Alice Cooper

Released: November 17, 1979

Songwriter: Steve Lukather David Foster Bernie Taupin Alice Cooper

Producer: David Foster

When I look back at my time at the track
And I played and I played and I played and I was
Shooting the craps at the back of Fat Jack's
Come on fade me Jake
I'm a Las Vegas dreamer they took to the cleaners
A bath what a bath what a bath I'd take
A fish on a hook I was rattled and shook 'cause I lost my stake
I took that serious

All of my life was a laugh and a joke
And a drink and a smoke
And then I passed out on the floor
Again and again and again and again and again

I'm a gambling fool with a roll and a cue
Wanna play wanna play wanna play with me
Put my ass on the line rubbed my nose in the grime
And they picked me clean
The chance and the game drove Old Silkly insane
What a pain what a strain on my brain it was
A fish on a hook I was rattled and shook 'cause I lost my stake
I took that serious

All of my life was a laugh and a joke
A drink and a smoke
And then I passed out on the floor
Again and again and again and again and again

Serious it was serious oh so serious
Serious it was serious oh so serious

All of my life was a laugh and a joke
A drink and a smoke
And then I passed out on the floor
Or a friend
Again and again and again and again and again

All of my life was a laugh and a joke
A drink and a smoke
And then I passed out on the floor
Or a friend

Again and again and again and again and again and again
And again and again and again and again and again
And again and again

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

From the Inside

From the albums

From the Inside (1978)
The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper (1999)

Alice Cooper popular songs

SeriousAlice Cooper

Alice Cooper

From the Inside