Hey Stoopid - Alice Cooper

...tracks***

1. Hey Stoopid

This song is about a frustrated teen that is fed up with the world and ready to leave the earth for a better place:

"Now I know you've been kicked around
You ain't alone in this ugly town
You stick a needle in your arm
You bite the dust, you buy the farm"

The song was written to discuss the problems of teen suicide and is intended to ...
..."C'mon babe, kick that stuff
Show the street it ain't so tough"

When you are in a down mood, I find this song to be very uplifting and a glimmer of hope and encouragement.

Unlike the the controversial Britney Spears video where she drowns herself in the bath, I find that this is much more suitable for teenagers. Britney signals that it is ok to drown yourself if your boyfriend dumps you, Alice tells ... more

***The perfect post break-up album***

We all know that different types of music suit different types of moods. Occasionally an artist manages to write almost an entire album fitting one particular type of mood. 'Hey Stoopid' by Alice Cooper is what I call "the perfect post break-up" album.

Why? The music is perfectly suitable for those who are angry at their ex partners and want to blame everything on them. The album is perfect to sing along with and let all the anger out. You can shout out loud, you can sing your heart out. Lots of rocky guitar and lots of sing along loud choruses fill this album. At the end you feel cleansed, on top of the world and in a "I did not need you anyway mood." You feel sexy, you feel strong and ready to move on.

And if you don't, well, listen to it again and again until you do!

***The tracks***

1. Hey Stoopid

This song is about a frustrated teen that is fed up with the world and ready to leave the earth for a better place:

"Now I know you've been kicked around
You ain't alone in this ugly town
You stick a needle in your arm
You bite the dust, you buy the farm"

The song was written to discuss the problems of teen suicide and is intended to point out the stupidity in such actions,

"C'mon babe, kick that stuff
Show the street it ain't so tough"

When you are in a down mood, I find this song to be very uplifting and a glimmer of hope and encouragement.

Unlike the the controversial Britney Spears video where she drowns herself in the bath, I find that this is much more suitable for teenagers. Britney signals that it is ok to drown yourself if your boyfriend dumps you, Alice tells you to go own, even though life might seem rough at times.

2. Love's a loaded gun

This is one of my favorite Alice Cooper songs and I am sure many readers can relate to this one.

"Somebody saw you at the station
You had your suitcase in your hand
You did not give no information
You walked off with another man ... "

And so the chorus goes:

"One down, one to go
Just another bullet in the chamber
Sometimes love's a loaded gun ... ."

Now what better way is there to describe the loss of your loved one than a bullet ripping right through your heart? This piece is just brilliantly written and is one that has inspired me to write my own poem (review coming up shortly).

3. Snakebite

One of the weaker tracks on this album. The track is rocky, loads of guitar and drums, really fast paced - but not much to it...

"You got my venom running thru ya
Ain't gonna let you run off wild...."

Well, it shows a desperate dumped man who does not accept the break-up... this is especially reflected in the following lines:

"I'm snakebite,
I'm your only man"

and

"My face is tatooed on your shoulder"

4. Burning our bed

This is a beautiful ballad. It starts with slow acoustic guitar. And has a really intense and weeping guitar solo in the middle. One of my friends literally played this song about 50 times after his girlfriend left him! It is especially appropriate for those who have lived with a partner beforehand and still have to sleep in the lovers bed. Don't you just feel like burning the sheets, the pillows and throwing out the entire bed?

"Baby don't you shed a tear for me
I wouldn't want to waste your time
You talked a lot of trash and ya lied to me..."

"You can hold my soul for ransom
But you'll never own my soul"

"There used to be a time when you were everything
My flame through the night ..."

5. Dangerous tonight

Once you got through burning your bed and crying your eyes out, you can move on to gaining a little more confidence. This track starts with a bit of keyboard, then guitar and drums that sound like someone is creeping through the night on a mission to conquer something.

Now you have gotten to the stage where you feel sexy and you know it. You can have anything you want. You are just dangerous tonight ... the wounded becomes the one to wound others.

"If you let me untie your sensuality
I'll open up your heart and satisfy my greed"

"So cross yourself, don't fool around
I'll drag your heart into the ground
Dangerous tonight"

6. Might as well be on mars

Just like any post break-up mood, this album goes from soft ballads to cry along to, to an 'I do not care anyway' aggressive song and back to a very deep down sad ballad.

This track starts with a gentle guitar entry. You feel like you are taking a walk through the city at night in the rain. Your eyes are burning because of the waterfall of tears you just cried.

"The city streets are wet with rain tonight
Taxi drivers swerve from lane to lane"

You don't want to let go, you think there is still hope...

"I tried to call you on the telephone
I left it off the hook
Just to hear it ring"

But you know it is over, and it has left you all alone

"You've turned my world into a dark and lonely place
Like a planet lost in space, my light is fadin'"

"You live just across the street
But that's a billion miles away."

7. Feed my Frankenstein

And once again, from depressed and lonely, back to confidence. This song that became famous in 'Wayne's World' is very rocky with guitars and drums. An over-confident man, recovered from his break-up, one would presume? Warning: These lyrics are very.... aehm, sexual.

"Well, I ain't evil, I'm just good looking ...
... I'll blow down your house
And then I'm gonna eat ya."

"Feed my Frankenstein
Feed my libido"

"You don't wanna talk
So baby shut up
And let me drink the wine from your fur tea cup"

I leave the rest to your imagination or listening...

8. Hurricane years

Again, a very fast paced rock song with loads of guitar and drums. It is one of the weaker ones on the album but still a fun one to listen to. It's about an individual who has no respect for the law and is basically going nowhere fast.

The chorus is extremely weak, though!

"Thunder lightning
The wind outside is so damn frightening"

Okay, I will have to let you know that Alice did not write this lyric, it was one of the hired song writers on the album who is a respectful guitar player, but often writes some very strange lyrics!

9. Little by little

This one starts with a gun shot and a good drum beat before the electric guitar enters. It is another one of those, 'Oh I am so sexy and on the top of the world' songs. It also has loads of leather and lace in it. I really like this one, despite another week chorus with a lot of 'ooh-ooh' in it. I give you three listens until you sing this song in the shower!

"Black leather gloves and your lipstick shines
Bright as moonlight glows
My wildest rose cuts so fine and deep
It hurts but never shows
You're bad, you're so hardcore
Pull me down here on the killing floor."

"Little by little we cross the line..."

10. Die for you

Swing back to another lovely ballad with a lovely guitar entry. This is another one of the songs that inspired me to write a poem.

"A hundred numbers on my wall
Some with names I sometimes call
I drop a coin and let it fall
Trying to get connected to you"

"Sometimes I shake my head
And laugh to myself
I'd like to start again with someone else
I'm like a broken toy forgotten on a shelf."

"Baby, I could have been someone
I could have been something
It would have been nothing to die for you"

"A million memories flood my brain
Drown my sorrow
Kill my pain"

"These cuts are deep, but you plead innocent"

"You are much too cold to know how much you mean to me"

Beautiful lyrics, and sad at the same time....

11. Dirty dreams

Again, what did I say about mood swings in a post break-up phase? Yes, this one is fast-paced and confident (but not particulary good).

"Dirty dreams
How you wanna do me
Dirty dreams
Let me get through
Dirty dreams
A triple X-rated movie starring me and you."

12. Wind-up toy

This starts with the sound of a little child's toy and is then followed by a powerful drum and guitar entry. It kind of relates back to the first song of teenage angst and loneliness

"Daddy won't discuss me
What a state I must be
Mommy couldn't stand living with a wind-up toy."

"All my friends live on the floor
Tiny legs and tiny eyes
They're free to crawl under the door
And someday soon, so will I."

"Solitary confinement
Chained in a cell
Got my own private hell".

I hope you enjoyed being introduced to this album!

***Album info***

Released in 1991 by Sony Entertainment Inc./"Epic"

All lyrics by Alice Cooper and songwriters as credited on the album.

 

...less