"Bobby Brown (Goes Down)" is a song by American musician
Frank Zappa released on his double album Sheik Yerbouti (1979). One of his best known songs, it was successful in
Europe, where it was a number-one-hit in Norway and Sweden, number 4 in Germany, and was featured on the vinyl and European CD version of Zappa's best of compilation, Strictly Commercial (1995).[2]
Synopsis
The song describes a wealthy,
misogynistic student named Bobby Brown, "the cutest boy in town", whose life is the archetypal
American Dream until a traumatic sexual encounter with "Freddie", a
dyke involved in the
women's liberation movement, leaves him questioning his sexuality. Bobby transforms into a
leisure suit-wearing
closetedhomosexual working in radio promotions; by the end of the song, he and "a friend" (later implied to be his boss, as he will "
do anything to get ahead", which also has a double meaning, i.e.
getting head) have become self-described "sexual spastic(s)" involved in
golden showers and
S&M, for which he thanks Freddie.