Occupations en Regalia

Whitman/Zappa


Whitman and Zappa? Whitman AND Zappa. But why? Wasn't the point to see how there were changes in "A Song For Occupations"? Well sure, and believe you me we will get to that because, well, that's the whole point. Revisions. Zappa, like Whitman, was a master of revision. Both spent their lives revising. Poetry and Music are alive with these two masters of their craft, and who could deny them that?

Zappa revised many of his songs and played many repeating themes and melodies throughout his career. Likewise Whitman was constantly revising Leaves Of Grass which became a massive collection in the 1891 edition. But we were asked to narrow our searches of revision down to "A Song for Occupations" and so i narrow my search down to one of my favorite Zappa tunes as well:"Peaches En Regalia". There are only three editions of "Peaches" that were released on non-posthumous, non-bootleg albums, and those three are what i will explore, along with the six editions of "Occupations". Bare with me. This works out, trust me. It will be fun.

1855-56 Edition and Hot Rats

A hundred and fourteen years after the release of Leaves of Grass came Frank Zappa's album Hot Rats. While featuring such alluring song titles such as "Willie the Pimp" and "Son of Mr. Green Genes" this album was mostly instrumental except for the near excruciating, buckets of gravel, screeching Captain Beefheart. But it is here that we get our first rendition of "Peaches". Likewise for Walt we get our first rendition of "Occupations" in 1855. For a frame of reference you can listen to "Peaches En Regalia" here, while you read. Now, while you are hopefully listening, is the analysis of Walt's changes to "Occupation"

From 1855-1856 we see a large change in "Occupations". Firstly the name is changed to "Poem of the Daily Work of the Workmen and Workwomen of These States". Mouthful. It is also bumped from second place, as it was right after "Song of Myself" in 1855, to a fourth place spot. There are many grammatical changes as well as additions or deletions. To narrow our search let's look at the (roughly) eighth stanza and the twenty first. These stanzas, for those following along, start with "If you are a workman of workwoman..." and "Old institutions....these arts libraries legends" respectively (pages 45 and 48 in the 1855).

First in stanza eight he changes high to nigh in the line "If you are a workman or workwoman, i stand as high as the highest that works in the same shop". High to Nigh. Standing as high as the highest in the same shop could be a pretty arrogant standing. Bosses, Owners, all could be cruel. This line paints a picture of superiority of the poet over the worker. So understandably Walt changed it. Nigh means close so now the poet is standing as close as the closest. He is relating to the workers instead of alienating them. This changes makes sense thematically for the poem. Further down in the stanza a line reads "If you remember your foolish and outlawed deeds, do you think i cannot remember my foolish and outlawed deeds?". Yet in 1856 Walt amends this by adding "plenty of them?" at the end of the line. Walt is just as foolish, just as much an outlaw as our worker, our reader, and thus he speaks from a point of understanding. The line prior gives us a similar intimation however one could ask themselves how foolish or how outlaw a "poet" could be. Thus the addition is one that seeks to bring the poet closer to the worker.

In the second stanza commented on we see a line change from "Will we rate our prudence and business so high?....i have no objection," to "Will we rate our cash and business high? I have no objection,". Few changes here of note. First "prudence" to "cash". The ability to be reasonable with resources and ones affairs changes to a word meaning ready money. Prudence is seemingly a valuable merit that Walt would rate high. Cash is almost derogatory. Also with the following line stating "but a child born of a woman and a man i rate beyond all rate" it shows us that, though America's economy, its business, is all well and fine to Walt, it is people he cares about. It is the workman, not the work that is valued. Also the removal of ellipses shows us that Walt is not objecting to American values, as the ellipses might suggest, but instead is showing us he doesn't care much at all about the subject one way or another. To him it is the children and men and women who are important.

Did you listen to "Peaches En Regalia"? Good! Smooth sounds, a very melodious undercurrent of piano, softer drums, and guitars and horns coming in for effect. A very neat and concise package. But the name, humorous right? "Peaches in Regalia". Royal peaches. Peaches wearing crowns and holding scepters. I know that last sentence is mired in double entendre and perhaps that is what is meant by Zappa's name for his song, but think about it. This studio version is so clean cut, so precise, does it match its name? Perhaps not. We shall see what happens.



1860-1872 Edition and the Filmore East

Okay, so now you know introductory things so here is the Filmore East Edition of "Peaches". Listen and read. Whitman looks different no? Hrmm. Anyhow he did make some very distinct changes to our beloved "Occupations" changing the title to the third segment of "Chants Democratic" in 1860 and "Carol of Occupations" in 1872. There are quite a few changes in both of the texts. including additions and deletions. Our stanzas have a few of these changes. For instance the line " If you are a workman or workwoman, I stand as nigh as the nighest that works in the same shop," changes to " If you stand at work in a shop, I stand as nigh as the nighest in the same shop," (1856-1860). It stays this way for the rest of the editions. This new line is more encompassing, and reaches out to more workers despite of where they work or who they may be. Also it shortens the line and becomes less of a labor to read. It is not flashy, and is more concise. He deletes the "?" from the "...foolish and outlaw deeds? plenty of them." in 1860 and then deletes the "plenty of them" all together in 1872. The first deletion, of the question mark, shows he does not question his own deeds but is aware of all of his foolish and outlaw deeds. The deletion of "plenty of them" is the poet showing maturity; he does not wish to remember, or state perhaps, that he had performed many foolish and outlaw deeds. The poet is coming now from a higher place (1872 is also an edition where we see "ed" change to " 'd"). The last line of this stanza "If you see a good deal remarkable in me, I see just as much in you."(1855) to " If you see a good deal remarkable in me, I see just as much, perhaps more, in you."(1856-1860) gets deleted entirely in 1872. The 1855 version is nice, but almost placating. It's as if the poet is saying "if you think i am so wonderful i think you are!" which almost talks down to the worker. The addition of "perhaps more" is just adding arrogance to the mix and so, the 1872 deletion, i affirm, makes the whole of the stanza better.
The changes in the 1972 version show us a more refined poet. The arrogance is toned down and the scope broadened. Although some would say the addition of the " 'd" is, in itself, arrogantly stating the importance of these lines as poetry, the argument could also be made that the poet was trying to be less radical, and daresay, conform more to standards.

Filmore East has a totally different feel doesn't it? The song, similar right? But not. More raw. Yes it's live. But doesn't account for everything. The pace, a bit slower, more lingering, more jammy. Ansley Dunbar's falsetto is just a nice addition to the guitar. The piano turns to an organ, and the guitar is given more freedom and is a bit crunchier. All in all this rendition is more playful, more fun, and it shows how Zappa was getting comfortable with making his music, not just music. He has more power and wants the band around him to make his song as playful as the title. Awesome, yes?


1881-2 -1891-2 to the Tinsel Town Rebellion of 1981.

Here we are at last, the 80's and 90's. Here listen to this edition of "Peaches in Regalia". Wait, what? Oh my sweet lord. Zappa changed the name to "Peaches III". He changed the name, just like Walt had changed the name of his "Occupations". A peculiar, but interesting twist to our analysis no?

Except, where Walt had changed his poem's name many times, he, in these two versions, finally changes it back to "A Song For Occupations". And it is, sadly in these editions that our stanza has the least amount of change. Most of the change comes before hand, with the deletion of some stanzas to make ours, instead of the eighth, the fifth. There are minor grammatical adjustments but it does come to bear that the whole first stanza of "Come closer to me, push closer my lovers" is deleted. This is strange. Why would Whitman not want this in his poem anymore? Why would he not want them to come close to him and "take the best [he] possess[es]" and give "the best [they] possess"? I can only imagine that it is because he has said it before and better "For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you" (to note "Song of Myself" is also returned its title from it's first incarnation in these editions ). Surely the grammatical changes are worth note, they change the entire cadence of the poem and even meaning, but they are numerous and they flip flop; what was changed in one was returned to in an another. Whitman has settled and found, perhaps, the best that these poems could be, and settled with them.

Likewise, no other "Peaches en Regalia" editions surpass the Tinsel Town Rebellion version created in 1981. Other versions were released later but they were all recorded prior to '81 and some released posthumously. This "Peaches" is so different to say the least. A faster pace at some parts. Added synthesizers. The xylophone takes lead. Weird operatic voices, and Zappa's calling out of Italians in the end. Zappa definitely doesn't play guitar in this one. This is a product of the 80's certainly, but also a product of how far Zappa could push the envelope of music. "Peaches" finally lives up to it's name with bizarre sounds and strange interludes of weird music. That's why Zappa stopped it here. No more recorded "Peaches" it became what it was supposed to, much like Whitman's last edition of Leaves (though if Whitman had lived to today, he would have revised until today). "Peaches en Regalia" had it's final incarnation as "Peaches III" and Zappa left it alone, knowing that he had accomplished what he wanted with the freedom he had gained by becoming a master in his field, much like Whitman.

Final Note

Whitman created a living poetry and Zappa changed the face of modern music. Two geniuses realized that their work was never done, their intent never fully realized, and so they sang the same songs they had been singing in different ways until the echoes came back in ways they wanted. They knew that what is beautiful changes, what is ironic changes, and time changes all. Whitman's "A Song for Occupations" had been a "Carol" and a "Chant" but it was always something sung. Likewise, as ridiculous as this sounds, Zappa's "Peaches en Regalia" was always "Peaches" of some sort. Always abstract, always strange and beautiful, succulent and deceiving. They both were artists, and they both revised their art because they needed to perfect it every time for the age it was in.