Willie the Pimp

Album: Hot Rats (1969)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Willie the Pimp is one of many odd characters Frank Zappa created. In this song, we hear about his exploits running his operation out of the Lido Hotel on Coney Island.

    A vague explanation of the song's origin appears on Frank Zappa's outtake and extras album Mystery Disc, released in 1998. A track on that album is called "The Story of Willie the Pimp," which is a strange conversation between two women who are apparently speaking with Zappa. Credited on the album as Annie Zannas and Cynthia Dobson, they talk about setting a guy up to meet a prostitute that doesn't exist. According to Zappa lore, this is the conversation that inspired the song.
  • The vocals on "Willie the Pimp" are from Captain Beefheart, who was a friend of, and collaborator with Zappa from the time they were teens.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles

Timothy B. Schmit of the EaglesSongwriter Interviews

Did this Eagle come up with the term "Parrothead"? And what is it like playing "Hotel California" for the gazillionth time?

80s Video Director Jay Dubin

80s Video Director Jay DubinSong Writing

Billy Joel and Hall & Oates hated making videos, so they chose a director with similar contempt for the medium. That was Jay Dubin, and he has a lot to say on the subject.

Gilby Clarke

Gilby ClarkeSongwriter Interviews

The Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist in the early '90s, Gilby talks about the band's implosion and the side projects it spawned.

Little Big Town

Little Big TownSongwriter Interviews

"When seeds that you sow grow by the wicked moon/Be sure your sins will find you out/Your past will hunt you down and turn to tell on you."

Dino Cazares of Fear Factory

Dino Cazares of Fear FactorySongwriter Interviews

The guitarist/songwriter explains how he came up with his signature sound, and deconstructs some classic Fear Factory songs.

Dave Edmunds

Dave EdmundsSongwriter Interviews

A renowned guitarist and rock revivalist, Dave took "I Hear You Knocking" to the top of the UK charts and was the first to record Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk."