Difference between revisions of "Love Songs"
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==Tracks that parody love songs== | ==Tracks that parody love songs== | ||
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* [[Big Leg Emma]] | * [[Big Leg Emma]] | ||
| − | * [[ | + | * [[Carol, You Fool]] |
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* [[Dirty Love]] | * [[Dirty Love]] | ||
| + | * [[Falling In Love Is A Stupid Habit]] | ||
| + | * [[Flambay]] | ||
| + | * [[Fountain Of Love]] | ||
| + | * [[Go Cry On Somebody Else's Shoulder]] | ||
* [[Honey Don't You Want A Man Like Me]] | * [[Honey Don't You Want A Man Like Me]] | ||
| + | * [[How Could I Be Such A Fool]] | ||
| + | * [[I Ain't Got No Heart - Freak Out!|I Ain't Got No Heart]] | ||
* [[I Have Been In You]] | * [[I Have Been In You]] | ||
| + | * [[Lemme Take You To The Beach]] | ||
* [[Love Story]] | * [[Love Story]] | ||
| + | * [[Motherly Love]] | ||
| + | * [[Oh No]] | ||
| + | * [[Punky's Whips]] | ||
| + | * [[Sharva]] | ||
* [[Wild Love]] | * [[Wild Love]] | ||
| − | * [[ | + | * [[Wowie Zowie]] |
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===See also=== | ===See also=== | ||
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* [[Alley Cat]] | * [[Alley Cat]] | ||
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* [[Any Way The Wind Blows]] | * [[Any Way The Wind Blows]] | ||
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* [[Anything]] | * [[Anything]] | ||
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* [[Bamboozled By Love]] | * [[Bamboozled By Love]] | ||
* [[Boy Wonder I Love You]] | * [[Boy Wonder I Love You]] | ||
| + | * [[Chucha]] | ||
| + | * [[Deseri]] | ||
| + | * [[How's Your Bird? (The Track)]] | ||
| + | * [[Jelly Roll Gum Drop]] | ||
| + | * [[Later That Night]] | ||
| + | * [[Love Of My Life]] | ||
| + | * [[Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up]] | ||
| + | * [[No. No. No.]] | ||
* [[Sharleena]] | * [[Sharleena]] | ||
| + | * [[Stuff Up The Cracks]] | ||
* [[Tears Began To Fall]] | * [[Tears Began To Fall]] | ||
| − | * [[ | + | * [[Why Don't You Do Me Right?]] |
| + | * [[You Didn't Try To Call Me]] | ||
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==Covers of love songs== | ==Covers of love songs== | ||
Revision as of 08:06, 3 September 2021
Love songs were a prominent target for parody and satire in Zappa's work. In The Real Frank Zappa Book he explained that love songs create an unrealistic idealistic idea of love that you never can achieve in real life. To him the very idea of "love" was ridiculous, since he thought that most people go for sex instead of love.
Contents
Quotes
"Everybody else writes songs about beautiful girls who make you fall in love, and groovy guys that are so wonderful, and heartbreak and all that shit – that's everybody else's department. I'm alternative information on specimen behavior." (FZ in Interview with the Composer)
Genesis: "You've also stated that you think love songs are the ultimate form of 'absurdist comedy. Do you still feel that way?"
Zappa: "Yes. (...) it's preposterous. To publicly display hurt –"
Genesis: "What about happy love songs, like "You Light Up My Life"?"
Zappa: "That's even more preposterous. And cynical. Sensitivity for bucks."
Genesis: "Can you see yourself ever singing a love song on stage?"
Zappa: "Well, not seriously. We have a few songs, like "I Have Been In You," that deal with the subject, but with a comic overtone."
(Source: Interview: Frank Zappa)
"It's quite a challenge to reach somebody emotionally without using words that have literal connections. To perform expressively on an instrument, I have respect for that. To get to the level of performance where you are no longer thinking about operating a piece of machinery, that is worthy of respect. Writing a song about why somebody left you, that's stupid. The performers and composers don't necessarily believe in what they're saying or what they are doing, but they know that if you write a song about love, it's got a 3,000 per cent better chance of going on the radio than if you write a song about celery. It's a buy and a sell. And so the value system builds up from that. What I think of as the emotional content of music is probably a lot different than what you think of. Since I write music, I know what the techniques are. If I wanted to write something that would make you weep, I could do it. There's ways to do it. It's a cheap shot. (...) It's not just sentimental. There are certain harmonic climates that you can build. There are certain notes of the scale that you can play within a harmonic climate to "wreak pathos," and it's very predictable." (FZ in Winter In Amerika)
Tracks that parody love songs
- Big Leg Emma
- Carol, You Fool
- Dirty Love
- Falling In Love Is A Stupid Habit
- Flambay
- Fountain Of Love
- Go Cry On Somebody Else's Shoulder
- Honey Don't You Want A Man Like Me
- How Could I Be Such A Fool
- I Ain't Got No Heart
- I Have Been In You
- Lemme Take You To The Beach
- Love Story
- Motherly Love
- Oh No
- Punky's Whips
- Sharva
- Wild Love
- Wowie Zowie
See also
"Serious" love songs
Even though Zappa criticized the fictional atmosphere created in many love songs he recorded a few songs that can be considered "serious" love songs. There are no humorous lyrics present in the following love songs:
- Alley Cat
- Any Way The Wind Blows
- Anything
- Bamboozled By Love
- Boy Wonder I Love You
- Chucha
- Deseri
- How's Your Bird? (The Track)
- Jelly Roll Gum Drop
- Later That Night
- Love Of My Life
- Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up
- No. No. No.
- Sharleena
- Stuff Up The Cracks
- Tears Began To Fall
- Why Don't You Do Me Right?
- You Didn't Try To Call Me
Covers of love songs
Zappa also covered a few love songs he liked. Some of his arrangements are humoristic, others are serious.
