I Hate You

Alice Cooper co-founder and Hall Of Fame inductee Dennis Dunaway answers your questions!

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concolz
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I Hate You

Post by concolz » Wed Mar 10, 2021 12:36 pm

In a recent interview you said that I Hate You was originally conceived - in the aftermath of Alice going solo -
as a sort of general rant at 'others'.

a) After all this time, what made you decide to offer it up for Detroit Stories?
b) Did you hand over just the 'idea' to Alice and Bob? Did anything from the original survive lyrically/musically?

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Re: I Hate You

Post by Dreary » Wed Mar 10, 2021 6:33 pm

The original lyrics were a generic rant at nobody in particular. The concept was hating someone for humorously ridiculous reasons. It was a no-brainer to apply that concept to the band members.
I had offered it up for Alice's consideration before but this time it fit.
I flew to Phoenix where Alice, Bob, and I knocked out the revised lyrics. If Michael and Neal had been there, I doubt that the lyrics would have come out any different. They were happy with them when we recorded the song.

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Re: I Hate You

Post by concolz » Wed Mar 10, 2021 8:41 pm

Thank you. I loveI Hate You; easily the best song on the album.

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Re: I Hate You

Post by pitkin88 » Wed Mar 10, 2021 9:04 pm

concolz wrote:
Wed Mar 10, 2021 8:41 pm
Thank you. I loveI Hate You; easily the best song on the album.
Seconded!

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Re: I Hate You

Post by scotty » Fri Apr 02, 2021 5:36 am

Hi Dennis! Was wonderful meeting you at the rock hall a couple of summers ago....I heard on another fan site that at one time bob ezrin also had some lines in I hate you...is this true? Sounds like even more fun.

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Re: I Hate You

Post by Dreary » Fri Apr 02, 2021 5:11 pm

scotty wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 5:36 am
Hi Dennis! Was wonderful meeting you at the rock hall a couple of summers ago....I heard on another fan site that at one time bob ezrin also had some lines in I hate you...is this true? Sounds like even more fun.
Bob joined in on the gang vocals. Despite the "empty space" we all had a ton of fun recording that song.

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Re: I Hate You

Post by patrick » Thu Apr 08, 2021 7:22 pm

Just been reading an article in which Alice says that the omitted lines were about Bob taking the groups best songs and that he ruins them.
Which of course, Alice continues, was not the case since he made them better.but Bob didnt want to get these lines in since he wanted the song to be about the band...
you really wouldn't understand..

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Re: I Hate You

Post by Dreary » Thu Apr 08, 2021 8:08 pm

patrick wrote:
Thu Apr 08, 2021 7:22 pm
Just been reading an article in which Alice says that the omitted lines were about Bob taking the groups best songs and that he ruins them.
Which of course, Alice continues, was not the case since he made them better.but Bob didnt want to get these lines in since he wanted the song to be about the band...
True, plus we didn't want to add more time to the song by adding another verse.

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Re: I Hate You

Post by Dreary » Thu Apr 08, 2021 8:13 pm

Dreary wrote:
Thu Apr 08, 2021 8:08 pm
patrick wrote:
Thu Apr 08, 2021 7:22 pm
Just been reading an article in which Alice says that the omitted lines were about Bob taking the groups best songs and that he ruins them.
Which of course, Alice continues, was not the case since he made them better.but Bob didnt want to get these lines in since he wanted the song to be about the band...
True, plus we didn't want to add more time to the song by adding another verse. And not ranking on Bob because it wasn't true, means the rest of the verses are?

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Re: I Hate You

Post by steven_crayn » Sun Apr 11, 2021 11:49 am

I really dig I Hate You, it’s my second favourite track on the album. I’m a bit biased but Social Debris is my favourite!
Lead guitar on Social Debris. Album on iTunes, Amazon & Spotify, title track featured on TV

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Re: I Hate You

Post by Dreary » Sun Apr 11, 2021 5:24 pm

steven_crayn wrote:
Sun Apr 11, 2021 11:49 am
I really dig I Hate You, it’s my second favourite track on the album. I’m a bit biased but Social Debris is my favourite!
Thanks. It's especially cool that Neal arranged to have Rick Tedesco play Glen's restored SG on the track. And I played the main guitar part on a white SG like Glen's that belonged to the studio owner.

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Re: I Hate You

Post by Mr.Bluelegs » Sun Apr 11, 2021 6:59 pm

Definitely my favorite track off the album. I love the sound of Neal’s drums and how the bass guitar cuts through the mix (like back in the day). The production is punchy without being slick. Dennis, that’s great to hear that you played rhythm on it as well as including Glen’s SG.

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Re: I Hate You

Post by Dreary » Sun Apr 11, 2021 7:20 pm

Mr.Bluelegs wrote:
Sun Apr 11, 2021 6:59 pm
Definitely my favorite track off the album. I love the sound of Neal’s drums and how the bass guitar cuts through the mix (like back in the day). The production is punchy without being slick. Dennis, that’s great to hear that you played rhythm on it as well as including Glen’s SG.
Somehow, there was a technical issue with Neal's original drum tracks so he had to re-record both tracks after the fact. He did an especially good job at making it sound like we were playing together.

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Re: I Hate You

Post by pitkin88 » Sun Apr 11, 2021 9:39 pm

The Bob verse would be a nice as b side down the line.

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Re: I Hate You

Post by steven_crayn » Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:39 am

Dreary wrote:
Sun Apr 11, 2021 5:24 pm
steven_crayn wrote:
Sun Apr 11, 2021 11:49 am
I really dig I Hate You, it’s my second favourite track on the album. I’m a bit biased but Social Debris is my favourite!
Thanks. It's especially cool that Neal arranged to have Rick Tedesco play Glen's restored SG on the track. And I played the main guitar part on a white SG like Glen's that belonged to the studio owner.
I heard Rick’s solo on Glen’s restored SG.

I went for a totally different approach in terms of the solo, the A minor tonality with the A minor, F, E harmonic progression underneath, was crying out for some these old school influences to my ears https://youtu.be/WC2dS2FU-uk

It was like i could hear it in my head.
The last bar I originally incorporated the Earwigs to Eternity chromatic lick that didn’t really work, which meant going back into the studio and coming up with a better ending after Bob told me what it needed.
Then i did a couple of extra takes and he used the ending of one of those and a couple of bars in the middle.
It was a real thrill hearing you, Neal, Michael and Alice through the cans on the track as i recorded, the 2nd best moment of my life after my wife giving birth to our daughter Alice.

Thanks for all the inspiration you and the guys have given me since i was a kid watching School’s Out on Top of the Pops, it’s nice to be a small part in the story of my favourite and the greatest American band of all time. RIP Glen
Lead guitar on Social Debris. Album on iTunes, Amazon & Spotify, title track featured on TV

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