☝️ Key Points
- The song lyrics are about a young man named Bobby Brown, who sees himself as attractive and successful.
- Bobby Brown presents himself as the American dream, wanting to become rich and conforming to societal norms.
- The lyrics address Bobby's insecurity and his sexual preferences, including his experiences with sadomasochism.
- The song provokes and questions taboos and gender roles.
- It plays with ironic and shocking elements to portray the absurdity of American fairy tales.
Interpretation
The song lyrics "Bobby Brown Goes Down" by
Frank Zappa is about a young man named Bobby Brown who sees himself as attractive and successful. He describes his fast car, his shiny teeth, and how he impresses the girls. Bobby Brown attends a famous school where he dresses stylishly and acts cool. He has a cheerleader who helps him with his homework and he even considers raping her later on.
Bobby Brown presents himself as the American dream that is not too extreme and wants to get a good job to become rich. He also mentions the women's liberation movement that fights for equality. Bobby tells of a sexual experience with a lesbian woman named Freddie and how he feels unsure about it.
Later, Bobby Brown buys a leisure suit and works in radio promotion. He hides his sexual orientation from his colleagues. Eventually, he gets into the world of S&M (Sadomasochism) and enjoys sexual practices like "Golden Shower".
The lyrics show how Bobby Brown tries to maintain his image but ultimately struggles with his insecurity and sexual preferences. He thanks Freddie for sexually awakening him and refers to himself as a sexual "spastic".
The song lyrics "Bobby Brown Goes Down" play with ironic and shocking elements to portray the absurdity of American fairy tales and societal norms. It provokes and stimulates thought by questioning taboos and gender roles.