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.
Steal Away
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Somehow
Not tomorrow
Right now
I know it's late
Oh, I can't wait
Come on and steal away
Please, steal away
Now don't start thinking
Trying to make up your mind
Your folks are sleeping
Let's not waste any time
I know it's late
Oh, I can't wait
Come on and steal away
Please, steal away
I know it's wrong
Asking this of you
There's no other way
I can be with you
If only your folks
Would approve
Things like these
We wouldn't have to do
Oh, I won't tell
Anybody else
I'll keep it to myself
I know it's late
Oh, I can't wait
Come on, and steal away
Please, steal away
I know it's wrong
Asking this of you
There's no other way
I can be with you
If only your folks
Would approve
Things like these
We wouldn't have to do
Oh, I won't tell
Anybody else
I'll keep it to myself
I know it's late
Oh, I can't wait
Come on, steal away
Please, steal away
'Cause I need you
Yes I do
Oh, by my side
Yes, yeah
'Cause I need you
The lyrics of Frank Zappa's "Steal Away" speaks about a longing for someone that the singer cannot be with due to societal restrictions. The singer is asking this person to sneak out and be with him at that moment. He acknowledges that it may be wrong to ask someone to do something against their parents' will but expresses that there is no other way for them to be together. The lyrics highlight a sense of urgency as the singer cannot wait until tomorrow to see this person, and he wants them to steal away right now.
The song reflects the restrictions and societal norms of the time in which it was written. It touches upon issues of teenage rebellion and young love, where societal expectations hinder one's ability to be with the person they love. The lyrics also suggest that the two lovers have to take matters into their own hands to make their relationship work, which may involve breaking some rules to be together.
The song's overall tone is one of desperation and longing. It is a reflection of how the two individuals involved are willing to take extreme measures to be together. The lyrics suggest that they have to steal away to be together, highlighting the secrets they have to keep to maintain their relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got to see you
I cannot wait any longer to be in your company.
Somehow
In any way possible.
Not tomorrow
I don't want to give it another day.
Right now
Immediately.
I know it's late
I am aware that the hour is uncharacteristic of a formal visit.
Oh, I can't wait
My eagerness to see you has reached a threshold.
Come on and steal away
We have to sneak out without being detected by anyone.
Please, steal away
I beg you to take the risk of running away with me.
Now don't start thinking
Avoid analyzing the request I am making.
Trying to make up your mind
Do not overthink it and come up with reasons to say no.
Your folks are sleeping
Your parents are in their beds, and they cannot know about our escape.
Let's not waste any time
We have to do it quickly before the circumstances change.
I know it's wrong
I understand that it is not a socially acceptable course of action.
Asking this of you
Requesting your assistance to act in defiance of your parents' wishes.
There's no other way
We have no other option than to escape.
I can be with you
The only chance I have to be close to you is by running away.
If only your folks
If your parents sanctioned our love life, the current situation will not be necessary.
Would approve
If your parents agreed, we could have avoided this, and things would be different.
Things like these
Complicated and illegal actions.
We wouldn't have to do
Our decision to 'steal away' would have been unnecessary.
Oh, I won't tell
I promise not to reveal our secret to anyone else.
Anybody else
No third party will take part or know about our secret escape.
I'll keep it to myself
I will not reveal to anyone your part in our escape.
'Cause I need you
I cannot leave without you.
Yes I do
Without any doubt, I am not leaving without you.
Oh, by my side
Side by side we will face the world.
Yes, yeah
Certainly, absolutely.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jimmy Hughes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind