Frank Zappa - Agency Man

Album:

Frank Zappa (guitar, vocals)
Ian Underwood (alto saxophone, piano)
Bunk Gardner (tenor saxophone, clarinet)
Motorhead Sherwood (baritone saxophone, tambourine)
Roy Estrada (bass, vocals)
Don Preston (electric piano)
Arthur Tripp (drums, percussion)
Jimmy Carl Black (drums)
Members of The BBC Symphony Orchestra

(Were The Mothers of Invention Ahead of their time? at least in the case of AGENCY MAN (written in 1967), about Ronald Reagan running for president. (Since Bill Casey was Reagan campaign manager, and later became head of the CIA, the idea of a political sales pitch emanating from an agency man takes on a whole new dimension).

Sell us a president, agency man
Smiling Big Brother stern father perhaps
Sell us a president, agency man
(A gay?) smiling up we know never craps
Let's try California,
Pay us first before we do it
We get a smilin nazi
March him right on through
Wham a baby
Kiss a baby
Ladies in for tea


And here's a bunch of speeches
Well toss 'em in for free


Sell us a president, agency man
Smiling Big Brother stern father perhaps
Sell us a president, agency man
(A gay?) smiling up we know never craps


We'll sell him in the movies
On the tube throughout the year
We'll sell him by the bucket
To the Okies drinking beer
We'll teach him how to walk and talk
We'll putty up his chin
We'll print his picture everywhere
Of course the shmuck will win


From the heart of Death Valley
To the ruling of our land
A simple trick you simple pig
It's just the way we planned