Oh No

Lyrics

Oh no
I don't believe it
You say that you think you know
The meaning of love
You say love is all we need
You say
With your love you can change
All of the fools
All of the hate
I think you're probably
Out to lunch

Oh no
I don't believe it
You say that you think you know
The meaning of love
Do you really think it can be told?
You say that you really know
I think
You should check it again
How can you say
What you believe
Will be the key to a
World of love?

All your love
Will it save me?
All your love
Will it save the world
From what we can't understand?
Oh no
I don't believe it

And in your dreams
You can see yourself
As a prophet
Saving the world
The
Words from your lips
I just can't believe
You are such
A fool

Players On This Song

• Weasels Ripped My Flesh version
  • Ray Collins--vocals
  • FZ--guitar
  • Don Preston--keyboards
  • Ian Underwood--keyboards & woodwinds
  • Bunk Gardner--woodwinds
  • Roy Estrada--bass & vocals
  • Jimmy Carl Black--drums
  • Art Tripp--drums

Records On Which This Song Has Appeared

Zappa Albums

• Lumpy Gravy as part of "Lumpy Gravy - Part I" ("Oh No" and "Oh No Again" in the CD version)
• Weasels Ripped My Flesh
• Roxy & Elsewhere as part of "Son Of Orange County"
• Bubble Cream Cheese as part of "Oh No / Son Of Orange County"
• Ahead Of Their Time
• Make A Jazz Noise Here
• Trance-Fusion as "Soul Polka"
• The Lumpy Money Project/Object: Lumpy Gravy (Primordial) as part of "Sink Trap", "Gum Joy" and "Foamy Soaky"
• The Lumpy Money Project/Object: Lumpy Gravy (1984 UMRK Remix) as part of "Lumpy Gravy - Part I"
• The Lumpy Money Project/Object: Disc 3 as part of "How Did That Get In Here?" and "Unit 2, Take 9"

Tributes & Cover Albums

• Fraternity Of Man ~ Fraternity Of Man
• Live In Leeds ~ Zappatistas (included in medley, track 1)
• Prime Meridian (Channel Crossings - CCS 8195) ~ Meridian Arts Ensemble
• Oh No ! ... Just Another Frank Zappa Memorial Barbecue ~ LeBocal
• Have A Bun ~ Nasal Retentive Orchestra
• Watermelon En Regalia - Bonnen
• Hans Annellsson (on his album Tra-la-Larsson) (1993).

Notes About This Song

The theme of Oh No is a reworking of a theme from the soundtrack of The World’s Greatest Sinner. Lyrically, it's a satirical attack on The Beatles' song "All You Need Is Love", though it also has elements of Within In, Without You, a Beatles song Zappa actually agreed with:

It seems to me very coincidental that the Beatles' new record Sgt. Pepper's ... came out the same time "Absolutely Free" did. I find a great similarity. The Beatles seem to be rejecting the idea that you have to be enslaved to commodities; and that when you're sixty-four years old, all you have is two weeks summer in the Isle of Wight.
Frank Zappa: "I think it's probably more subjective than that. It sounds to me like "what's going to happen when we're sixtyfour? Are you still going to buy our shit?" It's a humorous treatment of what happens when a rock and roller gets old."

I didn't get that impression. I juxtaposed that track with the George Harrison thing in front of it ["Within You Without You"], which was talking about, "We could change the world with our love." It seems that what they're saying, "On the one hand you can go off and be free if you want. On the other hand, you can enslave yourself to buy, buy, buy, buy, buy."
Frank Zappa: "I believe in what George Harrison says that you can change the world with love – if you really got it. If you really care, you can do it."

Can you love in a society that only teaches hate?
Frank Zappa: "Why not? Just to be contrary, you can do it. If you really want to be a rebel, honestly try and love something. And if you really want to be gross about it, try and love the society that's shitty – try and love it enough to do something about it. If you can get enough zealots out there that believe in that sort of activity, you can't stop them, no matter what they look like and where they live, because those are the kind of people that move mountains and you can't do anything about it. They won't take no for an answer."

- Quoted from: Frank Kofsky interviews FZ, 1969)

CC Clues In This Song

The phrase "Oh no, I don't believe it" reappeared in the song Sy Borg.