Alice Cooper

Songwriter: Kelly Jay Fordham Alice Cooper Bob Ezrin

Producer: Bob Ezrin

Get ready for the lady
She's gonna be a treat
Simmer slightly 'til ready
Make her soft too
Make her sweet

I kiss the tears off from your chest
I felt the poison fright that's in your breath
I knew your precious life and I know your death
I squeeze the love out of your soul
All the perfect love that's in your soul
You're just another spirit on parole

Devil's food
(You are) Devil's food
(You are) Devil's food

"Leaving Lepidoptera – please don't touch the displays, little boy; so cute – moving to the next aisle we have arachnida: the spiders, our finest collection. This friendly little devil is the Heptophilidae, unfortunately harmless. Next to him, the nasty Lycosa Raptoria; his tiny fangs cause creeping ulcerations of the skin. And here, my prize, the Black Widow. Isn't she lovely? And so deadly. Her kiss is fifteen times as poisonous as that of the Rattlesnake. You see, her venom is highly neuro-toxtic, which is to say that it attacks the central nervous system - causing intense pain, profuse sweating, difficulty in breathing, loss of consciousness, violent convulsions and finally death. You know, I think what I love the most about her is her inborn need to dominate, possess. In fact, immediately after the consummation of her marriage to the smaller and weaker male of the specie she kills and eats him. Oh, she is delicious, and I hope he was. Such power and dignity unhampered by sentiment. If I may put forward a slice of personal philosophy; I feel that Man has ruled this world as stumbling, demented child-king long enough, and as his empire crumbles my precious Black Widow shall rise as his most fitting successor."

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

Welcome to My Nightmare

From the album

Welcome to My Nightmare (1975)

Alice Cooper popular songs

Devil’s Food (Alternate version)Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper

Welcome to My Nightmare