| "Watermelon in Easter Hay" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Frank Zappa | |
| from the album Joe's Garage Acts II & III | |
| Released | November 19, 1979 |
| Recorded | Village Recorders, LA Spring 1979 |
| Genre | Instrumental rock, hard rock, progressive rock |
| Length | 9:08 |
| Label | Zappa Records |
| Songwriter(s) | Frank Zappa |
| Producer(s) | Frank Zappa |
"Watermelon in Easter Hay", full name "Playing a Guitar Solo With This Band is Like Trying To Grow a Watermelon in Easter Hay",[1] by Frank Zappa, is the penultimate song on the 1979 concept album Joe's Garage. The main character from this three-part rock opera is faced with the banning of all music after being repeatedly raped in prison, and copes after his release by imagining guitar solos in his head for the entire third act of the album. As he "begins to feel depressed now, he knows the end is near",[2] this song acts as the character's final goodbye to music as he moves on with his life, detailed in "A Little Green Rosetta", the next and final song of the album.
The song is introduced by opening narration by Zappa as the Central Scrutinizer, which then gives way to a guitar solo. This guitar solo is the only guitar solo specifically recorded for the album, as every other guitar solo was xenochronous—overdubbed from older live recordings.[3]: 154 [3]: 381 The entire song consists of two alternating harmonies: A and B / E (This could also be thought of as an E major 7th sus 2), linked by a G#. This simplicity is made more interesting by the emphasis in the solo on the note D#, a tritone above the bass A, which conveys the harmony A#11. The 9/4 time signature keeps the two-chord harmonic structure sounding fresh.[4]