You Are What You Is (song)

Last updated
"You Are What You Is"
YouAreSingle.jpeg
Single by Frank Zappa
from the album You Are What You Is
B-side
  • "Pink Napkins"
  • "Harder Than Your Husband"
  • "Soup 'N Old Clothes"
Released1981
RecordedMay 9, 1981
Length4:23
Label Barking Pumpkin
Songwriter(s) Frank Zappa
Producer(s) Frank Zappa
Frank Zappasingles chronology
"Harder Than Your Husband"
(1980)
"You Are What You Is"
(1981)
"Goblin Girl"
(1981)

"You Are What You Is" is a single which Frank Zappa released from his 1981 album of the same title. The song is known for going out of its way to use improper English, basically mocking the rest of its context. It was the B-side for 1982 single "Valley Girl". This song was also remixed for the 1984 album Thing-Fish . [1]

Contents

Meaning

The lyrics, which essentially tell the listener to be themselves and embrace their culture, tell the stories of two young men, both of whom Zappa describes as "foolish". The first man is from a middle class family who has a great life, but he pretends to come from a culture of hardship and sings the blues to be manly. He develops a taste for chitlins and begins to talk like the character Kingfish, from the radio show Amos and Andy, who was known for being a heavily stereotypical black character. These themes overall relate to Zappa's dislike of poseurs. The second young man "of the negro persuasion, devoted his life to become a caucasian". Like the first man, he changes his diet to fit in with the culture he is looking to join. It goes over the stereotype of African-Americans eating pork and collard greens. His story is a commentary on African-Americans who are not proud of their heritage and feel following the Caucasian culture would bring them more acceptance. Eventually the song goes into a frenzy of racial stereotyped one-liners including involving a loose story about working at the post office and referencing lyrics in the next song that serves as a segue until it transitions into the next song, "Mudd Club". [2]

Music video

In 1981, [3] Zappa released a music video. Although the film clip used advanced color graphics on normal dance and singing type footage, its circulation was restricted due to parts of it where an actor, who was made to look like Ronald Reagan, was sitting in what looked like an electric chair whilst applying hair pomade. It is also notable for being the only conventional music video that Zappa ever made. The lyrics also contain the sentence "I ain't no nigger no more", which likely also had an effect on its broadcast. The video was banned from ever being aired on MTV. This didn't prevent it from being featured on "Canoe", a 1993 episode of the American television show Beavis and Butt-Head , also aired on MTV (though the show abruptly switches to "The Animal Song" by The Europeans early on, then returns to Zappa for the tail end of "You Are What You Is", to which Butt-Head replies, "This is still on? That pisses me off!"). [4] [5]

References to other songs

"You Are What You Is" contains references to other songs throughout his career and on the album itself, commonly referred as Zappa's "Conceptual Continuity". References include "Gimme a five dollar bill and an overcoat too" from "Wonderful Wino" on Zoot Allures, "Lonesome Cowboy Burt" from "200 Motels"', with the lyric "Where's my waitress?", and the song "Harder Than Your Husband", which is the 2nd song on the album. Another reference is "Robbie, take me to Greek Town", more prominent in "Jumbo Go Away", and "I'm goin' down 'n' work the wall 'n' work the floor" from "Mudd Club." [6]

Covers

The a cappella group The Persuasions covered "You Are What You Is" on their album Frankly a Cappella.

Track list

7"

A. "You Are What You Is" – 4:22
B. "Pink Napkins" – 4:32 [7]

12"

A1. "You Are What You Is" – 4:22
A2. "Pink Napkins" – 4:32
B1. "Harder Than Your Husband" – 2:29
B2. "Soup 'N Old Clothes" – 7:50 [8]

Related Research Articles

Beavis and Butt-Head is an American adult animated sitcom created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, lack of intelligence, lowbrow humor and love for hard rock and heavy metal. The original series juxtaposes slice-of-life short subjects—in which the teens embark on low-minded misadventures in their Texas town—with the pair watching and commenting on music videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Zappa</span> American musician (1940–1993)

Frank Vincent Zappa was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed rock, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestral and musique concrète works; he also produced almost all of the 60-plus albums that he released with his band the Mothers of Invention and as a solo artist. His work is characterized by nonconformity, improvisation sound experimentation, musical virtuosity and satire of American culture. Zappa also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed album covers. He is considered one of the most innovative and stylistically diverse musicians of his generation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parents Music Resource Center</span> Defunct American committee

The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) was an American committee formed in 1985 with the stated goal of increasing parental control over the access of children to music deemed to have violent, drug-related, or sexual themes via labeling albums with Parental Advisory stickers. The committee was founded by four women known as the "Washington Wives"—a reference to their husbands' connections with government in the Washington, D.C. area. The women who founded the PMRC are Tipper Gore, wife of Senator and later Vice President Al Gore; Susan Baker, wife of Treasury Secretary James Baker; Pam Howar, wife of Washington realtor Raymond Howar; and Sally Nevius, wife of former Washington City Council Chairman John Nevius. The PMRC eventually grew to include 22 participants before shutting down in the mid-to-late 1990s.

<i>Sheik Yerbouti</i> 1979 live album with studio elements by Frank Zappa

Sheik Yerbouti is a double album by American musician Frank Zappa, released in March 1979 as the first release on Zappa Records, distributed by Phonogram Inc. in the United States and Canada. The album was released in other countries by CBS Records. It is mostly made up of live material recorded in 1977 and 1978, with extensive overdubs added in the studio. In an October 1978 interview, Zappa gave the working album title as Martian Love Secrets. It was later released on a single CD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Persuasions</span> American a cappella group

The Persuasions were an American a cappella group that formed in Brooklyn, New York in 1962, singing under corner streetlights and in subway corridors. Their style combined gospel, soul, early rock, and jazz into melodic five-part harmonies. Since being discovered by Frank Zappa, the Persuasions have released 23 studio albums to date.

<i>Broadway the Hard Way</i> 1988 live album by Frank Zappa

Broadway the Hard Way is a live album by American musician Frank Zappa recorded at various performances along his 1988 world tour. It was first released as a 9-track vinyl album through Zappa's label Barking Pumpkin Records in October 1988, and subsequently as a 17-track CD through Rykodisc in 1989.

<i>Zoot Allures</i> 1976 studio album by Frank Zappa

Zoot Allures is the 22nd album by the American rock musician Frank Zappa, released in October 1976 and his only release on the Warner Bros. Records label. Due to a lawsuit with his former manager Herb Cohen, Zappa's recording contract was temporarily reassigned from DiscReet Records to Warner Bros.

<i>You Cant Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 6</i> 1992 live album by Frank Zappa

You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 6 is the last of six double-disc collection volumes of live performances by Frank Zappa recorded between 1970 and 1988. All of the material on disc one has a sexual theme. Zappa used the monologue in "Is That Guy Kidding or What?" to ridicule Peter Frampton's album I'm in You with its double entendre title and pop pretensions. Disc two includes performances from Zappa's shows between 1976 and 1981 at the Palladium in New York City, as well as material like "The Illinois Enema Bandit" and "Strictly Genteel" that he frequently used as closing songs at concerts. It was released on October 23, 1992, under the label Rykodisc.

<i>The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience</i> 1993 compilation album by Various Artists

The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience is a compilation album released in 1993 by Geffen Records and related to the animated television series Beavis and Butt-Head. The name is a reference to Jimi Hendrix's original band, the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It is one of the best selling comedy albums and has sold 1,610,000 units as of May 2014. It was certified double platinum by the RIAA in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Zappa discography</span>

This is a list of albums by Frank Zappa, including all those credited to the Mothers of Invention. During his lifetime, Zappa released 62 albums. Since 1994, the Zappa Family Trust has released 67 posthumous albums as of September 2024, making a total of 129 albums/album sets.

<i>Frankly a Cappella</i> 2000 studio album by The Persuasions

Frankly A Cappella: The Persuasions Sing Zappa is a 2000 album by the singing group The Persuasions. Frank Zappa heard them over the phone while they were singing in a record shop on the East Coast and flew them out to L.A. to record their first LP, in 1969, for Zappa's label. The album was the brainchild of Rip Rense, a friend of Zappa, as a tribute to the late composer. Rense executive produced and worked with lead singer/arranger Jerry Lawson on selecting the tracks and guest artists, who included Zappa alums Bruce Fowler, Robert Martin, Mike Keneally. Gary Mankin and Lawson co-produced the music, and Gail Zappa had final approval of the project. All arrangements by Jerry Lawson. The album is the first of several in which The Persuasions paid tribute to the songs of a specific group or artist.

As an icon of counterculture and underground rock the American rock musician and composer Frank Zappa has been featured and referenced in various different media.

"Duodenum" is a song by Frank Zappa that first appeared as part of "Lumpy Gravy Part One" on the Verve Records edition of Lumpy Gravy. A surf music instrumental, it runs for approximately 1:32 and is the second identifiable track on the album, preceded by "The Way I See It, Barry" and followed by "Oh No". Documentation purports that this piece was likely produced and recorded by Zappa sometime between 1963 and 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama</span>

"My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama" is a song written by Frank Zappa and originally recorded by The Mothers of Invention in February 1969 at Criteria Studios (Miami), with overdubs recorded sometime between August and September 1969 at TTG Studios and Whitney Studios. This version was included on their 1970 album Weasels Ripped My Flesh, an LP that included various recordings by the band from 1967 to 1969. A second version was released as a single on the Bizarre and Reprise labels as "My Guitar." Despite the more conventional naming, "My Guitar" did not chart.

<i>You Are What You Is</i> 1981 studio album by Frank Zappa

You Are What You Is is a 1981 double album by American musician Frank Zappa. His 34th album, it consists of three musical suites which encompass pop, doo-wop, jazz, hard rock, reggae, soul, blues, new wave and country. The album's lyrics satirize a number of topics, including hippies, socialites, fashion, narcotics use, cultural appropriation, religion, televangelists and the military draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Eat the Yellow Snow</span> 1974 single by Frank Zappa

"Don't Eat the Yellow Snow" is a suite by the American musician Frank Zappa, made up of the first four tracks of his 1974 album Apostrophe ('): "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow", "Nanook Rubs It", "St. Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast", and "Father O'Blivion". Each song in the suite is loosely connected, although the songs are not all connected by one overall story/theme. The suite was only played in full from 1973 to 1974 and 1978 to 1980. "Saint Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast" contains Zappa's percussionist Ruth Underwood on marimba, who added a very distinct sound to many of his songs in the early 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Don't Wanna Get Drafted</span> 1980 single by Frank Zappa

"I Don't Wanna Get Drafted" is a 1980 single by American musician Frank Zappa. The song peaked at #103 US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 and #68 on the Cash Box charts, but more successfully reached #3 in Sweden. The original single version has never been reissued on LP or CD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disco Boy (song)</span> 1976 single by Frank Zappa

"Disco Boy" is a single composed by musician Frank Zappa from his 1976 album Zoot Allures. It was featured on Frank Zappa's best of album Strictly Commercial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cocaine Decisions</span> 1982 single by Frank Zappa

"Cocaine Decisions" is a 1983 single by American musician Frank Zappa, from the album The Man from Utopia. A live version was on the album You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 3 (1989). It was played in concert from 1981 to 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speedoo</span> 1955 single by The Cadillacs

"Speedoo" is a song written by Esther Navarro and performed by The Cadillacs featuring the Jesse Powell Orchestra. It reached number 3 on the U.S. R&B chart and number 17 on the U.S. pop chart in 1955. The song was featured on their 1957 album, The Fabulous Cadillacs. The lead vocal was by Earl Carroll.

References

  1. "Frank* & Moon Zappa - Valley Girl". Discogs. 1982.
  2. "You Are What You Is - Frank Zappa | Song Info | AllMusic". Archived from the original on 2021-11-08. Retrieved 2021-12-19 via www.allmusic.com.
  3. "Zappa Videography 1981-84; Information Is Not Knowledge" via www.donlope.net.
  4. Frank Zappa - You Are What You Is , retrieved 2024-03-17
  5. Beavis Frank Zappa-You Are What You Is. , retrieved 2024-03-17
  6. "Zappa Frank - You Are What You is Lyrics". Archived from the original on June 19, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  7. "Frank Zappa – You Are What You Is (1981, Vinyl)". 1981 via www.discogs.com.
  8. "Frank Zappa – You Are What You Is (1981, Vinyl)". 1981 via www.discogs.com.