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.
This Is All Wrong
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Moon: This is all wrong. This is all wrong
FZ: The pigs run the city, the ponies run the TV station and you wanted to apply for a job
Spider: Some of them wear these jackets that are made out of polished animal skins. It's called leather
John: Leather?
Monica: Oh, and their tight black pants
Spider: It's sort of like plastic, only it's made out of animals
Monica: Yeah
Larry: Um, you can't win 'em all
Moon: Oh!
Mike: Sweetheart . . .
Moon: What?
Mike: If we go to the . . . we could probably be alone
Moon: Yeah
Ali: Wo?
Moon: . . . could drink coffee . . .
Ali: Ja! Kaffe war a scho guat, aba des is a Klavier . . .
Mike: I want some soul food . . .
Moon: . . . it's a heartbeat and it feels like a . . .
Mike: Have you seen "Jungle Fever"?
Moon: . . . a big . . .
Ali: Ha, ha gordum once, sinemaya gittim ben . . .
Mike: "Jungle Fever." The girl with the big butt?
Ali: Bak, bu piyanonun icinde nereden sinema buldun sen?
Moon: This must have been what the brochure was talking about. They said you'd . . . you'd feel a . . . a kind of a serenity . . . a feeling of peace of . . . of . . .
Mike: Hey, why, why don't you shut up?!
Ali: Cocuklar, siz saatlerce kahveden birsey anlatiyorsunuz, ama burada . . . ah, bunlarda acayip sarkilar soyluyorlar . . . acayip, degilmi? Yagmurda basliyor . . .
Moon: . . . entering into a different realm . . . I can't remember the name of it . . .
Mike: Hey, yo man . . . I don't like all this waterfall action
Moon: . . . and I guess that's where most of the part of it's . . . I . . . guess it's all about resolving past crime and everything . . . and . . . also . . . about . . .
Ali: Bence . .
The lyrics of Frank Zappa's song "This Is All Wrong" are presented in a disjointed and disconnected conversation among several characters. The first line of the song, "This is all wrong, this is all wrong," is repeated by Moon and sets the tone for the rest of the song. The song talks about the corruption of power and the disillusionment that arises from it. The characters in the song discuss the pigs that run the city, the ponies that run the TV station and the futility of wanting to apply for a job. They mention the animal skins that people wear as jackets and tight black pants made of leather, which is ironic since it is made of animals. The song ends with Moon talking about resolving past crimes and a feeling of peace, but it is unclear what she is referring to.
The song is a cynical commentary on society that highlights the disillusionment that comes with power, money and corruption. It portrays a society where the powerful are corrupt, and the people are powerless. The use of multiple characters in the song highlights the varying perspectives and attitudes of people towards social issues. It is a complex and meaningful song that tells a story of societal injustice and disillusionment.
Line by Line Meaning
Moon: This is all wrong. This is all wrong
Moon is expressing their dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs
FZ: The pigs run the city, the ponies run the TV station and you wanted to apply for a job
FZ is commenting on the corrupt nature of those in power and how it affects those who seek employment
Spider: Some of them wear these jackets that are made out of polished animal skins. It's called leather
Spider is describing the fashion trend of wearing leather jackets
John: Leather?
John is surprised by the concept of wearing animal skin as clothing
Monica: Oh, and their tight black pants
Monica is commenting on the fashion trend of wearing tight black pants
Spider: It's sort of like plastic, only it's made out of animals
Spider is explaining the material composition of leather
Larry: It's sad, ain't it?
Larry is expressing his disapproval of the use of animal skins for clothing
Monica: Yeah
Monica agrees with Larry's sentiment
Moon: Oh!
Moon is surprised by something
Mike: Sweetheart . . .
Mike is addressing someone affectionately
Moon: What?
Moon is responding to Mike's address
Mike: If we go to the . . . we could probably be alone
Mike is suggesting they go somewhere private
Moon: Yeah
Moon agrees with Mike's suggestion
Ali: Wo?
Ali is asking where they plan on going
Moon: . . . could drink coffee . . .
Moon is suggesting they drink coffee at their destination
Ali: Ja! Kaffe war a scho guat, aba des is a Klavier . . .
Ali is agreeing to the idea of drinking coffee, but commenting on the presence of a piano
Mike: I want some soul food . . .
Mike is expressing his desire for a specific type of cuisine
Moon: . . . it's a heartbeat and it feels like a . . .
Moon is describing the feeling they have about their destination
Mike: Have you seen 'Jungle Fever'?
Mike is asking if Moon has seen a certain movie
Moon: . . . a big . . .
Moon is trying to describe something, but is interrupted
Ali: Bak, bu piyanonun icinde nereden sinema buldun sen?
Ali is questioning how one could find a cinema inside of a piano
Moon: This must have been what the brochure was talking about. They said you'd . . . you'd feel a . . . a kind of a serenity . . . a feeling of peace of . . . of . . .
Moon is recalling something they read in a brochure about the destination they are headed to
Mike: Hey, why, why don't you shut up?!
Mike is telling Moon to be quiet
Ali: Cocuklar, siz saatlerce kahveden birsey anlatiyorsunuz, ama burada . . . ah, bunlarda acayip sarkilar soyluyorlar . . . acayip, degilmi? Yagmurda basliyor . . .
Ali is commenting on the odd behavior of those around them, noting that they are singing strange songs in the rain
Moon: . . . entering into a different realm . . . I can't remember the name of it . . .
Moon is describing the feeling of entering a different mental state, but cannot recall what it is called
Mike: Hey, yo man . . . I don't like all this waterfall action
Mike is expressing a dislike for the waterfall they are seeing
Moon: . . . and I guess that's where most of the part of it's . . . I . . . guess it's all about resolving past crime and everything . . . and . . . also . . . about . . .
Moon is attempting to explain the purpose of their journey, but is unsure of the details
Ali: Bence . . .
Ali begins to express their opinion on something, but their thought is cut off
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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I shouldn’t have been up here
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No