Alice Cooper

Released: May 15, 2020

Songwriter: Alice Cooper Bob Ezrin Tommy Henriksen

Producer: Bob Ezrin

Yeah, I know you’re struggling right now
We all are - in different ways
It’s like a new world that we don’t even know
It’s hard to sleep…even harder to dream
But look: you’ve got 7 billion brothers and sisters all in the same boat
So don’t panic. Life has a way of surviving and going on and on...
We’re not fragile - and we sure don’t break easy!

You know it’s so hard to cope
When you’re just hoping there’s hope…

We’re all hanging on by a thread
We’re all staring at the razor’s edge
But we’re not going to step off the ledge
No!

Our enemy is a cold, indiscriminate monster
It doesn’t care if you’re old or newborn…it exists to kill
You and I are nothing to it
It has no heart or soul or conscience
Do we fear it? Yeah
Do we cower before it? Hell no
We’re the blood and guts human race…and we win!

You know that it’s right
So we just gotta fight...
Yeah, we’re all hanging on by a thread
We’re all staring at the razor’s edge
But we’re not going to step off the ledge
No!

We’re all hanging on by a thread
We’re all staring at the razor’s edge
But we’re not going to step off the ledge
No!

This is Alice Cooper in Detroit…Let’s keep fighting…Don’t give up!

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.

more tracks from the album

Detroit Stories

From the album

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