Moon Unit Zappa performs “Valley Girl” on Solid Gold in 1982

Ah, memories of my sister's mysterious 45 of a song that she never bothered to listen to still intrigue me to this day. It had a captivating purple label adorned with a pumpkin, which only added to its allure. I couldn't resist asking her about it, but she scolded me for going through her records.

Little did she know that I had no intention of keeping my promise not to return for that enticing record.

When I finally had the chance to play the record, it was for a song called “Valley Girl,” and I was absolutely enthralled. The lyrics were clear to me, but the context felt like something out of a magical dream. In my mind, I pictured a wondrous valley of malls situated in California, where the sun never set, and Orange Juliuses flowed like a never-ending stream.

Back in 1982, Moon Unit Zappa did a performance of her and her father's song, "Valley Girl," on the TV show Solid Gold. I caught a rebroadcast of it later, and I must admit, it only served to further bewilder my young mind. Whatever was happening in that performance, I couldn't quite grasp, but it added to the mystical allure of the song.

Time passed, and I eventually made my way to the real-life valley the song spoke of, but by then, the magical essence seemed to have faded away. Although the experience of being in that valley was undoubtedly exciting, it couldn't quite capture the otherworldly charm that I had felt when I first played that enigmatic record.

Nevertheless, that song remains a treasured part of my memories, a magical portal to a time and place that once captivated my imagination. And while the reality of the valley might have been different from the fantastical image in my mind, I'll always cherish the moments spent with that purple-labeled pumpkin-adorned record that sparked my youthful sense of wonder and curiosity.