Alice Cooper

Released: February 26, 2021

Songwriter: Alice Cooper Bob Ezrin Chuck Garric Ryan Roxie Tommy Henriksen

Producer: Bob Ezrin

Me and Iggy were giggin' with Ziggy and kickin' with the MC5
Ted and Seger were burnin' with the fever
And Suzi Q was sharp as a knife

The kid was in his crib, and Shady wore a bib
And the Posse wasn't even alive
Shock rock, choppin' block, songs to make your heart stop
Shove it into overdrive

Play it loud and fast
Make that guitar blast
Play it like today will be your last

Bleak town, sleak town, freak town
Detroit city
Downtown, Motown, my town
Detroit city

There was a riot ragin' downtown
Tryin' to burn the place down
The skies were glowin' red and gray
But the grass keeps growin' and the money keeps flowin'
And the streets are still smokin' today

Play it loud and fast
'Cause the blues are in the past
Play it like today might be your last

Bleak town, sleak town, freak town
Detroit city
Downtown, Motown, my town
Detroit city

Bleak town, sleak town, freak town
Detroit city
Downtown, Motown, my town
Detroit city

Shake it down, break it down
All around, hallowed ground
Lost and found, homeward bound
The Detroit sound is coming 'round

Lion town roarin' down
Tiger town on the mound
Hockey town, shoot the puck
Take 'em down, don't give a what?

Alice Cooper is the stage name and ‘fun villain’ character of Vincent Furnier. Cooper became the target of parents and ministers for his dark lyrics and gory theatrical performances that earned him the title Godfather of Shock Rock. Despite once claiming the name was conjured from a ouija board that told him he’s the reincarnation of a 17th century witch, Cooper laughs the topic off with flippant answers like “It was either a Scrabble board or a bowl of alphabet soup” and “I didn’t want a name like Iron Butterfly or Black Sabbath. I wanted it to be something your aunt might be called.”

The band Alice Cooper was originally signed by Frank Zappa to his own record label. Their first notoriety came when Cooper tossed a wayward chicken (possibly arranged by long-time manager Shep Gordon) into the crowd, who then tore it apart at the 1969 Toronto Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival Festival. Newspapers claimed he’d bit the bird’s head off and drank its blood. Zappa advised them to not deny the story and Cooper used it as inspiration to make his character darker.

The band’s teaming with producer Bob Ezrin for their third album Love It To Death led to their US breakthrough with a top 30 hit “I’m Eighteen” in early 1971. By then, the band was already infamous for their stage show, which had escalated into simulated torture and executions. That same year, Killer was released with its two singles “Under My Wheels” and “Be My Lover” finding moderate US success, and both albums being certified gold the following year.

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Alice Cooper

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