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.
Would You Like A Snack?
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For a month touring
What a drag
You gotta go
Even if you'd rather be at home
Flaked out
In Hollywood
All our shit into the plane at five-O-three
(What's it gonna be?)
Chicken, beef or turkey?
La La La La
Would you like a snack?
These lyrics from Frank Zappa's song Would You Like A Snack are an observation of the life of a touring musician. Zappa experienced the music industry's demands on live performances, and the lyrics highlight the difficulties that come with going on the road to entertain fans. The opening lines, "went on the road for a month touring, what a drag, you gotta go," describe the tediousness of touring, which involves performing repeatedly in different locations, and how even though it demands hard work and takes one away from home, it is necessary for a successful music career.
Furthermore, when Zappa sings "even if you'd rather be at home, flaked out in Hollywood," it is clear that despite the effort that goes into touring, so is the desire and longing to be home. The phrase "dumped all our shit into the plane at five-O-three" indicates the frustration that comes with packing up everything you own and lugging it around to different destinations. Finally, the lyrics "chicken, beef or turkey, la la la la, would you like a snack?" reveals the mundanity of touring and how such choices become more exciting on the road than they are at home.
In conclusion, Zappa's Would You Like A Snack is a brilliant commentary on the demands touring has on musicians. Even though performing is a passion and an artistic expression, touring is grueling, and it can drain their energy and enthusiasm.
Line by Line Meaning
Went on the road
We embarked on a journey
For a month touring
We traveled for 30 days to perform
What a drag
It was a tiresome experience
You gotta go
It's necessary to leave
Even if you'd rather be at home
Although you may prefer to be somewhere else
Flaked out
We rested or fell asleep
In Hollywood
We were in the city of Hollywood, California
Drove to Inglewood and then we dumped
We drove to Inglewood and left something behind
All our shit into the plane at five-O-three
We loaded our belongings onto the plane at 5:03
(What's it gonna be?)
(What would you like to eat?)
Chicken, beef or turkey?
Would you prefer chicken, beef, or turkey?
La La La La
N/A
Would you like a snack?
Do you want something to eat?
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MF JOJO
Went on the road
For a month touring
What a drag
You gotta go
Even if you'd rather be at home
Flaked out
In Hollywood
Drove to Inglewood and then we dumped
All our shit into the plane at five-O-three
(What's it gonna be?)
Chicken, beef or turkey?
La La La La
Would you like a snack?
tem222t
I sincerely, hand on heart, think this might be the most beautiful single piece of music ever.
Randy G
I Love that feeling. I feel that way about "I talk to the wind" by King Krimson
pauline butcher bird
But he ruined it by putting all those grunts and snorts on it.
Gwop
I watched a frank zappa interview like 2 years ago and I always thought this guy made heavy metal haha couldn't be further from the truth
MF JOJO
Went on the road
For a month touring
What a drag
You gotta go
Even if you'd rather be at home
Flaked out
In Hollywood
Drove to Inglewood and then we dumped
All our shit into the plane at five-O-three
(What's it gonna be?)
Chicken, beef or turkey?
La La La La
Would you like a snack?
Peter Maxwell
How'd he get such a beautiful sound out of his drums ??
Sambhogakāya
Zappa is a production beast. The drum sound throughout Hot Rats has got to be one of my favourite mixes of all time
Peter Maxwell
@Sambhogakāya the drum sound on 200motels the best I've heard outside of ginger bakers drum sound !
The Thinker
I was looking this up from a DOOM song even more joyful that it comes from my boy Zappa
Zach A
Doom used every god damn sound on this track like a native