Zappa disbanded the original Mothers of Invention line-up in 1970 to create music under his own name, but shortly reformed an entirely new band sometimes known as "The Mothers". This new incarnation had a strong vaudeville style and were much bawdier than before, with new vocalists Flo & Eddie, previously of the Turtles, taking the lead. After Zappa was pushed offstage in the Rainbow Theatre in 1971, he broke up this second band and concentrated on a jazzier style with a short-lived big band called the Grand Wazoo, but returned with a third lineup of the Mothers in 1973. This reformed group retained musical similarities to the previous group and the chamber music of the late '60s Mothers, but with a tighter, funkier sound; George Duke's soulful vocals being perhaps the most memorable addition. Whilst members of the new Mothers frequently appeared on albums credited solely to Zappa, three albums, Overnite Sensation, Roxy & Elsewhere and One Size Fits All display the name Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention.
The Mothers of Invention (1966-1969)
Frank Zappa - Musical director, guitar & vocals
Ray Collins - Lead vocalist, harmonica, tambourine, finger cymbals, bobby pin & tweezers 1966-early 1967, September 1967-August 1968
Jim Black - Drums
Roy Estrada - Bass & guitarron; boy soprano
Elliot Ingber - Alternate lead & rhythm guitar early 1966-September 1966
Jim Fielder - guitar, piano late 1966-February 1967
Don Preston - keyboards November 1966-August 1969
Bunk Gardner - woodwinds November 1966-August 1969
Billy Mundi - Drums November 1966-Decmber 1967
Euclid James Motorhead Sherwood - soprano, tambourine baritone saxophone & Roadie 1966, September 1967-August 1969
Ian Underwood -Woodwinds,Saxophone July 1967-August 1969
Arthur Dyer Tripp III - drums, timpani, vibes, marimba, xylophone, wood blocks, bells, small chimes December 1967-August 1969
Lowell George - Rhythm Guitar November 1968-May 1969
Buzz Gardner November 1968- August 1969
Core discography (note that the band's canon is nebulous, due to the often poorly demarcated overlap with Frank Zappa's solo discography; this list additionally omits albums released after the breakup of the band)
1966 - Freak Out!
1967 - Absolutely Free
1968 - We're Only in It for the Money
1968 - Cruising with Ruben & the Jets
1969 - Uncle Meat
1970 - Burnt Weeny Sandwich
1970 - Weasels Ripped My Flesh
1971 - Fillmore East - June 1971
1971 - 200 Motels
1972 - Just Another Band from L.A.
1972 - The Grand Wazoo
1973 - Over-Nite Sensation
1974 - Roxy & Elsewhere
1975 - One Size Fits All
1975 - Bongo Fury (with Captain Beefheart)
how could ı be such a fool
The Mothers of Invention Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every happiness in the world belonged to me
Then our love was lost and you went away
Now I shed my tears in lonely misery
I know now that you never ever really loved me
It hurts me now to think you never ever really cared
I sit and ask myself a thousand times to try and find
How could I be such a fool
How could I believe all those lies you told me
How could I be taken in by your sweet face
You spoiled our love, you ruined my life
I'm so tore down, I'm a terrible disgrace
But there will come a time and you'll regret the way
You treated me as if I was a fool and didn't know
The many times you lied about your love for me
Someone else is gonna know that your love was just a show...
How could I be such a fool?
The Mothers of Invention's "How Could I Be Such a Fool" is a soulful ballad with lyrics that tell the story of a failed love affair. The singer reminisces about the early days, when he won the love of his partner and everything in the world seemed perfect. However, the relationship fell apart and the singer now finds himself alone and unhappy, questioning what went wrong. He realizes that he was taken in by the lies his partner told him and begins to feel regret for investing so heavily in a relationship that was never meant to succeed.
The song is a reflection of the emotional pain that one goes through after a bad breakup. The lyrics describe the feelings of loss, regret, and betrayal that one experiences in such a situation. The singer seems to be blaming himself for believing in his partner's lies and trusting her blindly. However, he also suggests that the partner will someday regret treating him so poorly and will have to face the consequences of her actions.
Overall, "How Could I Be Such a Fool" is a melancholic song that deals with the theme of lost love and the painful emotions that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
When I won your love, I was very glad
I was extremely happy when I received your love.
Every happiness in the world belonged to me
Having your love made me feel like I had everything I needed in life.
Then our love was lost and you went away
We lost our love and you left me.
Now I shed my tears in lonely misery
I cry alone in misery now.
I know now that you never ever really loved me
I understand now that you never truly loved me.
It hurts me now to think you never ever really cared
The realization that you never cared about me is painful.
I sit and ask myself a thousand times to try and find
I constantly question what happened to our love.
What really happened to the love that we shared
I want to know what caused us to lose our love.
How could I be such a fool
I feel foolish for believing in you.
How could I believe all those lies you told me
I can't believe I fell for all the lies you told me.
How could I be taken in by your sweet face
I allowed myself to be charmed by your appearance.
You spoiled our love, you ruined my life
You destroyed our love and negatively impacted my life.
I'm so tore down, I'm a terrible disgrace
I am in a state of despair and feel ashamed of myself.
But there will come a time and you'll regret the way
There will be a time when you regret how you treated me.
You treated me as if I was a fool and didn't know
You treated me poorly and underestimated me.
The many times you lied about your love for me
You lied to me numerous times about your love for me.
Someone else is gonna know that your love was just a show...
Someone else will learn that your love for me was not genuine.
Contributed by Logan J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.