Sick Things

The song "Sick Things" from Alice Cooper's 1973 album Billion Dollar Babies is a chilling, theatrical piece that perfectly encapsulates the band’s shock rock aesthetic. Described in reviews as a "Bela Lugosi tune," the song portrays a vampire or cult leader-like figure reveling in the perverse devotion of their followers, with lyrics like, “You things are heavenly when you come worship me / You things are thrilled with fright, for I am out tonight.” According to the Alice Cooper eChive, the track reflects the band’s fascination with mass audiences adopting a collective, almost perverse personality under the influence of a charismatic performer. In a 2004 interview with Classic Rock, bassist Dennis Dunaway highlighted the song’s surreal edge, crediting his and Cooper’s shared love for Salvador Dalí’s art as an influence on its dark, bizarre tone. The song’s menacing vibe made it a staple in the band’s live performances, where Cooper’s stage antics—like tearing apart baby dolls or wielding a guillotine—amplified its macabre energy.

Another layer of trivia comes from fan discussions on sites like SickthingsUK, a long-running fan site launched in 1997 as "The Alice Cooper Trivia File." Fans there speculate that "Sick Things" was Cooper’s tongue-in-cheek ode to his fanbase, the self-proclaimed “Zoo Freaks” of the era, who embraced the band’s outrageous persona. A review on Amazon echoes this, calling the song “Cooper’s ode to his fanbase,” noting its creepy yet catchy appeal. The track’s production, helmed by Bob Ezrin, featured contributions from session guitarists Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner, who stepped in due to Glen Buxton’s health struggles, as Cooper himself confirmed in a Louder interview. This added a polished yet gritty edge to the song, making it a standout on an album that hit number one in both the U.S. and U.K. in 1973.

Alice Cooper, born Vincent Damon Furnier on February 4, 1948, in Detroit, Michigan, began his musical journey in Phoenix, Arizona, where he formed a band called the Spiders in the mid-1960s. As detailed on his official site, Furnier and his high school friends—Glen Buxton, Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway, and Neal Smith—started as a garage rock outfit, playing covers of bands like The Yardbirds. Their early gigs, often at local bars, leaned into a theatrical flair inspired by horror films and vaudeville. The band rebranded as Alice Cooper in 1968, a name Furnier suggested after reportedly being inspired by a Ouija board session, though he later admitted to Louder that the name’s innocuous, “sweet” quality contrasted perfectly with their shocking image. Their first two albums, Pretties for You (1969) and Easy Action (1970), were psychedelic and experimental, but it was 1971’s Love It to Death, produced by Bob Ezrin, that broke them through with the hit “I’m Eighteen.”

Cooper’s persona as the “Godfather of Shock Rock” was a team effort, with Dunaway noting in a 2004 Classic Rock interview that the band collectively shaped the Alice character. Their provocative lyrics and elaborate live shows—featuring fake blood, reptiles, and guillotines—drew from horror movies and Furnier’s love for comic books and Anita Pallenberg’s Black Queen in Barbarella. By the time Billion Dollar Babies was released, the band was living in a Connecticut mansion, a far cry from their days in a basement in Watts, as Cooper recalled in a Wikipedia entry. After the original band split in 1974, Furnier legally adopted the Alice Cooper name and continued as a solo artist, with hits like Welcome to My Nightmare (1975). His career, spanning over five decades, has cemented his influence, inspiring artists like David Byrne and Chris Cornell.

Fans can stay updated on Alice Cooper’s official website or follow him on social media: Facebook, Instagram, and X. Dedicated fan communities thrive at SickthingsUK, which offers extensive trivia and news, and Alice Cooper eChive, a treasure trove of archived interviews and discographies. On Facebook, groups like “Alice Cooper Fans” and “The Original Alice Cooper Band” connect Zoo Freaks worldwide, sharing memories and rare photos from the Billion Dollar Babies era. These platforms keep the spirit of Cooper’s shock rock legacy alive, much like the eerie pulse of “Sick Things” still resonates with listeners today.