Alice Cooper

Released: March 9, 1971

Songwriter: Michael Bruce

Producer: Bob Ezrin Jack Richardson

We still got a long way to go
We still got a long way to go
We all got a long way to go

What's keeping us apart isn't selfishness
What's holding us together isn't love
Listen to the man who's been
Touched all his life
Yes he's the one they call the fool

Where is the saviour of the sidewalk life
And the road that takes us to the crusades
I've seen the shadows
As they're moving in my sleep
Leading the blind poet to his grave

We still got a long way to go
We still got a long way to go
Yes we all got a long way to go

Please don't waste your energy on me, my friend
Cause we still got a long way to go
We'll meet again someday
But right now just go away
Cause I still got a long way to go

The silence is speaking
So why am I weeping
I guess I love it
I love it to death

Yes we still got a long way to go
Yes we still got a long way to go
Yes we all got a long way to go

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

Love It to Death

From the albums

Together (1971)
Love It to Death (1971)

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Love It to Death