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Rating: ALICE COOPER - HEY STOOPID (1991, SONY)
TRACK LIST:
01) HEY STOOPID
02) LOVE’S A LOADED GUN
03) SNAKEBIT
04) BURNING OUR BED
05) DANGEROUS TONIGHT
06) MIGHT AS WELL BE ON MARS
07) FEED MY FRANKENSTEIN
08) HURRICANE YEARS
09) LITTLE BY LITTLE
10) DIE FOR YOU
11) DIRTY DREAMS
12) WIND UP TOY
Awesome.
If I had to limit myself to using just one adjective to describe this album, I would have no hesitation in defining it as such.
After the great success of “Trash” (1989), which relaunched the name of Alice Cooper at the top of charts worldwide, the great charmer delights us with a super-produced album that, in terms of sounds and themes, represents the ideal evolution of the content expressed in the previous studio work. Fascinated by the sound proposed by bands like Motley Crue, Guns N’ Roses, and Cinderella, in which Alice at the time recognized his natural heirs, the legendary singer fully immerses himself in their perspective, updating his formula and adding to the succulent ingredients mixed by the aforementioned bands that touch of grandguignol that has always distinguished his works. Whereas “Trash” stood out for its numerous references to sex, in “Hey Stoopid” our artist expands his range of action, transporting the listener into a sort of technicolor nightmare, where everything, especially the encounter with our fears, becomes possible.
Listening to this album is like entering a gigantic horror tunnel: we can scream, be afraid, tremble, but we want to go on, discover what's next, so we can then conclude, breathe a sigh of relief, relax... and then start all over again. The songwriting probably cannot be compared to the elaborate and biting style characteristic of the great '70s productions by Alice Cooper (see “Love it to Death,” “School’s Out,” and “Billion Dollar Babies”), but this too is part of the game: in “Hey Stoopid” the aim is immediacy, focusing on very specific messages. Such is the case with the title track, supported by a beautiful video and recently defined by the singer himself as “An Alice Cooper's version of “We are the world”,” where Alice expresses all his disdain towards teenage suicides, which too many people foolishly blamed on rock’n’roll. Other memorable pieces from the album include the wonderful power ballad “Love’s a loaded gun,” the pyrotechnic “Feed my Frankenstein,” written in collaboration with the rugged Zodiac Mindwarp (and featured in the soundtrack of the film “Wayne’s World” - “Fusi di testa,” in which Alice also materializes in a parody of himself), the dreamy “Die for you,” and the more sustained “Dirty Dreams,” “Little by little,” and “Snakebite,” heard as the theme song for the Italian presentation of the TV series “X-Files” in 1998.
In any case, it is not an easy task to identify the best track on the album, given the high overall quality of the compositions. Numerous artistic collaborations make “Hey Stoopid” a work of music of absolute value: on guitar, we see the alternation of guitar heroes of the caliber of Slash, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Stef Burns, and Vinnie Moore; on bass, the great Nikki Sixx (Motley Crue) stands out, while the honor of accompanying Alice in the execution of vocals is granted to an authentic parade of stars: Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Sebastian Bach (Skid Row), and Dave Mustaine (Megadeth).
Despite a clearly superior quality, this masterpiece did not achieve the same success in the States as its predecessor, disappointing the expectations of Sony Records; fortunately, high sales in Japan and the Old Continent (especially in Italy) allowed this work to rise from the undeserved status of a “commercial flop” that many naive people continue to erroneously attribute to it. For many, this work represents yet another demonstration of class by Alice Cooper, while for others, it may seem like a small diversion towards a genre that was very much in vogue at the time, namely glam metal: in my opinion, “Hey Stoopid,” in the eyes of anyone who has “fully lived it,” thanks to its touching melodies and the unstoppable power of its sound is simply legend.
(Enrico Rosticci)
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Hey Stoopid (04:33)
Hey hey hey hey
Hey hey hey hey
Hey stoopid!
Hey bro, take it slow
You ain't livin' in a video
You're flying low with a high velocity
No doubt, you're stressing out
That ain't what rock n roll's about
Get off that one way trip down Lonely Street
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
Hey hey hey hey, hey stoopid!
Watcha trying to do?
Hey hey hey hey, hey stoopid!
They win you lose!
Hey hey hey hey, hey stoopid!
Come on girl it's a better day
Get your foot out of that grave
Don't let that one love tear your world apart
Come on baby, kick that stuff
Show the street, it ain't so tough
Quit lying around with a crippled, broken heart
Now I know you've been seeing red
Don't put a pistol to your head
Sometimes your answers heaven sent
Your way is so damn permanent.
Hey hey hey hey, hey stoopid
Watcha trying to do?
Hey hey hey hey, hey stoopid
They win you lose!
Hey hey hey hey, hey stoopid!
This ain't your daddy talking, you know, I know
Your story ain't so shocking, you know, I know
Blow some steam, come on and screaaaam!!!!
Hey hey hey hey, hey stoopid
Watcha trying to do?
Hey hey hey hey, hey stoopid
They win you lose!
Hey hey hey hey......
Hey hey hey hey, hey stoopid
Watcha trying to do?
Hey hey hey hey, hey stoopid
They win you lose!
Hey hey hey hey
Ooooooooh
Hey hey hey hey, hey stoopid
Watcha trying to do?
Hey hey hey hey
If you do that, they win you lose!
Hey hey hey hey, hey stoopid
03 Snakebite (04:33)
Somebody better shake you
Somebody better turn your head around
I'm scratching like a wild cat
I'm spitting fire on the ground
You got my venom running thru ya
Ain't gonna let you run off wild
CHORUS
I'm Snakebite
I'm your only man
Snakebite is your lover
You'll never hide, baby understand
Snakebite drags you under
I'm Snakebite
They call me Snakebite
Nobody gonna take you
Nobody gonna touch your rebel skin
I'll break 'em like a matchstick
Cuz baby that's the kind of mood I'm in
My face is tattooed on your shoulder
Your name is scratched into my bike, yeah
CHORUS
You got my venom runnin' thru ya
If you're gonna run
Go running scared, I'm right behind ya
CHORUS
05 Dangerous Tonight (04:41)
Take another bite
It will be alright
What's wrong will soon feel right
Dangerous tonight
Take another sip
Let it kiss your lips
And let a little drip on your thighs
If you let me I'll untie your sensuality
I'll open up your heart and satisfy my greed
I'm dangerous, I'm a dying breed
Poisonous like a centipede
I'm capable of the foulest deed
Dangerous at night
I'm dangerous like a razorback
Deadly like a heart attack
Well, I don't bend and I don't crack
Dangerous tonight
Take another turn
The rules have all been burned
And you've got tricks to learn
Dangerous tonight
Play another role
Try and lose control
And stain your soul to red from white
In my mind, oh, a million voices tell me no
It's prime crime time and I gotta let it go
I'm dangerous like a broken glass
I'm a flesh fanatic psychopath
I can cause you pain and make it last
Dangerous tonight
I'm dangerous when the sun goes down
So cross yourself, don't fool around
I'll drag your heart into the ground
Dangerous tonight
If you let me I'll untie your sensuality
I'll open up your heart and satisfy my greed
I'm dangerous, I'm a dying breed
Poisonous like a centipede
I'm capable of the foulest deed
Dangerous at night
I'm dangerous like a razorback
Deadly like a heart attack
Well, I don't bend and I don't crack
Dangerous tonight
I'm dangerous like a broken glass
I'm a flesh fanatic psychopath
I can cause you pain and make it last
Dangerous tonight
I'm dangerous when the sun goes down
So cross yourself, don't fool around
I'll drag your heart into the ground
Dangerous tonight
06 Might as Well Be on Mars (07:09)
The city streets are wet with rain tonight
Taxi drivers swerve from lane to lane
A lonely guitar man playin' down the hall
Midnight blues comin' through the walls
I tried to call you on the telephone
I left it off the hook
Just to hear it ring
You told me you were better off alone
I never knew that tears could sting
I'm on the roof and I'm starin' at the stars
Lookin' down at all the cars
I can see you
In the window of your favorite corner bar
But to reach you is just too far
And I might as well be on Mars
The city seems so old and grey and beat
It closes in and makes me wanna suffocate
And you just live across the street
But that's a billion miles away
You've turned my world into a dark and lonely place
Like a planet lost in space, my light is fadin'
I'd cross the universe to be right where you are
But I'm right in your backyard
And I might as well be on Mars
I might as well be on Mars
You can't see me
I might as well be the Man on the Moon
You can't hear me
Oh, can you feel me so close
And yet so far
Baby, I might as well be on Mars
Baby, I can't fly
If I could I'd come down to ya
Maybe I should try
I'm on the roof and I'm starin' at the stars
Lookin' down at all the cars
I can see you
In the window of your favorite corner bar
But to reach you is just too far
And I might as well be on Mars
I might as well be on Mars
You can't see me
I might as well be the Man on the Moon
You can't hear me
Oh, can you feel me so close
And yet so far
Baby, I might as well be on Mars
07 Feed My Frankenstein (04:44)
Well, I ain't evil, I'm just good lookin'
Start a little fire, and baby start cookin'
I'm a hungry man
But I don't want pizza
I'll blow down your house
And then I'm gonna eat ya
Bring you to a simmer
Right on time
Run my greasy fingers
Up your greasy spine
CHORUS
Feed my Frankenstein
make my burito
He's a psycho
Feed my Frankenstein
Hungry for love
And it's feeding time
You don't want to talk
So baby shut up
And let me drink the wine from your fur tea cup
Velcro candy, sticky sweet
Make my tattoos melt in the heat
Well, I ain't no veggie
Like my flesh on the bone
Alive and lickin' on your ice cream cone
CHORUS
11 Dirty Dreams (03:29)
Well, I wake up burnin' in a soaking sweat
My pillows are drippin' and the sheets are wet
I jump out of bed and I turn on the light
This happens to me every night
Sometimes you turn into a snake with long black hair
Then you turn into an angel, blonde and fair
You can turn yourself blue and I don't care
You can change your look
You can change your race
But it's always your touch
And always your face
Dirty dreams
How you wanna do me
Dirty dreams
Let me get through
Dirty dreams
A triple X-rated movie starring me and you
Well, I close my eyes And you open your lips
There's a shock from my head to my fingertips
I fall through a hole cuz I can't get a grip
The room starts to spin and the world starts to turn
My heart catches fire and my bed starts to burn
Dirty dreams
How you wanna do me
Dirty Dreams
Anything for you, babe
Dirty Dreams
Technicolor movie starring me and you
Make my dreams come true
Shake my nights
Rattle my sleep
Roll my eyes, I'm in too deep
Dirty dreams
How you wanna do me
Dirty dreams
Let me get through
Dirty dreams
A triple X-rated movie starring me and you
Ahhh, dirty, dirty dreams
12 Wind-Up Toy (05:29)
Voices come from down the hall
In my room all painted white
I have my bat and rubber ball
I like to sleep with them at night
But now I'm all smiles
The good little shots must be winning
Yes, they crank my dial
My motor is stalled but my wheels are still spinning
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, and someday soon so will I
But now I'm all smiles
These good little shots must be working
I'm so happy now
Look, my fingers don't shake and my head isn't jerking
Daddy won't discuss me
What a pain I must be
Mommy couldn't stand having such a wound-up boy
Doctors want to check me
Poke me and dissect me
What do they expect?
Feelings from a wound-up toy?
I don't think so
I'm just a wound-up toy
I'm just a wind-up toy
I'm lost in a nightmare
Shiny white halls
Drawing rats on the wall
Solitary confinement
Chained in a cell
Got my own private hell
Preacher crucifies me
Warden wants to fry me
I was never young
Never just a little boy
Daddy won't discuss me
What a pain I must be
Mama couldn't stand having such a wound-up boy
I'm just a wind-up toy
I'm a wind-up toy
I'm just a wind-up toy I'm just a wind-up toy
"They come here everynight.
I see them. Don't you see them?
Hmm, that's odd, isn't it?
I'm so tired, I'm winding down.
You'll have to go now, it's bedtime!"
"Steven..."
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Other reviews
By Fidia
Hey Stoopid, in my opinion, is the best album created by Alice in his dazzling career.
This album deserves the highest rating and cannot be missing in the homes or cars of all the singer’s admirers.
