America Drinks and Goes Home
Encyclopedia
"America Drinks and Goes Home" is a song written by Frank Zappa
and recorded in 1966 for the Mothers of Invention album Absolutely Free
. The song actually appears in two different versions on the album at the beginning of side 2 under the title "America Drinks" and finishing at the end of side 2 under the title "America Drinks and Goes Home". In between these songs is a sequence containing the songs "Status Back Baby", "Uncle Bernie's Farm", "Son of Suzy Creamcheese" and "Brown Shoes Don't Make It
". Zappa's title for the entire piece was "Suite No. 2: The M.O.I. American Pageant (2nd in a Series of Underground Oratorios)". The piece was performed many times during the Mothers of Invention residency at the Garrick Theater in Greenwich Village
in New York City
during 1967.
Zappa wrote the song to parody his experiences playing with drunken bar bands in the early 1960s. The song combines a silly love song lyric with an equally cliched melody. The members of The Mothers perform the song in a very sloppy way on purpose. Many sound effects were creatively added to the recording to give it an authentic nightclub
feel. At the end of the recording lead vocalist Ray Collins
says good night to the audience and tells them to "drink it up, folks."
Soon after the song was released in early 1967 a few other songs appeared which used very similar ideas such as "On with the Show
" by The Rolling Stones
(released in 1967), "My Friend
" by Jimi Hendrix
(recorded in 1968, released in 1971) and "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)
" by The Beatles
(recorded in 1967 and 1969, released in 1970.)
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
and recorded in 1966 for the Mothers of Invention album Absolutely Free
Absolutely Free
Absolutely Free is the second album by The Mothers of Invention, led by Frank Zappa. Absolutely Free is, again, a display of complex musical composition with political and social satire. The band had been augmented since Freak Out! by the addition of saxophone player Bunk Gardner, keyboardist Don...
. The song actually appears in two different versions on the album at the beginning of side 2 under the title "America Drinks" and finishing at the end of side 2 under the title "America Drinks and Goes Home". In between these songs is a sequence containing the songs "Status Back Baby", "Uncle Bernie's Farm", "Son of Suzy Creamcheese" and "Brown Shoes Don't Make It
Brown Shoes Don't Make It
Brown Shoes Don't Make It is a song from Frank Zappa's 1967 album Absolutely Free. It is one of his most widely renowned works, declared by the Allmusic as "Zappa's first real masterpiece"...
". Zappa's title for the entire piece was "Suite No. 2: The M.O.I. American Pageant (2nd in a Series of Underground Oratorios)". The piece was performed many times during the Mothers of Invention residency at the Garrick Theater in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
during 1967.
Zappa wrote the song to parody his experiences playing with drunken bar bands in the early 1960s. The song combines a silly love song lyric with an equally cliched melody. The members of The Mothers perform the song in a very sloppy way on purpose. Many sound effects were creatively added to the recording to give it an authentic nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
feel. At the end of the recording lead vocalist Ray Collins
Ray Collins (rock musician)
Ray Collins was born on November 19, 1936 and grew up in Pomona, California singing in his school choir, the son of a local police officer. He quit high school to get married. He started his musical career singing falsetto backup vocals for various 'doo-wop' groups in the Los Angeles area in the...
says good night to the audience and tells them to "drink it up, folks."
Soon after the song was released in early 1967 a few other songs appeared which used very similar ideas such as "On with the Show
On with the Show (song)
"On with the Show" is a song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards which appeared on the 1967 Rolling Stones album Their Satanic Majesties Request...
" by The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
(released in 1967), "My Friend
My Friend
"My Friend" is a song written and recorded by Jimi Hendrix in New York City in 1968 during the recording sessions for Electric Ladyland. The song was first released in 1971 on the posthumous album The Cry of Love and later appeared on the CD First Rays of the New Rising Sun. It was mixed...
" by Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
(recorded in 1968, released in 1971) and "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)
You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)
"You Know My Name " is a song by The Beatles originally released as the B-side of the single "Let It Be" on 6 March 1970. Although first issued with their final single , it was recorded in four separate sessions beginning with three in May and June 1967, and one in 1969.-Composition:The song is a...
" by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
(recorded in 1967 and 1969, released in 1970.)