He is a genuine nice guy that got his act together....married to a beautiful wife and living the (2) life's hahahaha....the life on stage and the private life...well done man! respect!
Alice and the band have become one of my favorites over the years. I try and catch every show that is near. A true Rock n Roll Legend. I thank you Vince!
when I first heard this song I did not like it. This was not the Alice Cooper I knew as a child. But now I am much older and realize this is the best song he ever made.
Ik heb 8 jaar in de buurt van Phoenix Arizona gewoond en daar is Alice Cooper een lokale held. Iedereen weet dat hij daar in de buurt woont en hij verschijnt regelmatig op TV in voorlichtingsfilmpjes en zo. Ik heb hem nooit ontmoet maar het lijkt me een aardige gast.
This song was co-written with Dick Wagner and, apparently, Bernie Taupin. The chord structure to this song is more sophisticated than your average pop song, so that must be Wagner, or maybe the pianist added some complexity to the basic chords and was uncredited. I always thought it odd that Bernie Taupin, who is purely a lyricst, would be invited to contribute to such a personal song (as he does for the whole album "From the Inside" from which it is lifted, at least according to the liner notes on my vinyl album cover, released at the time ;) This song is so "worked" and well-crafted. Alice always put his ego aside and got the best players and writers to help make the best song he could. That's why his stuff is so good, not to downplay Alice's central creative role. He was always, obviously, the common denominator in the creative process. The lyrics have an Ernst Hemminwayesque approach: cut out all that isn't required to communicate. That must have been Taupin's contribution, more as an editor, as clearly the lyrics are very personal from Alice. It's "Just to let you know.." not "I'm writing just to let you know..." "Gonna be home soon" - not "I'm gonna..". It's "Kinda awkward" - not "I'm feelin'... " Everything is chopped to fit. Presenting an inarticulate brute, which was Alice's character. "Please don't see me ugly.." as visceral and direct and simple as you can get. How many other songs have the word "awkward" in them? I haven't even heard another one. And what other ballad has the word "ugly."? Very rare but it works. Fits with the ugly brute persona. When he softly moans "Aaah" and the music softens to a quiet chorus before it gets loud again, that chord, just under the "Aaah" is (to my ear) a D/C13 resolving to a C7. 99/100 of your average pop songs of the time would have just hit straight to the C7, but this song has rich chord detail. Suspended 4ths resolving. Tension and resolution, underlying the apprehension expressed in the lyrics. Notice also that they chop the repeat of the chorus at the end so they can get in one more round of the hook and title in the fade-out. Great songcraft to the last detail, working within the limitations set by radio at the time (songs had to conform to a certain time limit, if your song was too long, it would get less rotations - except for the breakthrough classics which broke convention, Hey Jude, Stairway, Bohemian Rhapsody, etc.) It should've been a bigger hit than it was at the time. Alice Cooper and Dick Wagner wrote some of the best ballads of the 70s, and this was their last truly great ballad that was a (albeit moderate) hit, and their very best. It's a pity this video didn't actually cover any of this stuff.
This doesn't directly address the song, per se. Alice was talking about his SECOND stint in rehab in 1983, interspersed with anecdotes of his FIRST time in an asylum in 1977, which is what inspired the whole From The Inside record. Fun fact: Phil Hartman was working at Pacific Eye & Ear at the time From The Inside was being made and worked on the album artwork.
I also like Barry manilow's music but they sound nothing alike , voice wise or any other Factor... . Alice Cooper is from Arizona and has a West-type voice ... Barry Manilow is from New York , is deflection is obviously East Coast and his voice is less Gravely
Alice I realize you may not ever see this but I just had to write. I think "Lady Alcohol" played a part in killing my husband. Finally in 2015 I had to take our son and leave. I did not have the guts to stay as your wife did. Big thumbs up for her. I was li ing in GA about 3 years when he died My son missed his Dadbut understands I was loosing myself...getting blamed for everything in his life. This is a beautiful song and somehow does comfort me. You are a true artist. Thank GOD we still have you. Keep rocking! GOD bless you and your family.
I love this series of videos but so much of this footage has nothing to do with the making of this song, which was written with Bernie Taupin years after the original band broke up.
I wish Heath Ledger had seen this video. To leave the character he played behind. Instead he tried to become the character. To live inside it. And it killed him.
Hmmm, it’s interesting that he failed to mention that this song, as well as the other songs on “From the Inside” - were written by Bernie Taupin, with minimal input from Alice. I guess it didn’t fit the narrative. 🧐
Alice Cooper, I love him,but he is forgetting the big relapse after the 78 rehab and the 1983/4 relapse rehab . He talks about it in his book ,guess it doesn't fit in the story here. Oh well!
Interesting.. that makes more sense. With most people, its hard to give up something they’ve been doing for years.. without a couple of bumps along the way.
Jon Blackers Als ik een van de vorige vragen hierboven goed gelezen heb zijn ze 42 jaar getrouwd en was dat idd zijn vrouw. Blijkbaar hebben ze 3 kinderen en 2 kleinkinderen.
Never got the whole theatrical element. Been hearing his tunes on the radio since I was a kid in the 70’s and never particularly cared for his tunes. But if there’s a better spokesman for Jesus, I have yet to hear them. Much respect to you, sir.
But, sadly, there must be something in his religion that prevents him performing this and other classic ballads in his concerts. This song, "I Never Cry" and "You And Me" have been shelved.
When the Holy Spirit calls, His calling is irresistible; it's not in our time, but in God's time. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice and follow me. Praise be to the name of Jesus."
So it’s all showbiz, American showbiz. They forgot what John Lennon said:Rock n roll is real. This is the great betrayal, the great rock n roll swindle!
