"Who Needs the Peace Corps?" is a

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...

song written by American musician Frank Zappa and featured as the second track on the 1968 album ''

We're Only in It for the Money ''We're Only in It for the Money'' is the third studio album by American rock band the Mothers of Invention, released on March 4, 1968, by Verve Records. As with the band's first two efforts, it is a concept album, and satirizes left- and righ ...

'' by

The Mothers of Invention The Mothers of Invention (also known as The Mothers) was an American rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Originally an R&B band ...

. The lyrics are a satire of the hippie and

flower power Flower power was a slogan used during the late 1960s and early 1970s as a symbol of passive resistance and nonviolence. It is rooted in the opposition movement to the Vietnam War. The expression was coined by the American Beat poet Allen Ginsbe ...

movements of the era, narrated by an insincere young man who travels to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

for the summer of love: "I will ask the Chamber Of Commerce how to get to

Haight Street Haight Street () is the principal street in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district, also known as the Upper Haight due to its elevation. The street stretches from Market Street, through the Lower Haight neighborhood, to Stanyan Street in the U ...

/ And smoke an awful lot of dope". The song quickly became dated when the hippie movement faded and was only performed live during the early years of the Mothers of Invention. It was briefly revived in 1988 however, as can be heard on the live album ''

The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life ''The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life'' is a double-disc live album by American musician Frank Zappa, released in 1991. The album was one of four to be recorded during the 1988 world tour, along with ''Broadway the Hard Way'', ''Make a J ...

''. On the performance selected for the album,

Mike Keneally Michael Joseph Keneally (born December 20, 1961) is an American session guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and composer. Early years and musical influences Keneally started playing music at the age of 7 when he received an electric organ for h ...

performs the monologue at the end of the song in a style reminiscent of Johnny Cash's, who was very unlike the hippie portrayed in the song. The song is also part of the soundtrack of the 1969 film ''

Medium Cool ''Medium Cool'' is a 1969 American drama film written and directed by Haskell Wexler and starring Robert Forster, Verna Bloom, Peter Bonerz, Marianna Hill and Harold Blankenship. It takes place in Chicago in the summer of 1968. It was notab ...

''.

Lyrics

The lyrics of "Who Needs the

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F ...

?" mock hippies and people who follow the hippie fashion (such as wearing

bead A bead is a small, decorative object that is formed in a variety of shapes and sizes of a material such as stone, bone, shell, glass, plastic, wood, or pearl and with a small hole for threading or stringing. Beads range in size from under ...

s, leather bands and

long hair Long hair is a hairstyle where the head hair is allowed to grow to a considerable length. Exactly what constitutes long hair can change from culture to culture, or even within cultures. For example, a woman with chin-length hair in some cultures ...

, or "smoking dope") without caring about the social reflections and political views of the concept. It includes a monologue of a stereotypical "phony hippie" who aspires to find a rock band and become their

road manager In the music industry, a road manager is a person who works with small to mid-size tours (in terms of personnel involved, based on the size of the production). Job responsibilities include (but are not limited to): *advancing show dates *making t ...

in order to become part of the hippie movement. In his 2016 book ''Rock, Counterculture and the Avant-Garde, 1966-1970'', Doyle Greene says:

..."Peace Corps" is not necessarily referring to the U.S. government organization, but the "peace and love corps" of the hippie movement. It is a scathing critique of the counter-culture experience as migrating to San Francisco, dressing in hippie fashions, contracting sexually transmitted diseases, getting beat up by police, and high-tailing back home.

References

External links

Lyrics and information
* Review on ''allmusic.com'' Songs about hippies Songs about cannabis Songs about San Francisco Songs about police officers Satirical songs Experimental rock songs Frank Zappa songs 1968 songs Songs written by Frank Zappa Song recordings produced by Frank Zappa Protest songs Songs about police brutality {{1960s-rock-song-stub