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.
Wowie Zowie
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your love's a treat
Wowie Zowie
You can't be beat
Wowie Zowie, baby
You're so neat
I don't even care
If you shave your legs
You're so fine
Wowie Zowie, baby
Please be mine
Wowie Zowie
Up and down my spine
I don't even care
If you brush your teeth
I dream of you each mornin'
I dream of you each night
Just the other day I got so shook up
I dreamed of you in the afternoon
Baum didi, baum didi, baum didi,
Baum didi, baum didi, baum didi
I dream of you each mornin'
I dream of you each night
Just the other day I got so shook up
I had a flash in the afternoon
Wowie Zowie, baby
Love me do
Wowie Zowie
And I'll love you too
Wowie Zowie, baby
I'll be true
I don't even care
If your dad's the heat
Wowie Zowie
Wowie
Wowie Zowie
Wowie
Wowie Zowie
Wowie
Wowie Zowie
The song "Wowie Zowie" by Frank Zappa can be interpreted as a fun and light-hearted love song. The lyrics express the singer's admiration and affection for their love interest, emphasizing that they do not care about superficial qualities such as whether they shave their legs or brush their teeth. The repetition of "Wowie Zowie" creates a catchy and playful tone that adds to the lightheartedness of the song.
The lyrics also suggest an intense infatuation with the love interest, as the singer dreams of them both in the morning and at night. The use of the phrase "got so shook up" indicates that the singer is easily taken aback by their thoughts of the love interest. The final lines of the song, "I don't even care if your dad's the heat," suggests that the singer is willing to overlook any potential issues or obstacles in pursuit of the love interest.
Overall, "Wowie Zowie" is a fun and upbeat love song that celebrates the excitement and intensity of youthful infatuation.
Line by Line Meaning
Wowie Zowie
Expressing excitement and amazement about something or someone.
Your love's a treat
Your love is enjoyable and satisfying like a treat.
You can't be beat
You are unbeatable and the best.
You're so neat
You are tidy and clean, and everything is in order.
I don't even care
If you shave your legs
I love you regardless of your appearance and grooming habits.
You're so fine
You are attractive and desirable.
Please be mine
I want you to be in a relationship with me.
Up and down my spine
You are giving me chills and making me feel excited.
I don't even care
If you brush your teeth
I love you regardless of your hygiene habits.
I dream of you each mornin'
You are always on my mind and in my thoughts.
I dream of you each night
You are in my dreams and I think of you before I go to bed.
Just the other day I got so shook up
I dreamed of you in the afternoon
I am constantly thinking about you and you are affecting me greatly.
Baum didi, baum didi, baum didi,
Baum didi, baum didi, baum didi
Nonsensical sounds or a melody to add to the song.
Love me do
Please love me back.
And I'll love you too
I will reciprocate your love for me.
I'll be true
I will be faithful and honest with you.
I don't even care
If your dad's the heat
I do not care if your father is someone important or intimidating.
Wowie
Expressing excitement and amazement about something or someone.
Wowie Zowie
Expressing excitement and amazement about something or someone.
Wowie
Expressing excitement and amazement about something or someone.
Wowie Zowie
Expressing excitement and amazement about something or someone.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@marianoparedes4007
Wowie Zowie, your love's a treat
Wowie Zowie, you can't be beat
Wowie Zowie, baby, you're so neat
I don't even care if you shave your legs
Wowie Zowie, baby, you're so fine
Wowie Zowie, baby, please be mine
Wowie Zowie up and down my spine
I don't even care if you brush your teeth
Dream of you each mornin'
I dream of you each night
Just the other day I got so shook up
I dreamed of you in the afternoon
Dream of you each mornin'
I dream of you each night
Just the other day I got so shook up
I had a flash in the afternoon
Wowie Zowie, baby, love me do
Wowie Zowie and I'll love you too
Wowie Zowie, baby, I'll be true
I don't even care if your dad's the heat
(Wowie Zowie . . . )
@exodusn2233
Good music to become an elephant to
@louisshiota1702
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
@CometMedalChavez
That Goomba looks so serene.
Well then.
@rareosts5752
You better believe that I wore my Zappa shirt to celebrate the release of Super Mario Bros Wonder. Love that game and love Zappa
@DistractionsDaily
Nintendo keeps coming back to this song for ideas, and it's hilarious 🤣
@debraewing8014
A lot of people didn't appreciate Frank Zappa because he was ahead of his time. We loved you so much you were a bright light
@PDeRop
It takes a lot of context from the '60s to understand wth he's on about. Happy I finally found that context in the podcast "a history of rock music in 500 songs" and get the joke that this song is. Love it.
@i-lv7ug
Me after seeing a huge hotel
@evancodsworth2
Frank Zappa casually made one of the most beautiful and funny love songs on his first album.
@ryan-tc3rk
miyamoto is 100% a Frank Zappa fan