Lyrics:

Song Review by François Couture

First of all, a 'Florentine Pogen' is a cake. Pagens, a Swedish bakery, had a branch in California named Pogen. Now, as to what the opening lines ('She was the daughter of a wealthy/Florentine Pogen') to Frank Zappa's song mean is anybody's guess, but looking at the next few lines it becomes clear that the character is a young, spoiled, rich, and a little airhead girl ('a debutante daisy/With a color-note organ'). In general, the lyrics don't make sense, like much of 'Inca Roads,' this song's cousin. Both appeared on the 1975 LP One Size Fits All, opening side A and B, respectively. Both are complex pieces (although 'Florentine Pogen' follows a more conservative 4/4 frame) coupling crazy chops with zany humor and inside jokes. 'Chester [Thompson, Zappa's drummer]'s thing,' the 'booger-bear' of 'Inca Roads,' comes back here as 'Chester's go-rilla.' It seems both quotes refer to a groupie of imposing proportions. In the liner notes of the album, Thompson is credited as the 'gorilla victim.'

The song features Napoleon Murphy Brock's vocals. It was probably written during the 1973-1974 tour, as it was not part of the live set in December 1973. In its first appearances in early 1974 it segued directly into 'Kung Fu,' both songs presumably thought to be one at that time, but later in the tour the ending was detached and 'Florentine Pogen' acquired its 'Chester's gorilla' finale. It kind of vanished once it was recorded for One Size Fits All, resurfacing in the late '70s and again for the 1988 tour where it was given an extended finale to make room for a guitar solo and a segue into 'Andy.' If you are looking for a party game, try to spot the short 'Louie Louie' quote.