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.
The Purple Lagoon
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, good evening, ladies and gentlemen
Welcome to our program tonight
Sorry to keep you waiting so long
Just wanted to make sure that everybody got in before we started up
And I'm also sorry that Flo and Eddie couldn't be with us tonight
Their lead guitar player was killed three nights ago in Utah
And they're not, the rest of the band is not feeling too enthusiastic
About performance right now
What?
Thank you, thank you
Alright
And now, what an attractive shirt you have
I'd like to introduce the members of the group to you tonight
This is Ray White on guitar and vocals
Patrick O'Hearn on bass
Terry Bozzio on drums
Eddie Jobson on keyboards and violin
And Bianca, the Bionic Woman, on keyboards and vocals
And, of course, we must begin this program
With a song about your feet
Name of this song is: "Stink-Foot"
The first lines of Frank Zappa's song The Purple Lagoon are actually the opening spiel of a concert. He's introducing the band and making some banter with the audience, apologizing for the delay and also for the absence of some members, as their lead guitar player had been killed. The song that follows this introduction is actually Stink-Foot, and as the title suggests, it's a song about a foot. The lyrics are humorous and satirical, with verses that describe the appearance and smell of this particular foot, and how its odor might affect the people around it. The chorus, however, takes a sarcastic turn and declares that Stink-Foot is actually a "real nice boy," implying that appearances can be deceiving.
The Purple Lagoon itself appears to be just the name of the concert venue or stage, and doesn't have a direct connection to the rest of the song. However, given Zappa's humorous and irreverent style of storytelling, it's possible that he created this name as a tongue-in-cheek reference to something else, or just as a general non-sequitur. The song as a whole reflects Zappa's typical blend of musicality, humor, and social commentary, and Stink-Foot in particular has become a fan favorite over the years.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, good evening, ladies and gentlemen
Frank Zappa welcomes the audience to the show.
Welcome to our program tonight
Frank Zappa greets the audience to his music show.
Sorry to keep you waiting so long
Frank Zappa apologizes for the delay in the program.
Just wanted to make sure that everybody got in before we started up
Frank Zappa ensured that everybody has entered the venue before starting the show.
And I'm also sorry that Flo and Eddie couldn't be with us tonight
Frank Zappa expresses regret for Flo and Eddie's absence from his show.
Flo, for those of you who don't know
Frank Zappa introduces Flo, whom some audience members may not have heard of.
Their lead guitar player was killed three nights ago in Utah
Frank Zappa explains that Flo's lead guitarist died in Utah three nights ago.
And they're not, the rest of the band is not feeling too enthusiastic
Frank Zappa notes the depressing state of the rest of Flo's band.
About performance right now
Frank Zappa explains the lack of enthusiasm from Flo & Eddie band members while performing.
Thank you, thank you
Frank Zappa thanks the audience for their presence in his show.
And now, what an attractive shirt you have
Frank Zappa admires an audience member's attractive shirt.
I'd like to introduce the members of the group to you tonight
Frank Zappa introduces the members of his group to the audience.
Ray White on guitar and vocals
Frank Zappa introduces Ray White, who will be performing guitar and vocal duties.
Patrick O'Hearn on bass
Frank Zappa introduces Patrick O'Hearn, who will play the bass guitar.
Terry Bozzio on drums
Frank Zappa introduces Terry Bozzio, who will play the drums.
Eddie Jobson on keyboards and violin
Frank Zappa introduces Eddie Jobson, who will play keyboards and violin.
And Bianca, the Bionic Woman, on keyboards and vocals
Frank Zappa introduces Bianca, also known as the 'Bionic Woman,' who will play keyboards and provide vocals.
And, of course, we must begin this program
Frank Zappa discusses the start of the program, which must begin in a certain way.
With a song about your feet
Frank Zappa announces the name of his first song, which is called 'Stink-Foot.'
Writer(s): Zappa Frank
Contributed by Elizabeth L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.