| "Advance Romance" | |
|---|---|
| Song byFrank Zappa/Captain Beefheart/The Mothers | |
| from the albumBongo Fury | |
| Released | October 2, 1975 |
| Recorded | May 1975 |
| Genre | Progressive rock,blues rock,experimental rock |
| Length | 11:17 |
| Label | DiscReet |
| Songwriter(s) | Frank Zappa |
| Producer(s) | Frank Zappa |
"Advance Romance" is aFrank Zappa song originally from his live album withCaptain Beefheart,Bongo Fury. Other versions of the song can be found onYou Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 3,You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 5, andMake a Jazz Noise Here. It is a humorous parody of typicallove songs and is sung byNapoleon Murphy Brock withGeorge Duke. The song was played from 1975 to 1976 and from 1982 to 1988 making the song one of Zappa's most performed.[1] Almost all of Zappa's lineups after its release onBongo Fury played this song in concert.[2]
The song describes a low-life world of poverty, heavy drinking ("No more credit from the liquor store"), promiscuity / prostitution, and theft. It features a girl who is very good at pleasing the singer in bed, though she takes advantage of hislust for her and takes all of his money. It is implied that she ispromiscuous: "The way she do me boy, she might do you too." She takes advantage of the singer's friends as well, such as the mentioned "Potato head Bobby" (which references the main character in another Zappa song, "San Ber'dino") and George Duke with the lyrics "Took George's watch like they always do. (It was aTimex too!)"[citation needed]
In theBongo Fury version, Denny Walley's slide guitar solo is followed by Beefheart's sinuous harmonica licks and a lengthy Zappa guitar solo. The simple structure of the song allowed a lot ofimprovisation, so a solo from almost any instrument would fit in well. One solo was named "Jim andTammy's Upper Room" and was put on Zappa's 1988instrumental albumGuitar.[1]
