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.
Wonderful Wino
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I went downtown and bought me some wine
Oh, I drank it down under the table
I said: watch me now,
I'm gonna eat the label
Well I'm a wino man,
Don't you know I am?
I seen a fine lady
And I started talkin' dirty
Boy, she looked over at me
And she raised her thumb
She said: jam down the road
You bum, bum, bum, bum
I'm a wino man,
Don't you know I am?
I went to the country,
And while I was gone
I lost control of my body functions
On the road ahead at the ladies front lawn
I'm so ashamed,
But I'm a wino man
I can't help myself
I've been drinkin' all night
'Til my eyes got red
Stumbled on the gutter
And busted my head
Bugs in my zoot suit,
Been scratchin' like a dog
I can't stand no water,
And I stink like a hog
Give me a five dollar bill,
And an overcoat too
Give me a five dollar bill,
And an overcoat too
A five dollar bill and an overcoat too
A five dollar bill and a floor shine shoe
The lyrics of Frank Zappa's Wonderful Wino are straightforward and depict the life of a struggling alcoholic. The song is a reflection of the difficult times faced by the singer who is a wino man. He is down on his luck and deals with his problems by drinking. The first stanza talks about how the singer bought himself some wine and drank it down under the table. He then proceeds to eat the label, implying that he drank every drop of the wine in the bottle. He is proud of himself and declares that he's a wino man, which shows that drinking is his way of life.
The singer then encounters a lady and tries to woo her. However, his advances are not well received, and the lady dismisses him, telling him to "jam down the road." He is undeterred and declares that he's a wino man. In the third stanza, the singer loses control over his body functions and gets embarrassed. Despite the shame, he acknowledges that he is a wino man and is unable to control himself. The last stanza talks about how the singer is desperate for money, an overcoat, and a floor shine shoe. The final verse reveals the primary motivation behind his drinking, which is basic survival.
Overall, Wonderful Wino is a poignant take on the life of an alcoholic. The song puts forward the idea that drinking is sometimes more than just a habit, but a means of survival for people struggling to make ends meet.
Line by Line Meaning
L.a. in the summer of '69
Frank Zappa was in Los Angeles in the summer of 1969
I went downtown and bought me some wine
Frank Zappa went to the city center and purchased some wine
Oh, I drank it down under the table
Frank Zappa drank the wine secretly, under the table
I said: watch me now, I'm gonna eat the label
Frank Zappa boasted about his drinking prowess, saying he would even eat the label on the wine bottle
Well I'm a wino man, Don't you know I am?
Frank Zappa identifies himself as a person who enjoys drinking wine excessively
36, 24, hips about 30
Frank Zappa describes a woman's body measurements
I seen a fine lady, And I started talkin' dirty
Frank Zappa saw an attractive woman and began making suggestive comments
Boy, she looked over at me, And she raised her thumb, She said: jam down the road You bum, bum, bum, bum
The woman disapproved of Frank Zappa's behavior and gestured for him to leave
I went to the country, And while I was gone, I lost control of my body functions
Frank Zappa went out to the countryside and became incontinent
On the road ahead at the ladies front lawn, I'm so ashamed, But I'm a wino man
Frank Zappa experienced the embarrassing incident on a woman's front lawn, but he attributes it to his love of wine
I can't help myself, I've been drinkin' all night, 'Til my eyes got red
Frank Zappa admits to heavy drinking until his eyes became bloodshot
Stumbled on the gutter, And busted my head, Bugs in my zoot suit, Been scratchin' like a dog
Frank Zappa had a nasty fall, hurt his head, and his clothing became infested with insects
I can't stand no water, And I stink like a hog
Frank Zappa was unable to tolerate water and had an unpleasant odor
Give me a five dollar bill, And an overcoat too, Give me a five dollar bill, And an overcoat too, A five dollar bill and an overcoat too, A five dollar bill and a floor shine shoe
Frank Zappa begs for money and clothing since he is in a terrible condition
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Vincent Zappa, Jeff Simmons
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Francisco Buendia Del Molino
L.A. in the summer of '69
I went downtown and bought me some wine
Oh, I drank it down under the table
I said: watch me now
I'm gonna eat the label
Well I'm a wino man
Don't you know I am?
36-24, hips about 30
I seen a fine lady
And I started talkin' dirty
Boy, she looked over at me
And she raised her thumb
She said: "Jam down the road
You bum, bum, bum, bum"
I'm a wino man
Don't you know I am?
I went to the country
And while I was gone
I lost control of my body functions
On the road ahead at the ladies front lawn
I'm so ashamed
But I'm a wino man
I can't help myself
I've been drinkin' all night
Till my eyes got red
Stumbled on the gutter
And busted my head
Bugs in my zoot suit
Been scratchin' like a dog
I can't stand no water
And I stink like a hog
Give me a five dollar bill
And an overcoat too
Give me a five dollar bill
And an overcoat too
A five dollar bill and an overcoat too
A five dollar bill and a floor shine shoe
BigOldJimmy
Zappa can be addicting. He always surrounded himself with the best musicians he could find.
Raditz Pedro
It's lonely at the top, musically speaking that is.
Greg Baker
I love. Frank Zappa one of the most talented musicians who ever lived. RIP Flash............
Scott Gmazel
I used to indulge in Krank Frank weekends and play 'Why Dies it Hurt when I Pee' from Joe's Garage from the second story window of a former sorority house, turned rooming house, over the parking lot of the Christian Science Church next door after Sunday services.
I was too high on stolen asthma medication from a classmate to listen to The Torture Never Stops the first time I heard it
Leonard Ochs
The most under-rated great guitarist in rock. And oh so cool...
Georg Frank
Probably Zappa's best straightforward rock piece. That guitar intro kicks. The bass drives immensely.
FrenchFrysz669
Agreed man.
kirvin2
Awesome solo. It sounds like the worst binge and hangover ever. Frank was a friggen genius!!!
L. F.
Frank Zappa for president!!!!
My first album, still play it.
R.I.P
MeloLand
I love this song... fantastic