Valley Girl (song)
| "Valley Girl" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Frank and Moon Zappa | ||||
| from the album Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch | ||||
| B-side | "You Are What You Is" | |||
| Released | June 1982 | |||
| Format | 7-inch single, 12-inch single | |||
| Recorded | 1982 | |||
| Genre | New wave, novelty | |||
| Length | 4:59 | |||
| Label | Barking Pumpkin | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Frank Zappa, Moon Zappa | |||
| Producer(s) | Frank Zappa | |||
| Frank Zappa singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Valley Girl" is a song by the musician Frank Zappa and his then 14-year-old daughter, Moon Zappa. The song appeared on Zappa's 1982 album Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch and was released as a single, becoming a top 40 hit.
Background
The track was a combination of a guitar riff that Frank had composed, and a desire from Moon to work with her father. According to Zappa biographer Kelly Fisher Lowe, Frank woke up Moon in the middle of the night and took her to a studio in order to re-create conversations she had had with friends.[1] The lyrics were a deliberate attack on the slang and behavior of stereotypical valley girls. Zappa stressed that it was not a happy song, and that he hated the San Fernando Valley, calling it "a most depressing place."[2] Moon supplied Frank with much of the content, speaking typical "Valley girl" or "Valspeak" phrases she heard at "parties, bar mitzvahs, and the Galleria."[3]
Musically, the song is one of the most atypical Zappa tunes because of how relatively "normal" it is compared to other compositions, and is played entirely in 4/4 with the exception of the 7/4 groove at the very end.
Commercial release
"Valley Girl" was picked up by KROQ-FM, who obtained an acetate disc before release. Zappa praised the station's original programming but feared it would lead to others copying it, adding, "I would hate for it to become another service, freeze-dried to other stations." [2] Moon was a regular listener to KROQ, and persuaded the station to play the track during an interview. There was an immediate response from the public, and the track began regular airplay.[4]
The song was Zappa's only top 40 single in the United States, peaking at #32 in the Billboard Hot 100, although he had charted hits in other parts of the world. The song was also included in the compilation album Strictly Commercial.
In the US the B-side was "You Are What You Is" and in other territories it was "Teen-Age Prostitute." Promotional copies contained the album and single versions of the song.
Cultural response
Though intended as a parody, the single popularized the Valley Girl stereotype nationwide.[5][6][7] Following the single's release, there was a significant increase in "Valspeak" slang usage, whether ironically spoken or not. In particular, the film, Valley Girl played on this Valspeak.
Zappa expressed concern that, despite his rich body of music, he was seen as a "novelty" artist because of songs like "Valley Girl" and "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow."[8] At the time of the single's release, Moon said, "I am not a valley girl, but I guess that is my claim to fame."[3]
Mimi Pond made a comic book about the song, The Valley Girl's Guide to Life, which launched her career. [9]
Charts
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada RPM Top Singles[10] | 18 |
| US Billboard Top Tracks[11] | 12 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[11] | 32 |
References
- Citations
- ↑ Lowe 2007, p. 177.
- 1 2 Kozak, Roman (28 August 1982). "Zappa zaps European tours - Too Expensive, Violent". Billboard: 8, 52. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
- 1 2 "Valley Girl: No Way Rocker's Daughter Talks Like the Record". The Palm Beach Post. AP. September 2, 1982. p. B12.
- ↑ Schinder, Scott; Schwartz, Andy (2008). Icons of Rock. 2. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 371. ISBN 978-0-313-33845-8.
- ↑ Demarest, Michael; Stanley, Alessandra (September 27, 1982). "Living: How Toe-dully Max Is Their Valley". Time Magazine.
- ↑ Donald; Kikisawa; Gaul; Holton (2004). "Language". In Goggans, DiFranco. The Pacific Region (Series: The Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Regional Cultures). Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 281. ISBN 978-0-313-33043-8. Retrieved 2011-11-14.
- ↑ Moley; Muir; Phillips; Smith; Williamson (1985). "Update". Newsweek. 106 (1–9): 8. (subscription required)
- ↑ Lowe 2007, p. 178.
- ↑ https://www.lambiek.net/artists/p/pond_mimi.htm
- ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1982-09-15. Retrieved 2018-09-16.
- 1 2 "Charts and Awards for Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
- Books
- Lowe, Kelly Fisher (2007). The Words and Music of Frank Zappa. Bison Books. ISBN 978-0-8032-6005-4.
