"Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance" is a song written by

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...

, with the first officially available version being recorded and released by

The Mothers of Invention The Mothers of Invention (also known as The Mothers) was an American rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Originally an R&B band ...

on their 1968 album ''

We're Only in It for the Money ''We're Only in It for the Money'' is the third studio album by American rock band the Mothers of Invention, released on March 4, 1968, by Verve Records. As with the band's first two efforts, it is a concept album, and satirizes left- and righ ...

''. The song was originally recorded as an instrumental by Frank Zappa in 1961 at

Pal Recording Studio Pal Recording Studio (1957–1964) was an independent recording studio that operated in Cucamonga, California (now known as Rancho Cucamonga.) The studio was started by engineer/innovator Paul Buff. The studio is known for its instrumental Surf mus ...

History

The first instance of lyrics being written for the melody is on a 1965 demo tape by The Mothers Of Invention on which the song is recorded as "I'm So Happy I Could Cry." The lyrics describe the sincere love of a man to a "girl he left behind him when he went out to see this great, big world". This version, released on the posthumous Frank Zappa album ''

Joe's Corsage ''Joe's Corsage'' is a compilation album featuring music recorded by Frank Zappa with The Mothers of Invention in the mid-1960s, before the recording of their debut album ''Freak Out!'' (1966). The album was compiled by archivist Joe Travers, an ...

'', also contains a bridge section that is not included in any other version of the song, save for the instrumental version that appears at the end of the "

Lumpy Gravy ''Lumpy Gravy'' is the debut solo album by Frank Zappa, written by Zappa and performed by a group of session players he dubbed the Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra. Zappa conducted the orchestra but did not perform on the album. It ...

" LP. At one point, the tune (without lyrics) was referred to by a working title of "Never On Sunday" (coincidentally the title of another very popular and oft-recorded song by Greek composer

Manos Hatzidakis Manos Hatzidakis (also spelled Hadjidakis; el, Μάνος Χατζιδάκις; 23 October 1925 – 15 June 1994) was a Greek composer and theorist of Greek music, widely considered to be one of the greatest Greek composers and one of the most ...

, written around the same time that Zappa wrote his song). Two years later, in 1967, Zappa wrote entirely new lyrics to the tune and it was finally re-recorded by The Mothers Of Invention (in a more abbreviated arrangement, with the bridge section excised) as "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance" for the album ''

''. The song would be known by this title from that point on. The lyrics to this version are a satirical look at social classes and the hippie subculture of the sixties. The song was once again re-recorded by Frank Zappa for his album ''

'' under the shortened title "Take Your Clothes Off", this time in its more common instrumental form and, as previously mentioned, with the original bridge section that was excluded from the "We're Only In It For The Money" version of the track fully reincorporated. Most live performances of the song by Frank Zappa are instrumental jams.

Song form

The music itself is somewhat lighthearted, but conforming to the style of most of Zappa's other material from the same period. It is musically sophisticated and somewhat complex, but based upon a very simple chord progression.

Versions recorded By Frank Zappa

The song appears on the following Frank Zappa albums: *''

'' (First version released. Length of 1:34) *''

'' (Instrumental. Original version, demo recorded in 1963. Length of 1:52) *''

The Lost Episodes ''The Lost Episodes'' is a 1996 posthumous album by Frank Zappa which compiles (with the exception of "I Don't Want to Get Drafted" and "Any Way the Wind Blows") previously unreleased material. Much of the material covered dates from early in his ...

'' (Instrumental. Length of 3:51) *'' FZ:OZ'' (Live version with vocals. Length of 2:02) *''

You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 6 ''You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 6'' is the last of six double-compact disc, disc collection volumes of live performances by Frank Zappa recorded between 1970 and 1988. All of the material on Disc one has a sexual theme. Zappa used the ...

'' (Instrumental jam. Length of 3:46) *''

'' (First version recorded with lyrics. As "I'm So Happy I Could Cry". Length of 2:43) *''

Joe's Menage ''Joe's Menage'' is a live album by Frank Zappa, posthumously released on October 1, 2008. It contains previously unreleased material from 1975. It is the fourth album in the "Joe's Corsage" series, which is devoted to various rarities compiled b ...

'' (Live version with vocals. Length of 2:10)

Covers

The composition has been covered by the Dutch progressive rock band

Gruppo Sportivo Gruppo Sportivo are a Dutch pop band from The Hague, formed in 1976, who enjoyed a measure of international success in the late 1970s and 1980s. They had hit songs with "Hey Girl", "Beep Beep Love", " Tokyo (I'm On My Way)", "Disco Really Made I ...

as part of their song "Superman", from their album "10 Mistakes" (1978).

References

{{Frank Zappa Frank Zappa songs Songs written by Frank Zappa 1961 songs Surf music Song recordings produced by Frank Zappa