Lyrics:

Song Review by François Couture

'The Idiot Bastard Son' has enjoyed a long stay in Frank Zappa's set list, considering it was performed in its original form for a decade, while other songs from the 1968 LP We're Only in It for the Money like 'Let's Make the Water Turn Black' and 'Harry, You're a Beast' reappeared only as part of an instrumental medley. The child of a Nazi and a hooker, the idiot bastard son was abandoned in the back of a car and raised by Kenny and Ronnie, two of Zappa's high-school friends whose adventures are depicted in the previous song on the album, 'Let's Make the Water Turn Black.' He will then be ready to enter the world of 'liars & cheaters & people like you/Who smile & think you know/What this is about' -- a nice way to make the listener feel stupid. The strange topic is reinforced by a 3/4 time signature and a beautiful melody sang with a lot of emotion ( Napoleon Murphy Brock gave the best performance of it in 1973, as documented on You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 2). The original version is noticeable for its use of three guitar parts (acoustic, clean wah-wah, and electric). It became a favorite among fans of the early Mothers of Invention, and is regularly performed by cover bands. The Ensemble Ambrosius brought out the classicism of its melody; Jean-Luc Ponty recorded a jazzy rendition of it for his album King Kong.