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.
They Made Me Eat It
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Larry: No, I found a corner.
Girl 1: Yeah.
Larry: Yeah.
Larry: Well, not really soundproof but it doesnÂ't bother you as much as outside...you you snek in.
Girl 1: Lucky you found such a big piano, you know.
Larry: You sneak under the back, see ? Way here down here. Get way down here here inside and when you hide in the corner, nobody can find you. See, they canÂ't here nothing Â'cause itÂ's cushioned.
Girl 1 and Larry appear in another area.
"They Made Me Eat It" by Frank Zappa is a song that seems to discuss the experience of outsiders in the music industry. The lyrics provided above are heard in a spoken interlude where two people, named Larry and Girl 1, are discussing the sound of pianos. Larry explains that he has found a corner where he can hide under the back of a large piano and not be bothered by the noise. He describes the piano's insulation as cushioned and says that when he hides in the corner, nobody can find him.
The lyrics can be interpreted in a few different ways. One possible interpretation is that they reflect Zappa's own experience as a musician and composer who often worked in unconventional styles and had a reputation for being difficult to categorize. In this interpretation, the corner where Larry hides could represent Zappa's position on the fringes of the music world, where he could create without being bothered by the noise of the mainstream. The idea of the cushioned insulation could symbolize the protective layer around Zappa's art, which allowed him to experiment and explore without fear of criticism or rejection.
Another possible interpretation of these lyrics is that they reflect a more general sense of alienation or outsider status. Larry's hiding place under the piano could represent the way that some people may feel marginalized or disconnected in a society that values conformity and tradition. The idea of cushioned insulation could represent the safety of isolation, which can protect against the discomfort of being outside the norm.
Overall, "They Made Me Eat It" is a complex and ambiguous song that offers many interpretations. The lyrics provided above are just a small piece of the larger work, which includes references to pornography, censorship, and social stigma. The song is a good example of Zappa's eclectic and often challenging style, which combined elements of rock, jazz, and classical music, as well as his satirical approach to the music world and beyond.
Line by Line Meaning
Girl 1: What's it like when... when they play piano ? Does it hurt your ears ?
Girl 1 inquires about the loudness of the piano and its impact on the ears
Larry: No, I found a corner.
Larry implies that he found a secluded spot to avoid the noise
Girl 1: Yeah.
Girl 1 acknowledges Larry's response
Larry: Yeah.
Larry responds affirmatively
Girl 1: Soundproof.
Girl 1 suggests that a soundproof room would have been ideal
Larry: Well, not really soundproof but it doesn't bother you as much as outside...you snek in.
Larry clarifies that it's not entirely soundproof but it's better than being outside and he snuck in somehow
Girl 1: Lucky you found such a big piano, you know.
Girl 1 admires the size of the piano
Larry: You sneak under the back, see ? Way here down here. Get way down here here inside and when you hide in the corner, nobody can find you. See, they canÂ't here nothing Â'cause itÂ's cushioned.
Larry explains how he was able to get to the secluded corner and mentions that the cushioning helps muffle the noise
Girl 1 and Larry appear in another area.
The scene changes to a different area
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