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.
What's New In Baltimore?
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ray White (rhythm guitar, vocals)
Steve Vai(stunt guitar)
Bobby Martin (keyboards, saxophone, vocals)
Tommy Mars(keyboards, vocals)
Scott Thunes (bass)
Ed Mann(percussion)
Chad Wackerman (drums)
Hey! What's new in Baltimore?
Rockin' Robin.
Hey! What's new in Baltimore?
Hot Rod's Lips.
Hey! What's new in Baltimore?
What's new in Baltimore?
Hey! What's new in Baltimore?
I don't know!
Hey! What's new in Baltimore?
Better go back and find out.
What's new in Baltimore?
What's new in Baltimore?
What's new in Baltimore?
Frank Zappa's song "What's New in Baltimore" contains repetitive lyrics that indicate confusion about what's happening in that particular city. The song starts by repeating the question "What's new in Baltimore?" and then listing seemingly random phrases such as "Rockin' Robin" and "Hot Rod's Lips." These phrases don't give any explanations or make any connections to what's happening in the city.
The second half of the song seems to acknowledge the lack of depth in the previous lyrics, as Zappa sings "Hey! What's new in Baltimore? I don't know!" before urging the listener to "Better go back and find out." The song ends with another repetition of the question "What's new in Baltimore?" with no clear answer given.
Overall, the song could be interpreted as commentary on the monotony and banality of daily life, where people often ask what's new or interesting in their hometowns, only to find that not much has changed.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey! What's new in Baltimore?
Introduce the topic of the song: asking what is new in Baltimore, implying there is always something new and interesting happening in this city.
Rockin' Robin.
Suggesting that the lively music scene in Baltimore is comparable to the famous pop hit 'Rockin' Robin'.
Hey! What's new in Baltimore?
Reiterating the question in order to emphasize the importance of staying updated with the city's current events.
Hot Rod's Lips.
Further reinforcing the idea of Baltimore being a happening place, perhaps a reference to a popular stage name of one of the local artists or nightlife spots.
Hey! What's new in Baltimore?
Continuing to probe and encourage the listener to keep exploring.
I don't know!
Acknowledging the uncertainty and admitting the lack of knowledge about the latest developments in the city.
Better go back and find out.
Implying that one needs to do more research and actively seek out information in order to understand what is happening in Baltimore.
What's new in Baltimore?
Repeating the question one last time to highlight the subject matter of the song and provoke curiosity in the audience.
What's new in Baltimore?
Ending with the same line as a way of concluding the song while leaving the answer to the question open-ended.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Zappa
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
T W
I'm 23 and my first ever musical memory is hearing my father play this on guitar. I consider myself very lucky indeed
jamesha175
@Maximum Matt nothing wrong with that
brodelicious
Dweezil, stop lying about your age.
Maximum Matt
My first musical memories were of The Cure and Cindy Lauper and eighties shit like that
K B
Cool shit!
Damon Wood's Harmonious Junk
Hell yes.
Leo Furlage Jr
Been a Zappa fan since I was 17yrs old, now at 63 I’m in awe and still discovering music I’ve never heard before.
X the unknown
Hungry freaks baby.
X the unknown
Became a fan in the 70s. 60 years old. I ate Frank's music up like a burnt weenie sandwich. & still hungry.
dick bouman
Ik ben 70 en ik ervaar het zelfde