10 Hard Rock Albums Saved By One Song
8. I'm Eighteen - Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper had one of the rougher starts for a hard rock act at the beginning of his career. After the band was signed to the label of wild man Frank Zappa, their first offerings were misguided messes that didn't seem to go anywhere. Though the live shows were absolutely spectacular, the people showing up to buy the records were few and far between.
As the band continued spreading their horrific rock music across the US, they finally got their break when producer Bob Ezrin saw them performing in New York. Immediately wanting to work with them, Ezrin insisted that the band cut the song he heard that night called "I'm Edgy." By the time the band swapped the lyrics for "I'm Eighteen," the song became an anthem for every kid looking for a way out of their suburban life.
On the whole, the band's Love It To Death was a bit of a tough sell for Middle America, with the band done up in horrific makeup and songs about people living in insane asylums and black magic. Once "I'm Eighteen" was picked up by a radio station in the Midwest, the unholy sounds of Alice Cooper were being delivered to kids across the country. In one fell swoop, Alice Cooper went from the most deplorable act in rock to one of the biggest radio acts of the time.