Released November 19, 1979 Label Zappa Records Producer(s) Frank Zappa | Length 8:15 Writer(s) Frank Zappa | |
Recorded Village Recorders, LA
Spring 1979 | ||
"A Little Green Rosetta", by Frank Zappa, is the final song on the 1979 concept album Joe's Garage [Part III]. The main character from this triple-album rock opera is faced with the decline of the music industry, and is forced to work on an assembly line placing little frosted rosettes on top of muffins at the Utility Muffin Research Kitchen facility (a self-reference to Zappa's own personal studio)
Contents
Originally written for Läther, the song forms a coda for Joe's Garage, completing the song cycle of the album. The opening narration by Zappa as the Central Scrutinizer, describing his job at the facility, is nearly identical to the opening preamble to the 1975 song "Muffin Man" from Bongo Fury. "A Little Green Rosetta" is the only song on Joe's Garage where Zappa's entire studio band sings along to the chorus. The ending chorus reflects Zappa's bitterness towards music critics and the music buying public's indifference to musicianship:
They're pretty good musicians
But it don't make no difference
If they're good musicians
Because anybody who would buy this record
Doesn't give a fuck if there's good musicians
On it
The lyrics also lampoon Steve Gadd's status as one of the highest-paid session drummers in popular music.
Analysis
This song was analyzed in Zappa, and also in Academy Zappa.