Alice Cooper – Under My Wheels

This song was off the Killer album. It peaked at #59 on the Billboard 100. The album peaked at #21 on the Billboard Album Charts, #11 in Canada, and #27 in the UK in 1971.

Alice Cooper - Killer

One of my favorites of Alice Cooper. The song wasn’t a giant success but it has remained in Alice’s set since it was released in 1971.  The song’s impact can be seen in its inclusion in movies, TV shows, and video games. It has been covered by several other musicians, including Poison and Motörhead.

The guitar solo in this song is played by Rick Derringer. The songwriters were the group’s guitarist Michael Bruce and bass player Dennis Dunaway along with producer Bob Ezrin.   The song is about a guy who accidentally runs over his girlfriend in the new car he just bought.

Alice Cooper has blended styles throughout his career. He has had Heavy Metal, rock, hard rock, and plain-out pop.

Alice Cooper’s real name is Vincent Furnier. Alice Cooper was the name of the band, but the name became so associated with the lead singer that he took it.

The band did a good job spreading the rumor that “Alice Cooper” was the name of a girl who was accused of being a witch in the 1600s, saying she contacted them through an Ouija board. Furnier later explained that he made it up when he was thinking of a sweet, innocent-sounding name that would contrast against their shocking stage show.

Cooper is a big family man which contradicts his reputation. Cooper is a born-again Christian and believes in the devil enough to have genuine supernatural fear. He’s never taken a Satanist stance and warns other bands against it. When he was a kid, his family was poor and there were very few presents. Now, Cooper goes crazy on Christmas, buying lots of gifts for his family.

Dennis Dunaway: This was another song that I wrote. I remember singing the song to Glen Buxton about this guy who’s just bought a brand new car and he’s going over to pick up his girlfriend and take her to the movies. Glen was like, ‘We don’t do girl songs!’ And I was like, ‘No, the guy runs over the girl.’ So he said, ‘Oh, OK.’ Ha ha! Anyway, Under My Wheels is about a guy who accidentally runs over his girlfriend, who he’s trying to impress with his new car. It was a fairly decent hit in America, and we also plugged it in Britain. We did a Killer tour over there when the single had just been released.

“Under My Wheels”

The telephone is ringing you got me on the run I’m driving in my car now anticipating fun
I’m driving right up to you babe I guess that you couldn’t see yeah yeah
But you were under my wheels why don’t you let me be
’cause when you call me on the telephone saying take me to the show
And then I say honey I just can’t go old lady’s sick and I can’t leave her home
The telephone is ringing you got me on the run I’m driving in my car now
I got you under my wheels I got you under my wheels I got you under my wheels
Got you under my wheels yeah yeah I got you under my wheels
Aah the telephone is ringing you got me on the run I’m driving in my car now anticipating fun
I’m driving right up to you babe I guess that you couldn’t see yeah yeah
But you were under my wheels why don’t you let me be
Yeah yeah got you under my wheels yeah yeah I got you under my wheels
I got you under my wheels got you got you got you got you
Under my wheels got you under my wheels wheels wheels wheels

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

38 thoughts on “Alice Cooper – Under My Wheels”

  1. Great pick and awesome way to start the week with some Coop! Love the garage rock feel that Alice incorporates into his tunes.
    By the way dude…
    Happy Birthday!

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  2. This tune brings back lots of memories. Great Rockin song that I have not heard in years. I’ll follow deKE with wishing you a happy birthday as well! I see you’re gifted with some freezing temperatures!

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      2. I love it…although we are stuck here probably until Wednesday at the earliest. It’s going down to around 1 Fahrenheit I believe….we usually get ice before the snow…this time only snow thank goodness.

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  3. A roommate in the spring of ’72 put this on every Friday after his last class as he lit up the first joint of the weekend. This song and Dead Babies were pretty dark. The album will forever be associated with Charlie and Friday afternoons, even after he stopped going to classes. I was not an Alice Cooper fan.

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  6. Happy Birthday! Hope it’s great for you & I guess that snow letting you stay home is the first gift.
    One of those Alice songs I’ve heard a few times but not really paid much attention to. My brother used to be quite into him in that era, partly I think like someone else also suggested , to annoy our mother.

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    1. Thank you! I’m working from home today and that is a good thing! We got around 5-6 inches…so far.
      It was on his greatest hits that I got way back when…I always liked him. He was great in concert.

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      1. he was one of the first, if not the very first rocker who really put on a big show, I’d guess.
        We had just a bit of freezing rain and dusting of snow overnight – just enough to make ground white. Glad we don’t need to go out today though, roads could be sketchy in places and it’s only about 14 degrees!

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      2. Yea it’s going down to 1 F either tonight or tomorrow night…so I probably won’t go back until Wed or Thurs

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  11. He’s a Michigan boy who loves to rock and roll. I love his style, and no matter how scary he looks, he strikes me as always being a gentleman. School’s Out, I’m 18, and Only Women Bleed are my favorites of his. He really shook things up back in the day!

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