Song of the Day 2/10: Frank Zappa, “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow”
Snow has persisted on the ground for more than a week now, something that’s noticeable is you walk a dog every day. Hence this tune, an example of Frank Zappa’s good advice for the masses.
On his 1974 LP Apostrophe(‘), the best-selling album of Zappa’s career, “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow” was the first part of a four-song suite that opened the album. It quickly and unsurprisingly became an audience-participation highlight in concert.
What most people don’t know is that the 10-minute-plus suite was released as a single. It came about because a disc jockey had edited out parts that might upset the FCC and played it on his show. When Zappa found out he decided to do the same thing himself. He chopped it down to under four minutes — and it actually reached the Hot 100, the first charting single of Zappa’s prolific career. It only reached No. 86, but considering how little sense the tale makes with more than half the lyrics removed, it’s amazing anyone bought it at all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5__cMKfO46A
Here’s what the entire suite sounds like on the album.
Thought “Shake Yerbouti” was the best seller, but such is life. Sage advice from Frank as ever, eat the yellow snow at your peril.
Yer right, my bad. Shake Yerbouti has sold more than 2 million records since its release. I should have said Apostrophe charted the highest. It hit No. 10.
That album is forever in my head
When the Soviet Union fell and Lithuania regained statehood in 1990 the local denziens tore down a statue of Lenin in the capital city of Vilnius. A few years later university students nearby erected a bust of Frank Zappa at the University of Vilnius. AFAIK Frank never set foot in the country but for years young Lithuanians would risk arrest smuggling in records and tapes of Frank and the Mothers into the USSR. A few years ago those Uni. students made a 2nd copy of the bust and sent it to Baltimore where it’s on display. Charm City was the birthplace of Frank Zappa. (Dec. 21, 1940- Dec. 4, 1993).