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.
Who Needs the Peace Corps?
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who needs the peace corps?
Think I'll just DROP OUT
I'll go to Frisco
Buy a wig & sleep
On Owsley's floor
Walked past the wig store
I'm completely stoned
I'm hippy & I'm trippy
I'm a gypsy on my own
I'll stay a week & get the crabs &
Take a bus back home
I'm really just a phony
But forgive me
'Cause I'm stoned
Every town must have a place
Where phony hippies meet
Psychedelic dungeons
Popping up on every street
GO TO SAN FRANCISCO . . .
How I love ya, How I love ya
How I love ya, How I love ya Frisco!
How I love ya, How I love ya
How I love ya, How I love ya
Oh, my hair is getting good in the back!
Every town must have a place
Where phony hippies meet
Psychedelic dungeons
Popping up on every street
GO TO SAN FRANCISCO . . .
Hotcha!
First I'll buy some beads
And then perhaps a leather band
To go around my head
Some feathers and bells
And a book of Indian lore
I will ask the Chamber Of Commerce
How to get to Haight Street
And smoke an awful lot of dope
I will wander around barefoot
I will have a psychedelic gleam in my eye at all times
I will love everyone
I will love the police as they kick the shit out of me on the street
I will sleep . . .
I will, I will go to a house
That's, that's what I will do
I will go to a house
Where there's a rock & roll band
'Cause the groups all live together
And I will join a rock & roll band
I will be their road manager
And I will stay there with them
And I will get the crabs
But I won't care
Because . . .
The lyrics of Frank Zappa's 'Who Needs the Peace Corps?' are an embodiment of the hippie culture of the '60s. Zappa, who was a staunch critic of the counterculture movement, uses this song to satirize the hippie lifestyle prevalent in San Francisco. The chorus line, "What's there to live for? Who needs the peace corps?" is a clear indication of Zappa's disdain for the hippie ideals, which he considered to be void of any substance or meaningfulness. The song's narrator describes his intention to drop out of society, buy a wig, and sleep on Owsley's floor - a reference to Owsley Stanley, a prominent figure in the psychedelic movement who was known for his LSD production. The singer plans to attend the Fillmore, a music venue that hosted several famous rock bands of the era, and get stoned.
As the song progresses, Zappa's lyrics mock the supposed spirituality of the hippie culture by referring to "phony hippies" and "psychedelic dungeons popping up on every street." The singer plans to walk around barefoot, sleep with a rock 'n' roll band, and love the police who kick him on the street. Zappa's lyrics are a sharp critique of a generation that he believed was lost and misguided.
Overall, 'Who Needs the Peace Corps?' is a biting critique of the hippie lifestyle and the counterculture movement of the '60s. Zappa's lyrics present a cynical view of a culture that he believed was superficial, self-indulgent, and ultimately devoid of meaning.
Line by Line Meaning
What's there to live for?
What is life really about?
Who needs the peace corps?
Why should anyone join the peace corps? What's the point?
Think I'll just DROP OUT
Maybe I should just give up on trying to be something and just drop out of society.
I'll go to Frisco
I'll head to San Francisco.
Buy a wig & sleep
Maybe I'll buy a wig and sleep on someone's floor.
On Owsley's floor
Specifically, I might sleep on Owsley's floor.
Walked past the wig store
I've arrived in San Francisco and I'm exploring.
Danced at the Fillmore
I visited the music venue The Fillmore and danced there.
I'm completely stoned
I'm under the influence of drugs, probably marijuana.
I'm hippy & I'm trippy
I have embraced the hippie counterculture and I am feeling a little out of it.
I'm a gypsy on my own
I'm free-spirited and wandering around on my own.
I'll stay a week & get the crabs &
I'll stay in San Francisco for a little while, possibly catching an STD.
Take a bus back home
Eventually I'll leave San Francisco and go back home.
I'm really just a phony
I may not really be a true hippie, but I'm playing the part for now.
But forgive me
Sorry if I'm not a true believer, but don't hold it against me.
'Cause I'm stoned
I'm high right now.
Every town must have a place
There is probably a place like Haight-Ashbury in every town, where hippies gather.
Where phony hippies meet
Where people who aren't really hippies can go and pretend.
Psychedelic dungeons
There are underground and obscure places (like dungeons) in many cities where drugs and alternative culture are prevalent.
Popping up on every street
These places are becoming more and more common.
GO TO SAN FRANCISCO . . .
Come to San Francisco, where all the cool stuff is happening!
How I love ya, How I love ya
I really love San Francisco!
Oh, my hair is getting good in the back!
My long hair is starting to grow out and look good!
First I'll buy some beads
I'll get some stereotypical hippie accessories, like beaded necklaces.
And then perhaps a leather band
Maybe I'll get a leather headband.
To go around my head
To complete my hippie look.
Some feathers and bells
I'll add even more accessories.
And a book of Indian lore
Might as well learn about some Native American culture too.
I will ask the Chamber Of Commerce
I'll ask someone official where I can find the coolest hippie stuff.
How to get to Haight Street
I want to get to Haight-Ashbury, where all the hippies are hanging out.
And smoke an awful lot of dope
I plan on doing a lot of drugs.
I will wander around barefoot
I'll really embrace the stereotype of hippies going barefoot.
I will have a psychedelic gleam in my eye at all times
I'll always look like I'm on drugs, whether I'm actually high or not.
I will love everyone
I'll be very accepting of everyone I meet.
I will love the police as they kick the shit out of me on the street
I'll even try to be friendly with the police, even if they treat me poorly.
I will sleep . . .
I'll probably take a nap somewhere.
I will, I will go to a house
I'll find a place to stay.
That's, that's what I will do
That's my plan.
Where there's a rock & roll band
Maybe I'll even find a place to stay where there's cool music playing.
'Cause the groups all live together
Perhaps it's even a place full of other musicians and artists.
And I will join a rock & roll band
Maybe I'll even become a part of the music scene myself.
I will be their road manager
I'll help out the band in whatever way I can.
And I will stay there with them
I'll become a part of their community.
And I will get the crabs
Again, I might get an STD.
But I won't care
But it won't bother me too much.
Because . . .
That's just the kind of life I'm trying to live right now, full of spontaneity and carefree attitudes.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Zappa
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind