ZZ Top formed after Gibbons' previous band, Moving Sidewalks, disbanded in 1969. Within a year, they signed with London Records and released ZZ Top's First Album in 1971. Subsequent releases, such as Tres Hombres (1973) and Fandango! (1975), and the singles "La Grange" and "Tush", gained extensive radio airplay. By the mid-1970s, ZZ Top had become renowned in North America for their live act, including the Worldwide Texas Tour (1976–1977), which was a critical and commercial success.
After a hiatus, ZZ Top returned in 1979 with a new musical direction and image, with Gibbons and Hill wearing sunglasses and matching chest-length beards. With the album El Loco (1981), they began to experiment with synthesizers and drum machines. They established a more mainstream sound and rose to international stardom with Eliminator (1983) and Afterburner (1985), which integrated influences from new wave, punk, and dance-rock. The popularity of these albums' music videos, including those for "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Sharp Dressed Man", and "Legs", gave them mass exposure on television channel MTV and made them prominent artists in 1980s pop culture. The Afterburner tour set records for the highest-attended and highest-grossing concert tour of 1986.
After gaining additional acclaim with the release of their tenth album Recycler (1990), and its accompanying tour, the group's experimentation continued with mixed success on the albums Antenna (1994), Rhythmeen (1996), XXX (1999), and Mescalero (2003). They most recently released La Futura (2012) and Goin' 50 (2019), a compilation album commemorating the band's 50th anniversary. By the time of Hill's death in 2021, ZZ Top had become the longest-running band with an unchanged lineup in the history of popular music. Per Hill's wishes, he was replaced by their longtime guitar tech Elwood Francis on bass.
ZZ Top has released 15 studio albums and sold an estimated 50 million records worldwide. They have won three MTV Video Music Awards, and in 2004, the members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked Gibbons the 32nd greatest guitarist of all time. The band members have supported campaigns and charities including Childline, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and a fundraiser for the Delta Blues Museum.
Studio albums
ZZ Top's First Album (1971)
Rio Grande Mud (1972)
Tres Hombres (1973)
Fandango! (1975)
Tejas (1976)
Degüello (1979)
El Loco (1981)
Eliminator (1983)
Afterburner (1985)
Recycler (1990)
Antenna (1994)
Rhythmeen (1996)
XXX (1999)
Mescalero (2003)
La Futura (2012)
Trippin
ZZ Top Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
IN A FAVORITE TOWN
IN A FAVORITE FOREIGN COUNTRY
I BEEN HANGIN' AROUND
AND IT AIN'T TO FAR
AND WE COULD GO
CRAZY WITH OUR HEAD IN A JAR
AND GO TRIPPIN'
TRIPPIN', AWAY
YOU GOT A SECRET SLOT
IN A SECRET SPOT
WE COULD SECRETLY FREAK
IF YOU GIMME A SHOT
AND SECRETLY MEET TOMORROW
IF I TELL WHAT TIME
TELL ME WHAT ‘CHO NAME
AND WHAT'S CHO?SIGN
LET'S GO TRIPPIN'
TRIPPIN' AWAY
YOU CAN TAKE YOUR HALF
YOU CAN TAKE MINE
ITS TOTALLY SHINE OR TOTALLY BLIND
BUT ONE OR THE OTHER'S GONNA' WORK OUT FINE
WE GO TRIPPIN'
TRIPPIN?AWAY
WE GO TRIPPIN'
WE GO TRIPPIN'
The song "Trippin'" by American rock band ZZ Top talks about a favorite place, favorite town and favorite foreign country where the singer has been hanging around. The place isn't too big or too far, where the people can go crazy, and their head is in a jar. It suggests that the singer and the listener go trippin' away to their favorite spot and secretly freak out with each other. There is a subtle sexual implication in the lyrics as the singer asks for the listener's name and zodiac sign.
The song is about escaping reality and going on a trip, which is a common theme in rock music in the 70s and 80s. The lyrics suggest that the singer and the listener should take a chance and explore their wild side together. The tone of the song is adventurous, carefree and rebellious, which is typical of the band's classic rock sound.
Overall, the song is a fun and upbeat tune that encapsulates what the band was all about: having a good time and pushing their limits. The song's lyrics are interpretive, and the meaning varies depending on how the listener perceives it.
Line by Line Meaning
I GOT A FAVORITE PLACE
I have a place that I love to go to
IN A FAVORITE TOWN
It is located in a place that I like
IN A FAVORITE FOREIGN COUNTRY
The place is situated in a country that is not my own
I BEEN HANGIN' AROUND
I have been spending a lot of time there
IT ain't TOO BIG
The place is not very large
AND IT AIN'T TO FAR
It is not very far away from here
AND WE COULD GO
We have the option to go there
CRAZY WITH OUR HEAD IN A JAR
We could act insane, like our head is in a jar
AND GO TRIPPIN'
We can go on a trip
TRIPPIN', AWAY
Going on a journey and leaving behind everything else
YOU GOT A SECRET SLOT
You have a private space
IN A SECRET SPOT
That private space is situated in a secluded location
WE COULD SECRETLY FREAK
We can have some secret fun
IF YOU GIMME A SHOT
If you give me a chance
AND SECRETLY MEET TOMORROW
We can meet tomorrow without anyone knowing
IF I TELL WHAT TIME
If I let you know the timing
TELL ME WHAT ‘CHO NAME
What is your name?
AND WHAT'S CHO?SIGN
What is your astrological sign?
LET'S GO TRIPPIN'
Let us go on an adventure
TRIPPIN' AWAY
Going on the adventure and leaving everything else behind
YOU CAN TAKE YOUR HALF
You can choose to take what's yours
YOU CAN TAKE MINE
Or mine
ITS TOTALLY SHINE OR TOTALLY BLIND
It can either be really great or really bad
BUT ONE OR THE OTHER'S GONNA' WORK OUT FINE
Either way, it will work out fine
WE GO TRIPPIN'
We are going on an adventure
WE GO TRIPPIN'
We are going on an adventure
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BILLY HILL, BILLY F GIBBONS, FRANK BEARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
O P Parassni Praveen
on future's so bright, i gotta
Which year was this single released