Frank Vincent Zappa (born December 21, 1940 in Baltimore, Maryland, United … Read Full Bio ↴Frank Vincent Zappa (born December 21, 1940 in Baltimore, Maryland, United States – December 4, 1993 in Los Angeles, California, United States) was an American composer, guitarist, singer, bandleader and producer. He was one of the most prolific musicians of his time, releasing over fifty albums of original material spanning over a thirty-five year career.

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.

Ya Hozna
Frank Zappa Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Not sure if its correct, because Ya Hozna is backwards singing.

Sung backwards:

I AM THE HEAVEN
I AM THE WATER
ICH BIN DER DRECK UNTER DEINEN WALZEN
ICH BIN DEIN GEHEIMER SCHMUTZ

UND VERLORENES METALLGELD
ICH BIN DEINE RITZE
ICH BIN DEINE RITZE UND SCHLITZE

I AM THE CLOUDS
I AM EMBROIDERED
ICH BIN DER author ALLER FELGEN
UND DAMAST PASPELN
ICH BIN DER CHROME DINETTE
ICH BIN DER CHROME DINETTE
ICH BIN EIER ALLER ARTEN

ICH BIN ALLE TAGE UND NAECHTE
ICH BIN ALLE TAGE UND NAECHTE

ICH BIN HIER
UND do BIST MEIN SOFA
ICH BIN HIER
UND do BIST MEIN SOFA
ICH BIN HIER
UND do BIST MEIN SOFA

ORIGINAL:
I AM THE HEAVEN
I AM THE WATER
I AM THE DIRT BENEATH YOUR ROLLERS
I AM YOUR SECRET SMUT
AND LOST METAL MONEY DOWN YOUR CRACKS
I AM YOUR CRACKS & CRANNIES
I AM THE CLOUDS
I AM EMBROIDERED
I AM THE AUTHOR OF ALL TUCKS
AND DAMAST PIPING
I AM THE CHROME DINETTE
I AM THE CHROME DINETTE
I AM EGGS OF ALL PERSUASIONS
I AM ALL DAYS & NIGHTS
I AM ALL DAYS & NIGHTS
I AM ALL DAYS & NIGHTS
I AM ALL DAYS & NIGHTS
I AM HERE
AND YOU ARE MY SOFA
I AM HERE
AND YOU ARE MY SOFA

I AM HERE
AND YOU ARE MY SOFA

Overall Meaning

"Ya Hozna" by Frank Zappa is a song that is sung in reverse. The song is an abstract mix of sounds, which takes one on a trip down the rabbit hole. The lyrics of the song are in German and English, and when reversed, it is believed to convey a deeper meaning. According to some fans of Zappa, the reversed lyrics of the song are an ode to the artist's musical influences, and his opinion on the conventional notions of success and fame. The lines, "I am the dirt beneath your rollers, I am your secret smut, and lost metal money down your cracks, I am your cracks and crannies" seem to suggest that the artist values the small and ignored aspects of our world, and he acknowledges them. The other lines, "I am the author of all tucks and damast piping, I am the chrome dinette, I am eggs of all persuasions" convey a similar message, suggesting that true talent or creativity comes from the person who is willing to create something from scratch.

The lines, "I am all days and nights, and you are my sofa, I am here, and you are my sofa" may suggest that the artist is talking to his fans or followers, and reassuring them that his music, just like a comfortable sofa, will always be there for them, providing them with a sense of familiarity and comfort. It may also suggest that the artist finds refuge in his music, and the process of creating it. Overall, the meaning of the song is still debatable, and one can interpret it in several ways.

Line by Line Meaning

I AM THE HEAVEN
I am the ultimate or highest power or authority.

I AM THE WATER
I am the life-giving and sustaining force.

ICH BIN DER DRECK UNTER DEINEN WALZEN
I am the filth or dirt beneath your feet.

ICH BIN DEIN GEHEIMER SCHMUTZ
I am the secret or hidden impurity or indecency.

UND VERLORENES METALLGELD
I am the lost or forgotten coins or currency.

ICH BIN DEINE RITZE
I am the narrow space or opening between things.

ICH BIN DEINE RITZE UND SCHLITZE
I am the various gaps or crevices between things.

I AM THE CLOUDS
I am the shape-shifting and mysterious phenomena of nature.

I AM EMBROIDERED
I am the intricate and decorative design of something.

ICH BIN DER AUTHOR ALLER FELGEN
I am the creator or originator of all wheels or circles.

UND DAMAST PASPELN
And the luxurious and ornamental trimming or edging.