What was “Sheik Yerbouti”?

When Musician Frank Vincent Zappa (12/21/40 – 12/4/93) started his own record label, he collected songs he had recorded in 1977 and 1978 and put together the double album “Sheik Yerbouti”, which Zappa Records released on March 3, 1979.

Taking advantage of the fact that the word sheik can be pronounced either “sheek” or “shake”, Mr. Zappa intended the word to have the latter pronunciation. Therefore, the album title was pronounced “shake yer booty”, a satiric “tribute” to the 1976 disco hit record “Shake Your Booty”, by KC and the Sunshine Band. Mr. Zappa appears on the album cover wearing an Arab headdress, in character as a “SheikYerbouti”.

The former leader of the “Mothers of Invention” band, Mr. Zappa left the Warner Brothers label to strike out on his own, as a solo act, with “SheikYerbouti” his breakout album. The songs were in the Zappa tradition: funny, satirical, caustic, and offensive, particularly in the language of the lyrics. As of February 27, 2018, “Sheik Yerbouti” had sold more than 2 million copies, making it Mr. Zappa’s most successful album.

One of the album’s songs, “Bobby Brown”, was banned from the US airwaves because of its sexually explicit lyrics; however, it was a major hit in Europe, which left Mr. Zappa befuddled. Another, “Dancin’ Fool”, was a slap at the disco craze but became popular in discos. “Flakes”, parodied Singer Bob Dylan. “I Have Been in You” mocks Peter Frampton’s “I’m in You” 1977 song.