Montana (Frank Zappa song)
Encyclopedia
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 Turner
and the Ikettes's backing vocals throughout the entire track, notably on the middle and ending sections.
to grow "a crop of dental floss
," mounting a pony
named "Mighty Little." He dreams to become a "dental floss tycoon," by commercialising it. The verses are filled with pseudo-ranch pronunciation and are intended to be very lighthearted.
At 1:55, right after the chorus, Zappa plays a long guitar solo. Then, there's a complex middle section with vocals (performed by Tina Turner & The Ikettes, uncredited) backed by percussion, singing some of the verses. Zappa follows singing the last verses and finally there's the coda
, where the line from the chorus ("Moving to Montana soon...," sung by Tina Turner
and the Ikettes) is repeated constantly and answered by a high-pitched "Yippy-Aye-O-Ty-Ay" (sung by Kin Vassy
). This goes on until it fades out towards the six-and-a-half minute
mark.
, ("Whipping Floss") is an example of when he did this. Before the song starts, a fan asks them to play The Allman Brothers Band
's song "Whipping Post
." Frank jokes with the audience that they do not know the tune, Frank (after playing a couple of jokes on the guy and the audience) chooses to play "Montana" instead, yet he alters the lyrics, which later forces George Duke
and Napoleon Murphy Brock
to pay attention with the vocal backing (and they do fumble at one part). Meanwhile, at the beginning of the song, the band starts playing very fast, which causes Ruth Underwood
and Chester Thompson
to stumble at the drum fill, leading to more jokes from the rest of the band. The end of the song is a very long guitar solo
, that around 9:55 turns into some kind of funk
jam, and finally segues into a short version of "Big Swifty
."
compilation.
According to Barry Miles
' biography Zappa, Tina Turner
was so impressed with a rough cut of the song, she volunteered herself and her backup singers to sing the "raising my lonely dental floss" backups on the song. Afterwards, Tina called her then-husband Ike Turner
into the studio to listen. According to Miles, Ike listened for about a minute, declared, "What the hell is this shit?" and left.
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...
composed by 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...
for his 1973 LP
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...
Over-Nite Sensation
Over-Nite Sensation
Over-Nite Sensation is an album by Frank Zappa & The Mothers, released in 1973 . It was recorded in March – June 1973 at these studios: Bolic Sound in Inglewood, Whitney, in Glendale, and Paramount in Los Angeles...
. 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 Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
and the Ikettes's backing vocals throughout the entire track, notably on the middle and ending sections.
Song structure
Montana is structured in a typical jam-song way (intro-verses-chorus-solo-middle section-verses-outro). The lyrics, sung by Zappa in a humorous manner, talk about a person who decides to go to MontanaMontana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
to grow "a crop of dental floss
Dental floss
Dental floss is made of either a bundle of thin nylon filaments or a plastic ribbon used to remove food and dental plaque from teeth. The floss is gently inserted between the teeth and scraped along the teeth sides, especially close to the gums. Dental floss may be flavored or unflavored, and...
," mounting a pony
Pony
A pony is a small horse . Depending on context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. There are many different breeds...
named "Mighty Little." He dreams to become a "dental floss tycoon," by commercialising it. The verses are filled with pseudo-ranch pronunciation and are intended to be very lighthearted.
At 1:55, right after the chorus, Zappa plays a long guitar solo. Then, there's a complex middle section with vocals (performed by Tina Turner & The Ikettes, uncredited) backed by percussion, singing some of the verses. Zappa follows singing the last verses and finally there's the coda
Coda (music)
Coda is a term used in music in a number of different senses, primarily to designate a passage that brings a piece to an end. Technically, it is an expanded cadence...
, where the line from the chorus ("Moving to Montana soon...," sung by Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
and the Ikettes) is repeated constantly and answered by a high-pitched "Yippy-Aye-O-Ty-Ay" (sung by Kin Vassy
Kin Vassy
Charles Kindred "Kin" Vassy was a singer-songwriter who in addition to his solo recordings also recorded with other artists, most notably Kenny Rogers, Frank Zappa and Elvis Presley....
). This goes on until it fades out towards the six-and-a-half minute
Minute
A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units...
mark.
Live
Montana quickly became a fan favorite and was often played live, especially during the 1973-1975, 1982, 1984 and 1988 tours. On stage, Zappa often altered the lyrics of the song and sometimes even the structure, to great extent. The version featured on You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 2You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 2
You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 2 is a live album by Frank Zappa. Despite the subtitle "The Helsinki Concert," the album is not one complete concert, but was, in fact, assembled from two different concerts performed in Helsinki in 1974...
, ("Whipping Floss") is an example of when he did this. Before the song starts, a fan asks them to play The Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers Band is an American rock/blues band once based in Macon, Georgia. The band was formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman and Gregg Allman , who were supported by Dickey Betts , Berry Oakley , Butch Trucks , and Jai Johanny "Jaimoe"...
's song "Whipping Post
Whipping Post (song)
"Whipping Post" is a song by The Allman Brothers Band. Written by Gregg Allman, the five-minute studio version first appeared on their 1969 debut album The Allman Brothers Band. But the song's full power only manifested itself in concert, when it was the basis for much longer and more intense...
." Frank jokes with the audience that they do not know the tune, Frank (after playing a couple of jokes on the guy and the audience) chooses to play "Montana" instead, yet he alters the lyrics, which later forces George Duke
George Duke
George Duke is a multi-faceted American musician, known as a keyboard pioneer, composer, singer and producer in both jazz and popular mainstream musical genres. He has worked with numerous acclaimed artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and professor of music...
and Napoleon Murphy Brock
Napoleon Murphy Brock
Napoleon Murphy Brock is an American singer, saxophonist and flute player who is best known for his work with Frank Zappa in the 1970s, including the albums One Size Fits All, Roxy and Elsewhere, and Bongo Fury...
to pay attention with the vocal backing (and they do fumble at one part). Meanwhile, at the beginning of the song, the band starts playing very fast, which causes Ruth Underwood
Ruth Underwood
Ruth Underwood is a retired professional musician, best known for playing xylophone, marimba, vibraphone and other percussion instruments in Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention from 1967 to 1977....
and Chester Thompson
Chester Thompson
Chester Cortez Thompson is an American drummer and session musician.-Biography:Thompson made his name as a session drummer, going on to play in Frank Zappa's touring band and with Weather Report...
to stumble at the drum fill, leading to more jokes from the rest of the band. The end of the song is a very long guitar solo
Guitar solo
In popular music, a guitar solo is a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Guitar solos, which often contain varying degrees of improvisation, are used in many styles of popular music such as blues, jazz, rock and metal styles such...
, that around 9:55 turns into some kind of funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
jam, and finally segues into a short version of "Big Swifty
Big Swifty
Big Swifty is a composition by Frank Zappa from his solo studio album Waka/Jawaka .It is a jazz-fusion tune, similar to many of Zappa's pieces from the jazz period of his compositional time line. It features many horns to achieve a thick brassy sound as well as room for improvisation and use of...
."
Other
The song (with the solo edited out) was the B-Side of "I'm The Slime" (1973) and many years later, put on the Strictly CommercialStrictly Commercial
Strictly Commercial is a compilation album by Frank Zappa. It was released in 1995 , two years after his death.-Side one:#"Peaches en Regalia"#"Don't Eat the Yellow Snow" #"Dancin' Fool"...
compilation.
According to Barry Miles
Barry Miles
Barry Miles is an English author known for his participation in and writing on the subject of the 1960s London underground. He has written numerous books and his work has also regularly appeared in left-wing papers such as The Guardian...
' biography Zappa, Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
was so impressed with a rough cut of the song, she volunteered herself and her backup singers to sing the "raising my lonely dental floss" backups on the song. Afterwards, Tina called her then-husband Ike Turner
Ike Turner
Isaac Wister Turner was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, arranger, talent scout, and record producer. In a career that lasted more than half a century, his repertoire included blues, soul, rock, and funk...
into the studio to listen. According to Miles, Ike listened for about a minute, declared, "What the hell is this shit?" and left.