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.
Stairway to Heaven
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And she's buying a stairway to Heaven
When she gets there she knows
If the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for
Ooo-oooh
And she's buying a stairway to Heaven
But she wants to be sure
Cause you know sometimes words have
Two meanings
In a tree by the brook
There's a songbird who sings
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misleading
Oooh makes me wonder
Oh-ooooh makes me wonder
There's a feeling I get
When I look to the west
And my spirit is crying for leaving
In my thoughts I have seen
Rings of smoke through the trees
And the voices of those who stand looking
And oooh makes me wonder
And oh-ooooh makes me wonder
And it's whispered that soon
If we all call the tune
Then the piper will lead us to reason
And a new day will dawn
For those who stand long
And the forests will echo with laughter
Yes it makes me wonder
And owowowow, no
If there's a bustle in your hedgerow
Don't be alarmed now
It's just a spring clean for the May-queen
Yes there are two paths you can go by
But in the long run
There's still time to change the road you're on
On and on
Said ooooh makes me wonder
And oh-oh-oh-ooooh makes me wonder
Your head is humming and it won't go
In case you don't know
The piper's calling you to join him
Dear lady can you hear the wind blow
And did you know
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind
Say!
Say!
Mother, Mary & Yozuf!
And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to know
How everything still turns to gold
And if you listen very hard
The news will come to you at last
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll
And she's buying a stairway to Heaven
The song "Stairway to Heaven" by Frank Zappa is one of the most popular and enduring songs of all time. Many people have tried to interpret the lyrics, but there are many different meanings that can be taken from the song. One interpretation is that it is about a woman who is chasing after money and material possessions in order to find her way to heaven. She believes that everything that glitters is gold and is buying a stairway to heaven with her wealth. However, Zappa warns that she might not find the happiness and satisfaction she is looking for with material things.
The song also explores the idea of duality and the concept that things are not always what they seem. Zappa suggests that some words have two meanings and that sometimes our thoughts can be misleading. He also hints at the idea that there are two paths that one can take in life, with one leading to happiness and the other leading to destruction. However, he argues that there is always time to change the road one is on and that if we listen closely, we can hear the whispering wind calling us to our true destiny.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold
There's a woman who is quite certain that everything that sparkles is valuable
And she's buying a stairway to Heaven
She is trying to purchase a path to heaven
When she gets there she knows
She believes she knows what will happen once she reaches her destination
If the stores are all closed
In the event that the shops are shut
With a word she can get what she came for
She can easily obtain what she wants with just a word
There's a sign on the wall
A sign can be seen on the wall
But she wants to be sure
She needs to be absolutely certain about something
Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings
Words can be interpreted and perceived in different ways by different individuals
In a tree by the brook
A tree is located close by the brook
There's a songbird who sings
A singing songbird can be heard
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misleading
Our thoughts can often mislead us
There's a feeling I get
I experience a certain sensation
When I look to the west
When I observe towards the western direction
And my spirit is crying for leaving
My soul yearns to move on
In my thoughts I have seen
I have visualized in my mind
Rings of smoke through the trees
Smoke rings surrounding the trees
And the voices of those who stand looking
Voices of people who stand and watch
And it's whispered that soon
There is a rumor spreading
If we all call the tune
If we all work together
Then the piper will lead us to reason
The musician will guide us towards rationality
And a new day will dawn
A fresh start will commence
For those who stand long
For those who stay and persevere
And the forests will echo with laughter
The woods will resonate with joyous sounds
If there's a bustle in your hedgerow
If you notice commotion in your surroundings
Don't be alarmed now
Don't get anxious or worried at this moment
It's just a spring clean for the May-queen
It's just a cleaning activity associated with the May-queen
Yes there are two paths you can go by
There are two distinct ways which can be chosen
But in the long run
In the end
There's still time to change the road you're on
It's not too late to alter the path you've taken
Your head is humming and it won't go
You have a persistent sound ringing in your head
In case you don't know
In the event that you are unaware
The piper's calling you to join him
The musician is summoning you to join him
Dear lady can you hear the wind blow
My dear lady, can you perceive the sound of the wind?
And did you know
Were you aware
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind
The path you must take is carried by the whispering wind
And as we wind on down the road
As we travel down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul
Our shadows are longer than our souls
There walks a lady we all know
A well-known woman walks over there
Who shines white light and wants to know
She is glowing with bright light and is eager to inquire
How everything still turns to gold
How all things continue to turn valuable
And if you listen very hard
If you listen carefully
The news will come to you at last
You will finally receive the information
When all are one and one is all
When everyone is united and everything is connected
To be a rock and not to roll
To stand strong and not be swayed
And she's buying a stairway to Heaven
And she still buys a path to heaven
Contributed by Elijah F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Frankincensed
After hearing the original 2 million times, this is the only version I can listen to. Very touching
XanAxDdu
touching is the absolute right tight term i agree totally with it and with you and with frank
Tick, Trick und Track
@Frankincensed:100% true also for me.
sajid
This and the Dread Zeppelin version :)
keelanp53
Amen!!!!
Larry Glusak
The only thing touching is Frank Zappa, He IS TOUCHED, in his head.
David Vollmar
I can't thank Frank enough. He reinvented music. 💘
David Forshaw
👍
121zoso
I think Frank must have secretly loved that song. Its such a incredible cover.
wayne elliott
He didn't. You obviously don't know Frank's satire.