"Trouble Every Day" (labeled in early prints as "Trouble Comin' Every Day") is a song by

the Mothers of Invention The Mothers of Invention (also known as the Mothers) were an American rock music, 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 ...

, released on their 1966 debut album ''

Freak Out! ''Freak Out!'' is the debut studio album by the American rock band the Mothers of Invention, released on June 27, 1966, by Verve Records. Often cited as one of rock music's first concept albums, it is a satirical expression of guitarist/bandle ...

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

wrote the song in 1965 at 1819 Bellevue Avenue,

Echo Park, Los Angeles Echo Park is a neighborhood in the east- central region of Los Angeles, California. Located to the northwest of Downtown, it is bordered by Silver Lake to the west and Chinatown to the east. The culturally diverse neighborhood has become know ...

, the residence of a

methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug use, recreational or Performance-enhancing substance, performance-enhancing drug and less commonly as a secon ...

chemist referred to by Zappa as "Wild Bill the Mannequin-Fucker"Zappa, p. 71 after watching news coverage of the

Watts Riots The Watts riots, sometimes referred to as the Watts Rebellion or Watts Uprising, took place in the Watts neighborhood and its surrounding areas of Los Angeles from August 11 to 16, 1965. The riots were motivated by anger at the racist and abus ...

.Slaven, p. 51 Originally dubbed "The Watts Riot Song", its primary lyrical themes are racial violence,

social injustice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has ofte ...

, and sensationalist journalism. The musical style—featuring multiple guitar tracks and a

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica incl ...

—much more closely resembles

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

than mainstream

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

. Producer Tom Wilson of

MGM Records MGM Records was a record label founded by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946 for the purpose of releasing soundtrack recordings (later LP albums) of their musical films. It transitioned into a pop music label that continued into the ...

signed the Mothers to a record deal on March 1, 1966, having heard only this song and believing them to be a "white blues band".Zappa (1968) Together, they released "Trouble Every Day" as a single with A-side "Who Are the Brain Police?" A re-arranged version appeared on the Mothers' 1974 live album '' Roxy & Elsewhere'' (and on the 1991 live album '' The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life'') as "More Trouble Every Day". These subsequent versions were more up-tempo and usually featured a strong horn intro and punctuation.

Covers

The UK underground artist

Mick Farren Michael Anthony Farren (3 September 1943 – 27 July 2013) was an English rock musician, singer, journalist, and author associated with counterculture and the UK underground, who had a significant influence on the development of British proto ...

covered the song on his album '' Vampires Stole My Lunch Money'' (1978); a live version featuring Farren on vocals and

Wayne Kramer Wayne Stanley Kramer (''né'' Kambes; April 30, 1948 – February 2, 2024) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer, and Film score, film and television composer. Kramer came to prominence in the 1960s as the lead guitarist of t ...

on guitar, appears on the 1984 album '' Human Garbage'' by The Deviants. Australian

stoner rock Stoner rock, also known as stoner metal or stoner doom, is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of doom metal with psychedelic rock and acid rock. The genre emerged during the early 1990s and was pioneered foremost by Kyuss and Sl ...

band

Tumbleweed A tumbleweed is a structural part of the above-ground anatomy of a number of species of plants. It is a diaspore that, once mature and dry, detaches from its root or stem and rolls due to the force of the wind. In most such species, the tumbl ...

covered the song as a B-side on their 1993 single "Daddy Long Legs". George Thorogood and the Destroyers included a cover of the song on their 1997 album '' Rockin' My Life Away''. Louisa Roach of the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

band She Drew The Gun rewrote some of the lyrics to reflect recent riots and demonstrations in the UK. The rewrite received the blessing of the Frank Zappa estate and the record was released in August 2019.

The Specials The Specials, also known as the Special AKA, were an English 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall and Neville Staple on vocals, J ...

covered the song on their 2021 album ''Protest Songs 1924-2012''.

Other references

French film maker

Claire Denis Claire Denis (; ; born 21 April 1946) is a French film director and screenwriter. Her feature film '' Beau Travail'' (1999) has been called one of the greatest films of the 1990s and of all time. Her work has dealt with themes of colonial and p ...

named her 2001 film '' Trouble Every Day'' after the song. The Frank Zappa tribute band Trouble Every Day named itself after this song.Slaven, p. 329

Notes

Bibliography

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External links

Lyrics
of Trouble Every Day {{Frank Zappa 1966 singles Frank Zappa songs Protest songs Songs about racism and xenophobia Songs written by Frank Zappa Song recordings produced by Tom Wilson (record producer) Verve Records singles The Specials songs