Alice Cooper

Songwriter: Alice Cooper Duane Hitchings Erik Scott Mike Pinera

Producer: Richard Podolor

You feel the knife stuck in your back
You feel it twist and you hear it crack
Can't make a sound for the sudden pain
You wish your blood were Novocaine

You see the smoke and you feel the flak
You're burning up and you're turning black
They say you fell and you hit your head
Your other bun is Whitenbread

Vicious rumours, paranoic fears
Sonic boomers ringing in your ears
All of this is getting normal now
You'll never go back to your farming plough
Vicious rumours

You're right at home back at William's flat
You heard a sound you turned and shot your cat
Your hands are shaking, everybody sees
And there's a rhythm drumming in your knees

You return into a foreign night
Inside you know something is just not right
Sometimes you duck when you see your pet
Canary turned into a Sabre jet

Shocked consumer - you're just an average guy
Swelling tumor pushing on your eye
And now you know why all the headaches come
And why you're getting progressively numb
Vicious rumours

I've been denied, debriefed, detuned
Sometimes I howl right at the moon
My family treats me gradually
They know my volatility

Vicious rumours, paranoic fears
Sonic boomers ringing in your ears
And now I know why all the headaches come
And why you're getting progressively numb
Vicious rumours

(Vicious rumours)
(Vicious rumours)
(Vicious rumours)
(Vicious rumours)
(Vicious rumours)
(Vicious rumours)
(Vicious rumours)
(Vicious rumours)

Who do you think we are
Who do you think we are
Who do you think we are
Who do you think we are
Who do you think we are
We don't care
We don't care

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

Special Forces

From the album

Special Forces (1981)

Alice Cooper popular songs

Vicious RumoursAlice Cooper

Alice Cooper

Special Forces