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.
Stuff Up The Cracks
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you decide to leave me, it's all over
I tried to make you happy
I gave you all my love
There's nothing left for me to do but cry
If you decide to leave me, it's all over
If you decide to leave me, it's all over
I gave you all my love
There's nothing left for me to do but cry
Ooo, oo-ooo, ooo, oo-ooo, ooo, oo-ooo
Stuff up the cracks, turn on the gas
I'm gonna take my life. (Stuff 'em up)
If you decide to leave me, it's all over
If you decide to leave me, it's all over
I tried to make you happy
I gave you all my love
There's nothing left for me to do but cry
If you decide to leave me, if you decide to leave me
I'll cry, I'll cry, I'll cry
The lyrics of "Stuff Up the Cracks" by Frank Zappa is a sad and desperate cry for love and companionship. The song depicts the desperation and helplessness of the singer who is trying to hold on to his love but fears losing her. The opening lines of the song, "If you decide to leave me, it's all over," set the tone for what follows. The singer confesses that he has done all he can to make his lover happy, but it seems that his efforts have been in vain. There's nothing more he can do except cry.
The chorus of the song repeats the same sentiment, emphasizing the gravity of the situation. However, the song takes a dark turn in the bridge, with the words "stuff up the cracks, turn on the gas, I'm gonna take my life." The singer is so overcome by his despair that he turns to suicide as an escape from his emotional pain. The lyrics suggest that the only way to hold on to love is by any means necessary, even if it means ending one's own life.
Overall, the song paints a bleak picture of love and relationships. It shows how love can drive people to extremes and leave them feeling helpless and alone.
Line by Line Meaning
If you decide to leave me, it's all over
The singer is deeply afraid of the relationship ending, and believes it would be the ultimate failure.
I tried to make you happy
The singer has tried his best to bring joy and happiness into the relationship.
I gave you all my love
The singer has given his partner everything he has emotionally and physically, and feels depleted as a result.
There's nothing left for me to do but cry
The artist is overwhelmed with sadness and feels like he has exhausted every option.
Stuff up the cracks, turn on the gas
The artist is potentially contemplating suicide as a way to deal with the pain and desperation he feels.
I'm gonna take my life. (Stuff 'em up)
This is a direct statement that the singer is considering ending his own life.
If you decide to leave me, if you decide to leave me
The repetition of this line highlights how much the singer fears abandonment and rejection.
I'll cry, I'll cry, I'll cry
This is an expression of intense emotional pain and the feeling that the artist is powerless to stop it.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Vincent Zappa
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind