Frank Zappa - Be-Bop Tango Lyrics

Some of you may know that the tango, Which
Is not a very popular dance anymore
Was at one time reputed to
Be a dance of unbridled passion
Back in the old days
When it wasn't so easy to get your rocks off
When it was hard to make contact with
A member of the opposite camp And
You had to resort to things like
Dancing close together And going hey

Those were the days well those days are
Probably gone forever, I don't know
Unless Nixon is going to bring
Them back a little bit later but we have
This very special highly
Evolved permutated tango it's
Actually a perverted tango by the time yes
It's so perverted! This is the Be-Bop Tango
A special entertainment event
That includes choreography a
Little bit later, so watch out folks

You can turn on the big lights
We may need 'em you know, the ones in the
Audience heh heh okay
're you ready? Not too fast
Now 'cause I wanna
Get the right notes on the tape 'N' this
This has to be the one
This has to be the one with all
The right notes on it okay
're you ready? This is a hard one
To play one two three four

The cowbell as a symbol of unbridled passion
Ladies and gentlemen

Now, as you might have noticed
Bruce Fowler has just completed
Some sort of trombone solo, Based on the ah
Idea of an evolved tango-event bruce has also
Prepared for you a demonstration of a
Dance That he hopes will sweep the ocean
Right after the Mud Shark did
Bruce is now warming up the
Important muscles of the body
In preparationin preparation for the
Real live Be-Bop
Tango Which we're gonna demonstrate napoleon
Will assist him napoleon just put
Your horn down, Just relax, put
Your head back, Here comes the
Drill okay, heh heh heh
You know what I'm talkin' about? Okay

This is sort of like jazz in it's
Own peculiar way jazz is not dead
It just smells
Funny! Okay, let's go! yeah man, jazz man
You know what I mean? This is Be-Bop
Even though you think it doesn't sound
Like that be-Bop! Now, as
You might have noticed
Some of you with a musical education
Can tell that the notes
That George just sang when he
Went: "This is Be-Bop
Even though you think it
Doesn't sound like that"
Is actually a sort of a twisted form
Of the theme of the tango it'self
Which will get even more depraved
As the number goes
On george will now attempt
To dismember that melody
Play it and sing it
At the same time while tu-dup hey
That's the way! While we
Sort of dance to it okay
Try it George tu-dup, tu dee
Oh yeah! As I was saying now
What we'd like to do at this point Is
Get some volunteers from the audience to i
Know you will
Oh God you will we need someheh heh heh
Now, as a matter of fact
You did, didn't you no
We wanna have some people who've
Never tried it bef
Ore, Who've never even thought of
Trying it before a
Boy, a girl, preferably who like each other
Who would like to come up here
And attempt to dance to
What George sings do we have
Anybody who isyou're one

Okay, what's your name?

Your name is Carl? Please Carl step on to
The stage pleased to meet you Carl
Alright okay? Let's see ah, is there anybody
In the, in the back? Whereoh oh
Hey! What's your name?

Rick, and?

Rick and Jane and Carl! Alright
Here's how it works: There's a beat going on
Like this That's a pedestrian beat you don't
Dance to that beat, You dance
To what George sings, okay? The
Little ones, okay? The little quick
Ones, okay? Ready? George, make them dance!
Dup no no Rick, you're too reserved ready?
Give it to 'em George! Tu-dup, tu-dup pu dee
Da no no, come on now, loosen up listen
Encourage them! When it ah! Okay! Alright
One more time: dance!

Tu-dup, du dee da let's study
This phenomenon tu-duppy-dup-pu dee
Da now look, Rick and Jane and Carl, You're
You're wonderful but you're just too reserved
I still can i know
You will, maybe in a minute okay
I'll t-tell you what: Go back to your
Seats and we'll bring up the next batch
Okay? Carl, Rick and Jane! Alright
You wanna try?

Anything you say Frank!

Oh my God! Alright, you're name is Lana
Right? Lana dance!

Du-dup dee-dup now that's more like
It du-dup dee-dup lana
You're so good we have to bring up some
Other people to assist you brenda
Imported from Edward's
Air Force Base, where she
Ladies and gentlemen
Brenda brenda is a professional harlot
And she just got
Finished stripping for a bunch of guys at
Edward's Air Force Base
And she made it down here in time for the
Show two hours of taking it off
For the boys in the car
Really good okay heh brenda, Brenda has
A lovely assistant named Carl, or
Robert James Davis if you prefer herb
Cohen, ladies and gentlemen! Okay, dance!

Du-du-dip you're still too adagio
I keep telling you! Du-dup-du dee
Da turn on the bubble
Machine! Dup dee da, dup dee da god
Is that a cheap bubble machine! Bow
Du-du-du-du-du da ladies and gentlemen:
Don's ex-wife! Ladies and gentlemen, You're
Probably sitting in your chairs
Saying to yourselves: I could do that
And of course you can! And now is your
Big chance! All you have to do
The first step is easy
All you gotta do is stand up go
Ahead, just stand up there you go
You are standing up yes
Some of you are not standing up But you won't
Have as much fun as the ones
Who are standing up okay
Turn on the big lights
So everybody can see what's going on yes
Very many of you are standing up okay
Link your mind with the mind
Of George Duke! And when

Du-dup that's it! When he plays
Those funny fast little notes, twitch
Around and have a good time
With the Be-Bop Tango
Let's try it! Anything
You wanna do is alright you gotta
Do anything you wanna do, it's
Alright yes you got to know you
Came to the right place, tonight
(Give me some of that wine now) as
You might have guessed, ladies and gentlemen
This is the end of our concert we
Like to thank you ver wanna
Thank you very much for coming hope
You had a good time
Bruce Fowler on trombone
Napoleon Murphy Brock on tenor sax and
Lead vocals, Ruth Underwood on percussion
Ralph Humphrey on drums
Chester Thompson on drums
Tom Fowler on bass And George
Duke on the keyboards thank
You very much alright, alright