Love’s a Loaded Gun

Zoo Freaks, get ready for some wild trivia about Alice Cooper's "Love’s a Loaded Gun" from the 1991 album Hey Stoopid, now spinning at THE ZOO! This track, a hard-hitting rock ballad, peaked at No. 38 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 31 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, making it one of three singles from the album to push Hey Stoopid into the top 40. The song’s B-side was a gritty cover of Jimi Hendrix’s "Fire," which later appeared on compilations like The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper and Classicks. A quirky tidbit: the UK 7" vinyl single for "Love’s a Loaded Gun" had a card sleeve with the song’s lyrics and Alice’s 1991 UK tour dates, plus a competition entry card for a chance to meet the man himself. Even wilder, a European version of the vinyl mistakenly spelled his name as "Allice Cooper" on the B-side label—talk about a collector’s gem!

Another cool story comes from the song’s release in Australia, where the promotional CD single included a unique cloth badge emblazoned with "Alice Cooper Love’s a Loaded Gun," a bonus not offered anywhere else. The song itself, with its dark, romantic edge, fit perfectly into the Hey Stoopid era, which saw Alice collaborating with rock heavyweights like Slash, Ozzy Osbourne, and Joe Satriani. In a 1991 interview excerpted on Welcome to My Nightmare, Alice described wanting Hey Stoopid to be a classic, and the emotional punch of "Love’s a Loaded Gun" helped cement that goal. Fans on Alice Cooper Fans Facebook Group often rave about the song’s raw energy in live performances, especially from the 1991 Electric Lady Studios recording in New York.

Let’s rewind to how Alice Cooper, born Vincent Damon Furnier, kicked off his legendary career. Growing up in Phoenix, Arizona, he formed his first band, The Earwigs, in high school, initially as a joke for a talent show. Inspired by acts like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, they evolved into The Spiders and later The Nazz, playing local gigs with a raw, theatrical edge. By 1968, the band, now called Alice Cooper, moved to Los Angeles, adopted a provocative shock-rock style, and caught the eye of Frank Zappa, who signed them to his Straight Records label. Their early albums, Pretties for You and Easy Action, were experimental but laid the groundwork for their breakthrough. In 1971, the single "I’m Eighteen" from Love It to Death became a hit, and Alice’s over-the-top live shows—complete with guillotines, snakes, and fake blood—made them infamous. By the mid-1970s, Alice Cooper, now both the band’s and Furnier’s stage persona, was a solo act, cementing his status as the godfather of shock rock with albums like School’s Out and Billion Dollar Babies.

Stay connected with Alice Cooper through his official website, where you can find tour dates, merch, and more. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and X for the latest updates, like his recent post on X about spinning tracks and sharing trivia from his 1971 Killer album. Fans should also check out SickthingsUK, a treasure trove of news and info on Alice and his collaborators, and Alice Cooper eChive, an extensive archive of his media appearances and discography. Join the Alice Cooper Fans Facebook Group to connect with fellow Zoo Freaks and keep the shock-rock spirit alive!