Brown Shoes Don't Make It
Encyclopedia
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". It is also considered one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
The lyrics start off as a general attack on suburban American society: TV, greed and conformity
are all mocked openly in the song. It then shifts in tone, dealing with a city hall
official
fantasizing about having sex
with a thirteen-year-old girl.
The music itself makes several stylistic shifts, covering hard rock
, classical
, psychedelic rock
, music hall
and jazz
. It is cited by allmusic.com as being a "condensed two-hour musical". The song lasts 7:30 and is the fourteenth track on Absolutely Free
. According to Zappa, the beginning background music was inspired by Lightnin' Slim's
"Have Your Way".
The title was inspired by an event covered by Time Magazine reporter Hugh Sidey
in 1966. The reporter correctly guessed that something was up when the fastidiously dressed President Lyndon B. Johnson
made the fashion faux pas of wearing brown shoes with a gray suit. LBJ flew to Vietnam for a surprise public relations visit later that day.
A live version of this song is featured on the album Tinseltown Rebellion.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
from Frank Zappa
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...
's 1967 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the 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...
. It is one of his most widely renowned works, declared by the Allmusic as "Zappa's first real masterpiece". It is also considered one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
The lyrics start off as a general attack on suburban American society: TV, greed and conformity
Conformity
Conformity is the process by which an individual's attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors are influenced by other people.Conformity may also refer to:*Conformity: A Tale, a novel by Charlotte Elizabeth Tonna...
are all mocked openly in the song. It then shifts in tone, dealing with a city hall
City hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...
official
Official
An official is someone who holds an office in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority .A government official or functionary is an official who is involved in public...
fantasizing about having sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
with a thirteen-year-old girl.
The music itself makes several stylistic shifts, covering hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
, psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
, music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
. It is cited by allmusic.com as being a "condensed two-hour musical". The song lasts 7:30 and is the fourteenth track on 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...
. According to Zappa, the beginning background music was inspired by Lightnin' Slim's
Lightnin' Slim
Lightnin' Slim was an African-American Louisiana blues musician, who recorded for Excello Records and played in a style similar to its other Louisiana artists.-Career:...
"Have Your Way".
The title was inspired by an event covered by Time Magazine reporter Hugh Sidey
Hugh Sidey
Hugh Sidey was an American journalist and worked for Life magazine starting in 1955, then moved on to Time magazine in 1957.-Biography:...
in 1966. The reporter correctly guessed that something was up when the fastidiously dressed President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
made the fashion faux pas of wearing brown shoes with a gray suit. LBJ flew to Vietnam for a surprise public relations visit later that day.
A live version of this song is featured on the album Tinseltown Rebellion.