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.
Why Don'tcha Do Me Right?
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why don'tcha do me right?
Why don'tcha do me right?
You got me pulled up tight
Why don'tcha do me right?
You got me beggin' on my knees
You got me beggin' on my knees
Say-in' baby please
Come back to me
You're tryin' to wreck my life
I know you're tryin' to wreck my life
I know you're tryin' to wreck my life
And all I wanted was a wife
I know you're tryin' to wreck my life
Now what you tryin' to do?
Now what you tryin' to do?
Now what you tryin' to do?
I been true to you
Now what you tryin' to do?
Why don'tcha do me right?
Why don'tcha do me right?
Why don'tcha do me right?
You got me pulled up tight
Why don'tcha do me right?
(But baby, I think I love you
But baby, I think I love you)
Why don'tcha do me right?
Why don'tcha do me right?
Why don'tcha do me right?
I wanna boogie yah all night
Why don'tcha do me right?
The song "Why Don'tcha Do Me Right?" by Frank Zappa appears to be about a failing relationship where the singer feels betrayed by their partner's actions. The repeated line "Why don'tcha do me right?" highlights the singer's frustration with their partner's behavior. The following line "You got me pulled up tight" suggests that the actions of their partner have caused the singer emotional distress, leaving them feeling constricted.
The second stanza paints a picture of the singer begging on their knees, asking for their partner to return to them. The line "And all I wanted was a wife" implies that the singer may have had intentions of building a future with their partner. However, their partner seems to be trying to wreck the singer's life, suggesting that their behavior is not conducive to a healthy and stable relationship.
The chorus repeats the same line, bringing emphasis to the main theme of the song. But in the final verse, the singer suggests that despite the situation they still have love for their partner as they say "But baby, I think I love you." Ultimately, the song conveys a sense of frustration, disappointment, and longing for a better relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Why don'tcha do me right?
Asking someone why they are not treating the person well
You got me pulled up tight
Feeling trapped or controlled by the other person
You got me beggin' on my knees
Begging for forgiveness or to be taken back
Say-in' baby please
Asking the other person to come back to the relationship
You're tryin' to wreck my life
Accusing the other person of trying to ruin the person's life
And all I wanted was a wife
Expressing a desire for a long-term committed relationship
Now what you tryin' to do?
Questioning the other person's motives and intentions
I been true to you
Reminding the other person of the loyalty and faithfulness
I wanna boogie yah all night
Expressing the desire to dance or have a good time with the other person
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Zappa
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind