Alice Cooper

Released: July 12, 1994

Songwriter: Chris Cornell

Producer: Andy Wallace

From the start of life
To my dying day
In the dark of night
And the burning light of day
It's a bloody fight
But I can't walk away
I'm prime for the front line

Unholy war, unholy war
I'll try, I'll fight until I die
Unholy war, unholy war
I see, I know, you'll always be
Unholy

You see my burning fuse
From a mile away
I took your cruel abuse
Lord took away my shame
I learned to bite the hand
That used to pull my chain
We'll fight, cause we ain't on the same side

We're in an unholy war, unholy war
I'll try, yeah I'll fight until I die
Unholy

When I'm all alone - Unholy
With your thoughts of pain - Unholy
I can break on through - Unholy
With just an ounce of faith - Unholy

You're shaking in your boots
Because it's Judgement Day
I'll get my just rewards
And you'll have your hell to pay
There's no time to throw out the lifeline

Unholy war, unholy war
I'll try, I'll fight until I die
Unholy war, unholy war
I see, I know, you'll always be
Unholy

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.

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