Frank Zappa - Bobby Brown Goes Down (LIVE) REACTION!! 

He always just held a mirror to society. Sarcasm master. Musical genius.

He wasn’t talking about THE Bobby Brown, it’s just the name of his character.

Watching your face as the song progressed was priceless!

The guitarist who was waving to the crowd while Frank was reading the note is Adrian Belew, an amazing guitarist who later when on to play with The Talking Heads and then King Crimson. Zappa worked with top musicians, like Vinnie Colaiuta, Chester Thompson, George Duke, Terry Bozzio and Steve Vai. He wasn't just a song writer and musician, he's considered by many to be a great American composer.

Zappa is a acquired taste it take time and many years of patience for you to never understand Zappa

Frank Zappa was the greatest, a musical genius. And yes, he was a savage!!

Still have this original album....Sheik Yerboutie.... Frank was a musical genius!

Loved your reaction India. Yes , I was rocking this song in the 80's. It actually has nothing to do with the Bobby Brown you're thinking of. Just happens to be the name of the character.

Bobby Brown was a little boy when this song came out in 1979. Hell, New Edition wasn't even thought about until 1982.

I was a big Zappa fan back in the day. I saw him twice before "200 Motels" which was with Flo and Eddie from the group The Turtles (Happy Together), once after when he was on the bill with The Mahavishnu Orchestra. Although Frank did a lot of comedy music he also did many more serious compositions that are devilish and complicated for musicians to play. My Zappa story. I had about 20 friends that were all Zappa fans as well. We all decided to buy the first three rows at the Fillmore East for one of his performances, and we all decided to buy and wear those fake eye glasses with the big nose and bushy mustache. When Frank walked out and saw us he was momentarily speechless, stuttered his intro, quickly composed himself and went on with the performance. While we were laughing our asses off. I'll never forget it.

Zappa, was one of the biggest poets and musicians, that ever breath...

What a surprise seeing this. You should do a reaction to Catholic Girls

It’s not about Whitney Houston’s husband. This was 1979.

This song is about two journalists who did not understand music yet interviewed Zappa claiming to know music and wrote off Frank's music in the sixties. This song is about what might have happened to those journalists a few years later in the late seventies. It is a tribute song to those two journalists. Comedy and payback at its best

Got to love the 70's ... Remember when the world wasn't so up tight and still had a sense of humor

I love Zappa. He is an acquired taste. Some of his instrumentals are absolutely beautiful.

This was made when people had a sense of humor, and wasn't offended at the drop of a hat. And No he not talking about that Bobby Brown, this was way before him

"Frank you nasty!" Lol!

Remember, Frank was being satirical and poking fun at the gay disco scene

Yessssssssss Frank is the man , I use to crank the volume of this on my parents stereo in the early 80's I must of been 14 , frank is a genius!!! I traded stones love you live for Sheik yer boutie in 83.

Heard this stoned out of my mind first time I heard this early 1980. lmfao. Your reaction was PERFECT

My mom used to blast this song in the car when I was a kid in the 80s, haha. We're Swedish though, took a while until my brother and I understand wtf that song was about.

I applaud you for checking out this song...not only because I didn't know there was a cool live version of this song but I scared my cat, I was laughing so hard at your reactions. And the best part, Frank has an entire album of offensive gems called "Have I Offended Someone?" Give it a listen.

You gotta remember, this song isn't complimentary of the titular "Bobby Brown" in any way shape or form. This song is really about toxic masculinity before that was really a concept in most people's minds. Its about the way society not only excuses the bad behavior of men like Bobby Brown because they're good looking and athletic, but actively encourages it, no matter how depraved or closeted he might be in reality.

I laughed my ass off the first time I heard Bobby Brown on Shiek Yerbouti. Bobby Brown was a radio exec satirezed by Frank after a night of revelry. I'd just heard an interview with Frank before this album came out and he described his music as a cross between Vaudeville and journalism which seems pretty accurate.

I was rocking this and other Zappa material about 23 hours a day. I took an hour off to sleep.

Wow! I can't believe you played that. I heard it when I was teenager when it came out. Everyone had the same look on their face when it played. Frank was an absolute freak and musical genius, and from what I heard...a family man that didn't do drugs. Thanx, haven't heard that in a very long time!

I have been following Frank since 1966.

I saw Frank a couple of times in the '70's early 80's. Great musicianship and shows. He was definitely unique and had some great backup players too.

In my shiney black 1969 VW BUG and 8 track player I'd speed from Simi Valley Lost Angeles to San Diego and back, playin' Frank Zappa

Thank you, Frank Zappa, for fighting for freedom of speech. As George Carlin said, if you do not like something, change it or turn it off. No one is forcing you to listen or watch.

Bobby Brown was 10, so I guess it was a fictional name. Hilarious song. Black Napkins is pretty funny too.

Haven't heard this song in 30 years. Your reaction was hilarious.

I loved your reaction. Lol. My Pop's was a huge Zappa fan, so I grew up listening to Zappa.

I LOVE Frank. He's the real deal.

I love this girls reaction to this song. I saw Frank in the 80's, Brilliant.

Im blown away you looked at this song! I love it! Thank you lady!

I've seen this clip of yours a couple of time. To see the shock in your face, is just the comic relief I need. Keep in mind, Zappa had some very controversial lyrics, but he could do it. He was such a good composer and guitarist, that he could pull it off.

I wasn't a fan of Franks music but, I was a BIG fan of him! Frank was an interesting guy and a VERY intelligent man. Never did drugs either. One of his kids is Dweezle another one is Moon Unit, lol, he was an INDIVIDUAL! Thanks India. Blessings.Namaste.

"Frank was a savage". Ha Ha. Welcome aboard. " Frank done broke my headphones".

The world needs a new Zappa!

Your reaction to this was so hilarious I had to sub. I love Zappa, thanks for doing this one.

🤣🤣🤣 The moment you finally realized the context of the song at 4:50 is simply the best lolol

even though the song came out in 79 this live performance is from 2 years before in 77, Zappa would play lots on unreleased songs while on tour.

Watermelon in Easter Hay - on Joe's Garage. Best guitar solo ever recorded.

honey, millions might told you so, but let me say it again: yor reactions while frank was doing this, were sooo cute! greeting form berlin, germany

Frank was a musical GENIUS!!!

I laughed so hard when I saw your picture because I knew what you were hearing! Zappa rules!

This song was played at my wedding in 1983, all my friends sang along very loudly. To this day if I play this a a gathering of my friends they all sing along. Probably the only song they know all the lyrics to.

I’ts a caricature of the way Zappa saw people in showbiz behave in the seventies. I think.

:) Dinah-Moe Humm, Dinah-Moe Humm, where's this Dynamo commin from - done spent 3 hours an ain't got a crum! From Dinah-Moe, from Dinah-Moe, from Dinah-Moe Humm. Great backing singing too (Tina Turner). Go look up the lyrics .. from Zappa's excellent "Overnite Sensation" LP. Even the cover art is ahem set in a bedroom. Zombie Woof on that album is good too.

You've got it, I'm a Brit, and a great fan of FZ, and yes, it is about Jocks. We have the same sort over here in Blighty, and at universities over here they tend to play Rugby.

I used to listen to FrankZappa back in the day . And your face said it all while you was watching LMFAO. Jewish Princess is also 1 you should watch .

By this time we had already digested a huge amount of FZ at the age of 19. Started with Live at the Fillmore in 1973. Check that one out. At thirteen we were listening to “Do you like my new car?” This music changes you in profound ways! You can no longer accept Bullshit!

This has NOTHING to do with New Edition's Bobby Brpwn, this song came out waaaaay before anybody ever heard of him.

Yeah the whole album is this kind of stuff interwoven with just blistering instrumentals. Usually around “Broken Hearts Are For Assholes” the jig is up for anyone who doesn’t already know what Zappa is doing.

Still rockin' this. FZ was a genius.

Quality reaction lol I love her

ANOTHER ZAPPA CLASSIC

The vulgarities are American ‘slang’, so many Swedes don’t get the lyrics, and it’s often on the radio. I still giggle when my 73yo mother innocently hums along, thinking it’s a ‘nice wholesome oldie’, due to its familiar 1950’s I-iv-ii-V chord progression.

Hi there, India! Love Your reactions. It's so wonderful to see what music does to us. Now, Frank Zappa talked about the bakcground for this song, when he first introduced it in the concert series in New York in October 1977. The name Bobby Brown is fictional, the artist Bobby Brown was not a figure back then. To explain the song he tells the story of the Three Assholes. There were these three young music journalists who made an appointment to interview Frank in his hotel room. They arrived, bringing their three girlfriends along, and it became clear pretty quick that the three journalists had an agenda. They wanted to attack and ridicule Frank for being sexist in order to score with their girlfriends. Frank was so pissed off that he wrote this song dedicated to the three assholes. If you ckeck out the CD Box or stream the Zappa Halloween 77, you can listen to the man himself explaining if. He does it so much better than me. So, yes, this is a parody. Just like Dinah Moe Humm (you might want to check that one out, too. Now, I can't be commenting this at this moment and not comment on what's going on in the US. I'm so sad that this has to be a reality. Things REALLY have to change. It's a disgrace. It seems like justice and Power is corrupted beyond belief. And it's been going on for so long. Incidently, you should check out Zappa's More Trouble Every Day, in the original version from the mid sixties he has this lovely phrase 'I'm not black, but there are a whole lotta times I wish I could say I'm not white!'

India --- I love Frank Zappa and I love that you reacted to this!! Right now is such a crazy time, and I always look forward to coming home from work and plopping in front of the computer to see what you uploaded today. It's fun to watch your reactions and hear your take on these tracks. I love how well-rounded your selections are and that you are having fun doing it. Seriously -- It's one of the few things I look forward to day after day. You've got an awesome channel!!!!

If you wanna hear Frank get savage, try "Jesus Thinks You're A Jerk". It takes aim at televangelists.

Love that people are reacting to Zappa on youtube. It keeps his music alive!

I'm thinking someone didn't tell you about Frank. Your expression is priceless. He was censored a lot. Big Shocker yes.

His shows were always so much fun ! I REALLY MISS LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING HIM EVERY YEAR ! First saw him at 11 years old ...1977

My Darling .... You reacted to Zappa ..... 😆😆😆 I'm so proud !

Best concert I ever attended was a Zappa concert...

Fun fact: Frank Zappa was probably the most underrated guitar player, simply because he didn't showcase it. There was this gathering once of a whole group of musicians, and Zappa took his guitar at some point, and started playing riffs of other guitar players in their style, and at some point came to Eric Clapton, who was at the time considered the best guitar player, and imitated him perfectly. Clapton left pissed off, since Zappa just proved he was better than Clapton.

I was born in 75 and remember my dad playing this 😁 love Frank zappa.

That alice tapestry flag is amazing!!! Wish I knew where to get one for my room!

The shocked reaction to this song will never, ever get old. LMFAO

It is difficult, if not impossible, to prepare one's self for Frank Zappa....... He was truly unique.......

I absolutely love Frank Zappa! I've been listening to Zappa since 1973. I presently have 38 Zappa albums on CD, 18 albums on vinyl, 10 Zappa DVDs, and several posters and T-shirts!

0:25 Not exactly. "Bobby Brown" was released on the album "Sheik Yerbouti" which is pronounced "Shake Your Booty"

Zappa calling them as he saw them, but without prejudice, or the lack of truth. My first concert ever. I miss his presence in this world. He would have made a great president!

We was jammin Zappa since the late 60s. lol Frank was THE savage!!

"Bobby Brown Goes Down" was written only a week before filming this performance (Oct. 31, 1977 at his yearly Halloween show in NY). The concert movie's called Baby Snakes.

If you really want to get freaked out, listen to the song "The Torture Never Stops" on Frank's 1976 album "Zoot Allures"

LOL ... I was a freshman in '79. Frank was a character., to say the least. If you partied, then you listened to Frank, knowingly or not.

Zappa is an acquired taste. His music spanned all kinds of genres, not just what people novelty songs. He's done classical, doo wop and was a hell of a guitar player. The Bobby Brown your thinking of wouldn't became full blown famous until about a decade after Frank's song.

MORE ZAPPA... INDIA LOVES IT!

Zappa was amused that this song wasnt censored at all here in Scandinavia and thus did well as a hit single here

Adored Frank. Still miss him. Grew up with him, from Mothers of Invention to Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch. He was classicly trained and his music was divine. His eviscerating social commentary was directed at all of us and us kids loved, LOVED it. I lived in Montreal, and was lucky enough to see him there a few times. I still love Peaches en Regalia best; but there were, oh, so many great tunes and wonderful musicians in his bands. Your reaction to him was both sweet and gracious, I loved it.

You need to see the performance of Muffin Man from this same concert. Frank's guitar solo is mind-blowing.

Your facial expressions were priceless on this!

hahahahahaahah, what a funny reaction. Yeah I listened to this whole album over and over for ages when it came out and I was a kid. Much easier to listen to it when CD's came out cuz you could just leave it on repeat. The best part was when he was reading the note and they requested "enema bandit", haha the look on your face. Awesome reaction.

your reaction makes this double funny :))))))) yes I grew up with this...thanks for cheering me up! x

Ya gotta check out “Dinah-Moe Humm” by Frank Zappa.

Frank dished it out equally for absolutely everyone.

I wasn't rockin this back then but let's give Frank another shot. Frank was super intelligent, super ant-social. When he died my generation lost a monster personality. I would love to hear him talk about today's world.

This brings back memories from my youth, we used to laugh our butts off. He made fun of everything and everyone...

Frank testified in front of Congress about explicit lyrics. He's a genius and yes I was playing this in the 70's. Lot's of sexual content but it's all for fun. Try Carolina Hardcore Ecstasy, or Dinah Moe Hum(with Tina Turner singing backup)!

1980 I'm in the Army in Germany. I was in a German taxi cab going from one town to another town and this song was playing over the German radio station. I couldn't believe it. This song was out before Bobby Brown and New Edition.

Your best reaction video Zappa was a legend. Try Jewish Princess

I bet there's been a million Bobby Browns. This a great, 3rd zappa reaction ivr seen. Hilarious!

This turns up 'India Reacts ' and 'to Frank Zappa', OK I say to myself this should be interesting :)… Then I see 'Reacts to Bobby Brown', it's then OMG, India has jumped in the deep end of the pool without her floaties !!! LOL Seriously, once you get out of therapy, back up a bit and VERY gently start to explore the rather unique world of Zappa.. If you ever recover from the shock of this that is. But good on you anyway, Zappa is a genius and amazing.. the ultimate composer.

Frank was a truthful musical genius .

I heard this song played a lot on radio here in Sweden when it came out. I liked it but since I was 12 back then I was too innocent to understand all the lyrics, lol!

Love your reaction to this classic comic rock masterpiece....keep it up!!!