Have I Offended Someone?

Product Description Have I Offended... by Frank Zappa From the Label Although Zappa did not provide notes with the Offended? master tape, this compilation could be considered his idea of a "Best Of," and indeed, this collection features many of the tunes that first attracted legions of fans to his music. The aforementioned "Valley Girl," with vocals by daughter Moon Unit, was Zappa’s highest charting US single ever, reaching #32 in Billboard and earned Grammy nominations for Moon and FZ (his second), while the accompanying album, 1982’s Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch, reached #23. But despite the commercial acclaim of the single and album, Zappa’s ironic sensibilities were lost on the public and the media. Said Zappa in an interview with Josef Woodard, "The worst thing about that record is the fact that nobody really listened to it... The whole coverage of the song barely mentioned what the song was really saying, that these people are really airheads." Nevertheless, the song’s success triggered a movement of sorts, with "Valley Girl" T-shirts, lunch boxes, cosmetics, and offers for a TV series and a film (eventually made without Zappa’s participation). A few years earlier, Zappa’s 1979 album Sheik Yerbouti (which spawned the US hit "Dancin’ Fool," a depiction of the male of the species in a disco frenzy) also contained two of his most razor-sharp and funny portrayals, "Jewish Princess" and "Bobby Brown Goes Down," both of which are included on Have I Offended Someone? Both songs sparked controversy. "Jewish Princess" brought a protest from the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, who asked the FCC to ban it from radio airplay. Zappa said the song was satire, threatened to sue, and refused to apologize. He’s quoted in The Real Frank Zappa Book as saying, "...unlike The Unicorn, such creatures do exist—and deserve to be commemorated with their own special opus." "Bobby Brown Goes Down" is perhaps the oddest of Zappa’s successes. This colorful tale of a young man's encounter with a dyke named Freddie" would never get airplay in the US, but it reached the top ofthe charts in Norway and Austria, was Top Ten in Germany and remains a favorite in territories where English is not the primary language. Said Zappa to Matt Groening in a 1992 Guitar World interview, "I don’t think anything has outsold Sheik Yerbouti, partly because "Bobby Brown" keeps becoming a hit every ten years... I think it was back on the charts again in Norway. For no apparent reason, it was back." Have I Offended Someone? also contains two previously unreleased live versions of popular tunes: "Tinsel Town Rebellion," Zappa’s picture of music business execs and musicians joined in an insincere tango in Hollywood ("Did you know that in Tinsel Town the people there think substance is a bore/But if your New Wave group looks good they’ll hurry on back for more... But then again this system works as perfect as a dream/It works for all those record company pricks who come to skim the cream") and "Dumb All Over," Zappa’s scathing rap on televangelists, and one of the most remarkable performances included here.But Have I Offended Someone? is more than great music and humorous lyrics; this collection illuminates Frank Zappa’s fearlessness in dealing with "sensitive" subjects and underscores his courage in refusing to back down for fear of media, corporate, political or religious censorship or disapproval. His year-long campaign in the mid-80s fighting the PMRC and album rating stickers is well documented, particularly in the "Porn Wars" chapter of The Real Frank Zappa Book. His dedication to the cause of artistic liberty is examplified by his testimony before the Maryland State Legislature, which opened with these words: "It is my personal feeling that lyrics cannot harm anyone. There is no sound that you can make with your mouth, or word that will come out of your mouth, that is so powerful that it will make you go to hell."As Ed Sanders’ liner notes for Offended? point out, "It is clear from my decades with the Fugs that there are oodles of humans out there who thirst for the lascivious chants of Have I Offended Someone?... I also know there will be oodles who will listen askance at this gathering of the Zappa legacy." The selections included here are bound to provoke negative reactions from many quarters—potentially offended parties being women, men, gays, jews, catholics, musicians, music business executives, the religious right and the French. It should be noted, however, that Zappa steadfastly defended freedom of speech for 30 years, persistently writing songs about sensitive (but truthful) issues, even in the face of attack and criticism ("rock" and otherwise).Oh yes, about "rock criticism." Zappa never shied away from saying what he really thought about rock critics. His most famous quote on the subject is included in the chapter entitled "Sticks & Stones" in The Real Frank Zappa Book; "Definition of rock journalism: People
ASIN: B0000009TU
VSKU: DBV.B0000009TU.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:Zappa, Frank
Binding: Audio cd
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