Brown Shoes Don't Make It by Frank Zappa String Quartet - Digital Sheet Music
By Frank Zappa
22349676
Brown Shoes Don't Make It
22349676
22349676
22349676
Details
String Quartet Cello, Viola, Violin - Level 4 - Digital Download
SKU: A0.1104887
Composed by Frank Zappa. Arranged by James M. Guthrie. This edition: audio, pdf, streaming. 20th Century, Chamber, Contemporary, Contest, Festival, Pop. 37 pages. Jmsgu3 #708126. Published by jmsgu3 (A0.1104887)."Brown Shoes Don't Make It" is a renowned song by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention, released in 1967 on their album "Absolutely Free". This 7:30-minute track is considered one of Zappa's masterpieces, blending various musical styles, including blues rock, modernist classical music, psychedelic rock, vaudeville, and jazz. The song's title was inspired by a 1966 incident involving President Lyndon B. Johnson, who wore brown shoes with a gray suit, breaking a fashion rule.
The lyrics offer a satirical critique of suburban American society, addressing themes such as consumerism, conformity, and the hypocrisy of authority figures. The song's narrative evolves to focus on a city hall official fantasizing about a 13-year-old girl, using this controversial subject matter to shed light on the hidden perversions of those in power. Zappa described it as "a song about the people who run the governments, the people who make the laws that keep you from living the kind of life you know you should lead".
The composition is complex and musically diverse. AllMusic describes it as a "condensed two-hour musical." It features talented musicians, including Ray Collins, Jim Fielder, Don Preston, and others, alongside Zappa on electric guitar and vocals. "Brown Shoes Don't Make It" has received critical acclaim and is included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll1. Its enduring popularity is evident in its inclusion on live albums and its continued performance, with a live version recorded at the Whisky a Go-Go in 1968 released in 2024.
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard’s global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.
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