Frank Zappa’s Satirical, Moon Unit-Featuring ‘Valley Girl’ Turns 40
The track will soon be remixed by Flux Pavillion.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of “Valley Girl,” Frank Zappa’s sardonic, Grammy-nominated Top 40 hit co-written with and featuring his then teenage daughter Moon Unit Zappa, who offers up the “totally bitchin’” local slang of the day over a gonzo riff set to an energetic beat.
Released in 1982, the satirical track–which poked fun at the teen culture of Southern California’s San Fernando Valley–became the innovative artist’s biggest hit in the U.S. and inadvertently popularized “Valspeak” across the nation while capturing the zeitgeist of the day.
To celebrate this enduring father-daughter collaboration turned cultural phenomenon, Zappa Records/UMe has released the first-ever music video for “Valley Girl,” courtesy of the award-winning animation studio Fantoons. Inspired by 80s cartoons, the animated video is chock full of Easter Eggs from across Zappa’s peerless and prolific career.
To accompany the video, a new collection of “Valley Girl”-inspired merch–featuring graphics and imagery from the video on a t-shirt, tank, and hat–is now available, alongside the recently released evergreen Zappa line.
Later this year, “Valley Girl” will also receive a fresh remix from British DJ, producer, EDM star, and longtime Zappa fan, Flux Pavillion, who has previously worked alongside M.I.A., Dillon Francis, Marshmello, Steve Aoki, and many others.
The story behind “Valley Girl” is now the stuff of legend. When 14-year-old Moon first approached Frank Zappa about a collaboration, her only goal was to spend more time with her legendary father. For the better part of three decades, the elder Zappa had gained near-mythic status through his work as a boundary-pushing musician, a prolific composer and producer, a guitar virtuoso, and a prominent activist. By the early 80s, however, Zappa was a family man, who spent much of his time at his home studio when he wasn’t touring. His children–Moon, Dweezil, Ahmet, and Diva–meanwhile, had few rules, other than to not disturb their father when he was at work.
Craving a sense of normalcy and quality time with her dad, Moon slipped a note under Frank’s studio door. “Up until now I have been trying to stay out of your way while you record. However, I have come to the conclusion that I would love to sing on your album,” it read.
