frank Zappa's song "Spider Of Destiny" is a satirical critique of imperialism and colonialism. In the lyrics, Zappa portrays himself as an authoritarian figure trying to convince a spider, who represents a colonizing force, to consume the earth and its inhabitants. The spider is told that by doing so, they will be able to resume their "ruthless conquest" of the universe. The language used is forceful and aggressive, emphasizing the disregard for the lives of the earthlings and their planet. Zappa's lyrics reflect the colonialist mentality of those who seek to exploit and dominate at any cost.
However, the song is a commentary on the absurdity and selfishness of such a worldview. By portraying the spider as a mindless, obedient subject to a leader's whims, Zappa highlights the lack of critical thinking and individual agency in imperialistic mindsets. The spider's blind obedience to the leader's commands serves as a critique of those who blindly follow the orders of their leaders without questioning their actions or motives.
Overall, "Spider Of Destiny" is a biting critique of imperialism and colonialism, lampooning the selfishness and foolishness of those who seek to dominate and exploit others. It is a reminder of the dangers of blind obedience and the importance of critical thought and individual agency in resisting oppressive systems.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen carefully, spider of destiny
Pay close attention, spider of destiny
You must heed the call of cosmo-biology
You must follow the laws of the universe
Listen to me
Pay attention to what I say
If you eat the earthlings now
If you consume the people living on Earth at this moment
Things will all be fine and then
Everything will be okay afterwards
We'll repair our love somehow
We will fix our relationship in some way
And resume the busy schedule of our ruthless conquest once again
And continue our merciless mission without delay
I will not allow this marvelous opportunity to be taken from me
I won't permit this wonderful chance to slip away
Taken from me
To be removed from my possession
Stomp on the rest of what's left and then report to me
Crush any remaining items and then come back to me
For the conquest of earth and the moon and the stars
To achieve the victory over Earth, the Moon, and the stars
And the space in between, all the comets and stars will be ours
As well as the space in between them, we'll own all the comets and stars
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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