Absolutely Free (song)

Absolutely Free (song)

Absolutely Free is the name of the ninth song in the Mothers Of Invention fourth LP, "We're Only In It For The Money". It is not to be confused with the Mothers of Invention album of the same name.

Song Background

Composed by Frank Zappa, the song can be considered as the centerpiece of "Money", since it sums up the message of the album: A strong criticism on the Summer Of Love and the hippie lifestyle, along with an argument with the authorities (seen as oppressive and mind-bending) and those who pretend to be hippies but actually don't understand any of the hippie concepts and do it just for the fashion. In the specific case of "Absolutely Free", the song takes care of the "hippie lifestyle" and those who pretend to follow it. Another reason to think of the song as the centerpiece may be the track's length, surpassing the three-minute mark (although "The Chrome Plated Megaphone Of Destiny" is much longer). Absolutely Free is also the name of the band's second album, which often generates confusion.

The music

As for the music, it starts with a brief piano intro, then Suzy Creamcheese says "I won't do publicity balling for you anymore" and Zappa - in a typical ironic joke - explains the meaning of the first word in the lyrics ("discorporate"). From then on, the song carries on with a 3/4 motif, featuring a celesta and acoustic guitar which give the song a pseudo-psychedelic feel. The lyrics basically bash "fake hippies" (what we know simply as "the hippies"), whom Zappa considers as fake, lame wannabes who, rather than adapt a real counterculture stand, simply say they're hippies and rebels to get stoned or just to follow the trend. It also criticizes "the hippie lifestyle" of taking drugs, being ignorant and just wanting to be "absolutely free" (as stated cynically in the chorus). The song also includes one of Zappa's most memorable lines ("Flower Power sucks!"), which was censored in several editions of the album.

Live

Since the song carries a heavy social message, and the hippie movement faded quickly after the album came out, it was seldom (or never) played live. Its subject had become too anachronistic.

References and external links

* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=33:fr6zefwkogf2 "AllMusic" review of the song]
* [http://www.arf.ru/Notes/Woiftm/afree.html Explanation and debate about the song's lyrics]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Absolutely Free — Studioalbum von The Mothers of Invention Veröffentlichung 26. Juni 1967 Label The Verve Music Group …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • free — /fri / (say free) adjective (freer, freest) 1. enjoying personal rights or liberty, as one not in slavery. 2. relating to or reserved for those who enjoy personal liberty. 3. Australian History a. relating to a convict who had been released or… …  

  • Free Four — «Free Four» Сингл Pink Floyd из альбома Obscured by Clouds Сторона «А» «Free Four» Сторона «Б» « …   Википедия

  • Free improvisation — Stylistic origins Free jazz Avant garde jazz 20th century classical music Serialism Aleatoric music Cultural origins Mid 1960s United States, UK, and Europe Typical instruments Varies …   Wikipedia

  • Song Yingxing — (Traditional Chinese:宋應星; Simplified Chinese:宋应星; Wade Giles: Sung Ying Hsing; 1587 1666 AD) was a Chinese scientist and encyclopedist who lived during the late Ming Dynasty (1368 1644). He was the author of an encyclopedia that covered a wide… …   Wikipedia

  • Absolutely Curtains — Chanson par Pink Floyd extrait de l’album Obscured by Clouds Pays  Royaume Uni …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Absolutely Fabulous — infobox television show name = Absolutely Fabulous caption = Title card of the final series format = Sitcom camera = Multiple camera runtime = 30 minutes approx. creator = Jennifer Saunders starring = Julia Sawalha Joanna Lumley Jennifer Saunders …   Wikipedia

  • Montana (Frank Zappa song) — Montana is a song composed by Frank Zappa for his 1973 LP Over Nite Sensation. The last track on the album is one of Zappa s most famous and renowned compositions. Its main features are the drum fills at the beginning and the appearance of Tina… …   Wikipedia

  • On with the Show (song) — On with the Show is also the title of a song from Mötley Crüe s 1981 album Too Fast for Love. On With The Show Song by The Rolling Stones from the album Their Satanic Majesties Request Released 8 December 1967 Recorded 1967 …   Wikipedia

  • Trouble Every Day (song) — Trouble Every Day is a song by The Mothers of Invention, released on their 1966 debut album Freak Out!. Frank Zappa wrote the song in 1965 at 1819 Bellevue Avenue, Echo Park, Los Angeles (the suburban residence of a methamphetamine chemist… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”