Lyrics:

Song Review by François Couture

Recorded for the Mothers of Invention's 1967 LP Absolutely Free, 'The Duke of Prunes' is presented as a suite in three movements. The first one bears the song's common title and is the exposition of the theme. The second, 'Amnesia Vivace,' could be seen as a classical cadenza and includes quotes from the first bars of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, one of Zappa's early influences (with Edgar Varèse and Anton Webern). 'The Duke Regains His Chops,' the third movement, restates the theme (with some variations in the lyrics) before jumping to a coda ( Zappa presents it as a build-up just like the Supremes) with an abrupt ending. The song feels like a post-modern oratorio. Lyrics would be sexually explicit if it weren't for the use of the words 'prune' and 'cheese' as substitutes for terms that would have made censors bark. The result is surrealistically obscure with passages such as 'The cheese I have for you, my dear/Is real and very new' or 'And so my love I offer you/A love that is strong a prune that is true.' Traces of live performances of this song are few and limited to 1970 and 1972. In 1977, Zappa planned to release a very different version of the song on the ill-fated Läther (it eventually came out in 1979 on Orchestral Favorites). Re-christened 'The Duke of Orchestral Prunes,' it is mainly a symphonic arrangement of the main theme. In place of the second movement one finds an extended section topped by a guitar solo, followed by another statement of the main theme. This version also appeared on the compilation album Strictly Genteel.