Elected

The song Elected from Alice Cooper's 1973 album Billion Dollar Babies is a raucous, theatrical anthem that Zoo Freaks are sure to love for its rebellious energy. A fascinating piece of trivia is that Elected is actually a reworking of an earlier Alice Cooper track called Reflected from their 1969 debut album Pretties for You. The band, with producer Bob Ezrin, transformed it into a sardonic commentary on political ambition, perfectly timed for the 1972 U.S. presidential election. Its biting lyrics, like “I never lied to you, I’ve always been cool,” took on an eerie prescience with the Watergate scandal looming, as noted in a 2004 Classic Rock magazine interview. The song’s promotional video was groundbreaking, one of the first purpose-built music videos, featuring a staged political rally with a chimpanzee, as mentioned on the fan site SickthingsUK. This aligns with the Zoo Crew’s love for bold, countercultural vibes.

Another intriguing story comes from a 2016 Songfacts interview with Donovan, who provided backing vocals for the album’s title track but was also around during the Elected sessions at Morgan Studios in London. Donovan recalled the chaotic, party-like atmosphere, with rock luminaries like Marc Bolan and Harry Nilsson dropping by. He wasn’t the first choice for vocals; a popular British rocker was too drunk to perform, though the identity remains a mystery. Fans on the Alice Cooper Fans Facebook group speculate it could’ve been someone like Keith Moon. The song’s live performances, often an encore with Cooper mock-executed on stage, cemented its status as a fan favorite, as noted in a 2025 X post by rock journalist Mitch Lafon. Zoo Freaks would dig how the song’s irreverence shocked parents and thrilled teens in ’73.

Alice Cooper, born Vincent Damon Furnier on February 4, 1948, in Detroit, Michigan, started his musical journey in Phoenix, Arizona, as a teenager. Originally forming a band called The Earwigs in the mid-1960s, Furnier and his high school friends—guitarists Glen Buxton and Michael Bruce, bassist Dennis Dunaway, and drummer Neal Smith—morphed into The Spiders, playing covers of bands like The Yardbirds. By 1968, they adopted the name Alice Cooper, inspired by a Ouija board session and Furnier’s vision of a creepy, axe-wielding female persona akin to Lizzie Borden, as he explained in a 2004 Classic Rock interview. The name shocked his parents, confirming its edgy appeal, according to bassist Dunaway on Alice Cooper eChive. Their early gigs in Los Angeles, blending garage rock with theatrical horror elements, caught the eye of Frank Zappa, who signed them to his Straight Records label for their first two albums, Pretties for You and Easy Action.

The band’s breakthrough came with 1971’s Love It to Death, produced by Bob Ezrin, who sharpened their sound and theatricality. Hits like I’m Eighteen resonated with disaffected youth, setting the stage for Billion Dollar Babies’s massive success. Furnier legally became Alice Cooper in 1974, continuing as a solo artist after the original band split, but the group’s early years defined shock rock. Cooper’s influences, from horror films to Chuck Berry’s storytelling, shaped his ability to craft three-minute tales like Elected, as he told Gibson.com. His stage shows, featuring guillotines and snakes, made him a cultural lightning rod, even prompting a 1973 UK Parliament debate, per Loudersound. Zoo Crew listeners can connect with this rebellious spirit, born from a kid who turned high school antics into a rock revolution.

For Zoo Freaks wanting to dive deeper, check out Alice Cooper’s official website for tour dates and merch. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and X for updates, like his radio show Alice’s Attic, where he spins classics and shares stories. Fan sites like SickthingsUK and Alice Cooper eChive offer detailed discographies and gig histories. Join the Alice Cooper Fans Facebook group to swap stories with fellow freaks about epic shows or rare vinyl finds. These platforms keep the shock rock flame burning for the Zoo Crew’s wild, hippie soul.