SickthingsUK

There are two songs where I think Alice may have crossed the line.
"I love the Dead", As an adult I can no longer listen to this song because of the macabre lyrics. I would be embarrassed to listen to it in public. Whereas Cold Ethyl was done in a tongue & cheek fashion, and Alice's sense of humor shines through.

Enough's Enough

, while I like the song, and if someone else sang it I would have no reservations about it. But because I have never known Alice to use profanity, the song is problematic to me because I feel that Alice himself may have regrets about the song. The song seems very out of character for Alice.
Dead Babies deserves an honorable mention. Not a song I would play on a first date. But I give it a pass because because Alice found a way to work the word Agrophile into it.

"Cold Ethyl" never bothered me. I would say "Triggerman" or "Wicked Young Man.

Where is there profanity in "enough's enough"?

The whole point of "I Love The Dead" was to be offensive. It was bait.

Alice crossed the line with "no more love at your convenience".

mr.barlow wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 13, 2021 4:16 am

Where is there profanity in "enough's enough"?

Exactly! There’s no profanity. It’s “go buck and buck and make a buck”. It’s not only printed in the lyrics it’s also been confirmed by Dick Wagner in an interview that these were the actual lyrics”

"I Love The Dead" is my favourite Alice song, so there's that.
"Enough's Enough" doesn't have any profanity in it, so there's that.
"Dead Babies" is an anti child abuse song, so I have no problem with it.

So there's that.

PFOLGORE wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 12, 2021 11:52 pm

the song is problematic to me because I feel that Alice himself may have regrets about the song.

I doubt he has too many regrets over a song of which he professes not to have any memory.
I don’t think Alice has crossed any lines in music. He pushed boundaries in the early days sure but that was a whole part of the package. Maybe the chicken incident depending on how you believe it came about, animal cruelty is not cool and never should be. But musically and lyrically speaking saying Alice went too far is like complaining that a rollercoaster isn’t a flat 5mph circuit ride.

I consider I Love The Dead to be a far better song than Cold Ethyl. As for crossing the line, I can't think of any AC/G songs which go that far to me.

Ted

There's a line?

I've notice Alice doesn't sing "I Love The Dead" anymore the TRASH tour was the last time. Now the band sings it but only the chorus. Alice hasn't sung the lyrics since 1990.

I think the problem is his lack of line crossing and boundary pushing.
We have probably had 25 years of things being quite PG,
I’d absolutely love him to go too far now!!!

mr.barlow wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 13, 2021 4:16 am

Where is there profanity in "enough's enough"?

On Apple music the song is rate explicit and contains the "f-word" in the provided lyrics. I don't have the best hearing in the world so I want argue what I hear.

He has never crossed the line,
though talking about enough's, enough i know they say its buck and buck and make a buck but, seriously i mean whats wrong with F*** and make a buck, makes more sense and flows better.
I love the dead is epic and brilliant. Wicked young man is brutal and just brilliant with some fantastic lyrics - always made me laugh that manson came in for such trouble with hollywood album/lyrics and alice delivers more "shocking " lyrics and no one cared at all, hypocrites.

PFOLGORE wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 13, 2021 7:48 pm

mr.barlow wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 13, 2021 4:16 am

Where is there profanity in "enough's enough"?

On Apple music the song is rate explicit and contains the "f-word" in the provided lyrics. I don't have the best hearing in the world so I want argue what I hear.

The lyrics are right on the album cover.
Also Alice made it a point never to curse l. It was kind of a running joke.

I think it was Brian Nelson that suggested Alice change the added lyrics to Generation Landslide on Special Forces to "no one gives an oink...." for this reason.

Also on Zipper when he sings " you can use your brain like you use your ass" he utters "ohhh" after it like he slipped up (all intentionally).

With Enough's Enough he continued his tradition and I think Wagner mentions this.

I believe Alice also has mentioned that the character will murder and kill but is polite enough never to use profanity.

Also, Alice liked the use of "oink" so much he used it again on Zipper when he and Patti Donahue sing "oink off" at the end of "I Like Girls"

He did that on "I Love America". "I like a waitress that likes to f flirt."

The one time he crossed the line (and even then I think was deserved) was when he flipped the bird to those two cowboys in their pickup truck, in Dennis' book.

In my view, the answer is never. Alice is considered the godfather of shock rock. I Love the Dead and Cold Ethyl are fun, clearly tongue in cheek songs (I much prefer Cold Ethyl to I Love the Dead, think it is a better song but regardless). The thing is if someone has a problem and this isn't aimed at the original poster or anyone but maybe Alice isn't for you. Because you can make the same argument about the guillotine, etc. If anything Alice needs MORE songs like that. Great rock n roll often pushed the envelope.

A song like Dead Babies is an anti child abuse song like another poster said. I always cringed when Pat Benatar and her great song "Hell is For Children" got credited as the first anti-child abuse song. It wasn't despite being a terrific song. Songs like Wicked Young Man and Triggerman aren't condoning school shootings etc, but if anything warnings against that type of behavior. For example, consider WYM in the context of the entire Brutal Planet album (which is one of my favorite Alice albums ever). Every song is touching on a world we don't want to live in.

And here is the thing and I say this as someone (and not to get into the subject which is prohibited but just a point I want to make and dropping it there), who shares Alice's religious beliefs (and I respect some of you don't) but if you are a person of faith like myself you probably love many of Alice's lyrics. If you are not, maybe those lyrics bother you.

My point being Alice Cooper is this gothic character. That is the Alice character (not the real man) and its entertainment.