Released: November 27, 1971

Songwriter: Dennis Dunaway Michael Bruce

Producer: Bob Ezrin

[Verse 1]
What did I do to deserve such a fate
I didn't really want
To get involved in this thing
Someone handed me this gun
And I, I gave it everything
Yeah, I gave it everything

[Verse 2]
I came into this life, looked all around
I saw just what I liked
And took what I found
Nothing came easy, nothing came free
And nothing came at all
Until they came after me
Yeah, yeah

[Instrumental break 1:52-3:54]

[Spoken section]
What did I do to deserve such a fate?
I didn't really want to get
Involved in this thing
Someone handed me a gun
And I, I gave it everything
I gave it everything
(Sigh)

[Instrumental outro 4:19-6:58]

Alice Cooper

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.