Absolutely Free (song)

"Absolutely Free" is a song written by Frank Zappa and released on the Mothers of Invention album We're Only in It for the Money in 1968. The song is not to be confused with the Mothers of Invention album of the same name.

Lyrics and censorship

Like many of the songs on We're Only in It for the Money, "Absolutely Free" criticizes the hippie movement and the Summer of Love. The song's lyrics are a parody of psychedelia, especially the idea of expanding one's consciousness through the use of drugs. To this end, the song frequently mentions the word "discorporate", which is explained by Zappa in the spoken introduction to the song ("The first word in this song is discorporate. It means to leave your body"). "Discorporate" plays heavily in Robert Heinlein's science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land, which was very popular among hippies and provided the muse for several songs by Jefferson Airplane.

The lyrics also reference the song "Mellow Yellow" by singer-songwriter Donovan, who is often associated with the hippie movement ("The dreams as they live them are all mellow yellow").

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 woodwinds player Bunk Gardner, keyboardist Don Preston, rhythm guitarist Jim Fielder and drummer Billy Mundi. Fielder quit the group before the album was released and his name was removed from the album credits.

This album's emphasis is on interconnected movements, as each side of the original vinyl LP comprises a mini-suite. It also features one of the most famous songs of Zappa's early career, "Brown Shoes Don't Make It," a track which has been described as a "condensed two-hour musical".

In the book Necessity Is..., former Mothers of Invention band member Ray Collins said that Absolutely Free is probably his favorite of the classic Mothers albums. This is Official Release #2.

Reissues

The CD reissue adds a single that the Mothers released at the time between side one and side two. It features the songs "Why Dontcha Do Me Right?" (titled "Why Don't You Do Me Right" on the 45) and "Big Leg Emma", both described as "an attempt to make dumb music to appeal to dumb teenagers". These were a rare Verve single.

Absolutely Free (band)

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Absolutely Free is a Canadian band formed by Mike Claxton, Jordan Holmes, Matt King and Moshe Rozenberg in 2011 after the breakup of their prior band DD/MM/YYYY. The band released their debut EP UFO/Glass Tassel in 2012, followed by On The Beach/Clothed Woman, Sitting EP the next year.

In 2014, Absolutely Free released their debut full-length album Absolutely Free with Arts & Crafts in Canada, and Lefse Records in all other territories. The album was a long-listed nominee for the 2015 Polaris Music Prize.

Discography

References