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.
Take Your Clothes Of When You Dance
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who is lonely will be free . . .
TO SING & DANCE & LOVE
There will come a time when every evil
That we know will be an evil . . .
THAT WE CAN RISE ABOVE
Who cares if hair is long or short
WE KNOW THAT HAIR AIN'T WHERE IT'S AT
(there will come a time when you won't even be ashamed if you are fat!)
WAH WAH-WAH WAH
La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la (a-a-ah!)
La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la (oo-wee-ooh!)
Diddle-diddle-dee
(Diddle-diddle-dee)
Diddle-diddle-dee
(Diddle-diddle-dee)
Diddle-diddle-dee
(Diddle-diddle-dee)
Diddle-diddle-dee
(Diddle-diddle-dee)
La la la la la la la la la la la la
La la la la la
WAH WAH-WAH WAH
There will come a time when everybody
Who is lonely will be free . . .
TO SING & DANCE & LOVE (dance and love)
There will come a time when every evil
That we know will be an evil . . .
THAT WE CAN RISE ABOVE (rise above)
Who cares if you're so poor you can't afford
To buy a pair of Mod A Go-Go stretch-elastic pants . . .
THERE WILL COME A TIME WHEN YOU CAN EVEN
TAKE YOUR CLOTHES OFF WHEN YOU DANCE
Frank Zappa's song "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance" is a satirical commentary on the shallow and materialistic nature of American society during the 1960s. The lyrics reveal a vision for a future where people are free to express themselves without fear of judgement or societal expectations. Zappa sings about a time when loneliness will be eradicated, and people will be free to sing, dance, and love without inhibition. He predicts a time when the concept of evil will be redefined and dismantled, and people will no longer be held down by superficial notions of beauty, wealth, or physical appearance.
Zappa specifically critiques the obsession with fashion and appearance that was prevalent during the 1960s. He cites examples of people who are judged based on their hair length, color, and style, as well as their weight and clothing preferences. Zappa argues that these factors are utterly irrelevant to a person's worth and should not determine that person's ability to express themselves freely. Instead, he imagines a world where people are valued for their individuality, creativity, and talent.
Overall, "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance" is a provocative and insightful critique of societal norms, challenging listeners to imagine a better, more authentic world where people can express themselves without fear of judgement or stigma.
Line by Line Meaning
There will come a time when everybody
Who is lonely will be free...
To sing & dance & love
A time will come when everyone who feels lonely will be free to express themselves through singing, dancing, and loving.
There will come a time when every evil
That we know will be an evil...
That we can rise above
A time will come when all known evil will be conquerable and surmountable.
Who cares if hair is long or short
Or sprayed or partly grayed...
We know that hair ain't where it's at
The length, color, or style of one's hair does not determine their value or worth as a person.
(there will come a time when you won't
Even be ashamed if you are fat!)
The time will come when people won't feel ashamed or judged because of their weight.
Wah wah-wah wah
Instrumental interlude
There will come a time when everybody
Who is lonely will be free...
To sing & dance & love (dance and love)
A time will come when everyone who feels lonely will be free to express themselves through singing, dancing, and loving.
There will come a time when every evil
That we know will be an evil...
That we can rise above (rise above)
A time will come when all known evil will be conquerable and surmountable.
Who cares if you're so poor you can't afford
To buy a pair of mod a go-go stretch-elastic pants...
There will come a time when you can even
Take your clothes off when you dance
Poverty will not be a barrier to a person's expression of love through dance, and they can strip off their clothes while dancing without being judged due to socioeconomic status.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Zappa
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind