Frank Vincent Zappa (born December 21, 1940 in Baltimore, Maryland, United … Read Full Bio ↴Frank Vincent Zappa (born December 21, 1940 in Baltimore, Maryland, United States – December 4, 1993 in Los Angeles, California, United States) was an American composer, guitarist, singer, bandleader and producer. He was one of the most prolific musicians of his time, releasing over fifty albums of original material spanning over a thirty-five year career.

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.

Village Of The Sun
Frank Zappa Lyrics

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[Chorus]
Goin' back home
To the Village of the Sun
Out in back of Palmdale
Where the turkey farmers run, I done
Made up my mind
And I know I'm gonna go to Sun
Village, good God I hope the

Wind don't blow

It take the paint off your car
And wreck your windshield too,
I don't know how the people stand it,
But I guess they do
Cause they're all still there,
Even Johnny Franklin too
In the Village of the Sun
Village of the Sun
Village of the Sun, son
(Sun Village to you)

Little Mary, and Teddy, and Thelma too
Where Palmdale Bouldevard
Cuts on through
Past the Village Inn and Barbecue
(I heard it ain't there,
Well I hope it ain't true)
Where the stumblers gonna go
To watch the lights turn blue
Where the stumblers gonna go
To watch the lights turn
Blue

[Chorus]

It take the paint off your car
And wreck your windshield too,
I don't know how the people stand it,
But I guess they do
Cause they're all still there,
Even Johnny Franklin too
In the Village of the Sun
Village of the Sun

Village of the Sun, son
(Sun Village to you)

Overall Meaning

The song 'Village of the Sun,' written by Frank Zappa, talks about going back home to the place where the turkey farmers run. We can assume that the song refers to Palmdale, California, which is the turkey capital of the world. The chorus expresses a desire to return home to Sun Village but expresses concerns about the harsh winds that can take the paint off your car and wreck your windshield. Despite this, the people of Sun Village continue to stay put, including Johnny Franklin.

The verses talk about the familiar streets and bars of Sun Village. 'Little Mary, and Teddy, and Thelma too' are mentioned, suggesting the community's familiarity and interconnectedness. The lyrics describe a particular spot, the Village Inn and Barbecue, where people gather to watch the lights turn blue. The song seems to be a nostalgic reflection on the singer's hometown, a place where the people are tough and hardy enough to withstand the unforgiving winds, and the community is tight-knit.

Overall, the song 'Village of the Sun' is an ode to one's hometown, a place where the people and places are familiar, and memories hold significance. Despite the harsh conditions, the people of Sun Village have stayed put, creating a sense of community that the songwriter longs to return to.

Line by Line Meaning

Goin' back home
Returning to my hometown

To the Village of the Sun
To the place where the sun shines often

Out in back of Palmdale
Near to Palmdale, California

Where the turkey farmers run, I done
Where the people who farm turkeys live

Made up my mind
Have decided

And I know I'm gonna go to Sun
I'm definitely going to Sun

Village, good God I hope the
I hope that the

Wind don't blow
Wind doesn't come

It take the paint off your car
Wind is so strong it can take away the paint on your car

And wreck your windshield too,
Wind can break your windshield

I don't know how the people stand it,
I'm not sure how people endure it