Elected (song)
| "Elected" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Single cover | ||||
| Single by Alice Cooper | ||||
| from the album Billion Dollar Babies | ||||
| B-side | "Luney Tune" | |||
| Released | September 6, 1972[1] | |||
| Recorded | August 1972 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Bob Ezrin | |||
| Alice Cooper singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official video | ||||
| "Elected" on YouTube | ||||
"Elected" is a song by American rock band Alice Cooper, released in 1972 as the first single from their sixth album Billion Dollar Babies. It reached number 26 during election week on charts in the United States, number 4 in the United Kingdom and number 3 in Austria. The promotional music video was directed by Hart Perry.[2]
Composition
[edit]"Elected" is a hard rock song[3] with glam rock influences.[4] Its political theme was inspired by the 1972 United States presidential election. Cooper called the song “total political satire," and added “we hated politics, but the idea of Alice, the scourge of the entire world, being president was just too good.”[5]
Both the riff and part of the melody were recycled from "Reflected" which appeared on their 1969 album Pretties for You.[6]
Legacy
[edit]Joey Ramone acknowledged the similarity between "Elected" and his band's song "I Wanna Be Sedated" according to Alice Cooper.[7]
The song was a favorite of John Lennon, who called it "a great record" but added Paul McCartney would've done it better, which Cooper agreed with.[8]
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| United States | 26[9] |
| United Kingdom | 4[10] |
| Austria | 3[11] |
| Netherlands | 5[12] |
| Ireland | 8[13] |
| Germany | 3[14] |
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Elected" | 3:40 |
| 2. | "Luney Tune" | 3:36 |
Album appearances
[edit]- Billion Dollar Babies - 1973
- Alice Cooper's Greatest Hits - 1974
- The Beast of Alice Cooper - 1989
- The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper - 1999
- Mascara and Monsters: The Best of Alice Cooper - 2001
- The Definitive Alice Cooper - 2001
- The Essentials: Alice Cooper - 2002
- School's Out and Other Hits - 2004
Personnel
[edit]- Alice Cooper – vocals
- Glen Buxton – lead guitar
- Michael Bruce – rhythm guitar
- Dennis Dunaway – bass
- Neal Smith – drums
Covers
[edit]| "(I Want To Be) Elected" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by Mr. Bean and Smear Campaign ft. Bruce Dickinson | |
| B-side | "(I Want To Be) Elected" |
| Released | April 1992 |
| Recorded | 1992 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 4:28 |
| Label | London Records (for Comic Relief) |
| Songwriter(s) | A. Cooper, D. Dunaway, G. Buxton, M. Bruce, N. Smith |
| Producer(s) | Chris Tsangarides |
- In 1992, a cover version titled "(I Want To Be) Elected" by Rowan Atkinson (as Mr. Bean) and Smear Campaign was released in support of the British charity Comic Relief and featured a performance by Bruce Dickinson and members of the hard rock band Taste (later known as Skin). The record was released in the run up to the United Kingdom General Election of 1992 and reached No. 9 in the UK Singles Chart.[15] The music video, in which Mr. Bean's doorstep canvassing and electoral stunts are intercut with the live video of Dickinson and the band, was directed by Paul Weiland.[16]
- British hard rock band Def Leppard recorded a live version in 1987, which was used as a B-side for their songs "Heaven Is" and "Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion)" from their 1992 album Adrenalize.
- Following the death of Paddy Ashdown on December 22, 2018, the music video was broadcast by ITV on December 24, 2018, and featured a title card paying tribute to Ashdown.
References
[edit]- ^ Hung, Steffen. "Alice Cooper - Elected!". hitparade.ch.
- ^ "Perry Films: Hart Perry". www.perryfilms.com.
- ^ Talevski, Nick (2010). Rock Obituaries: Knocking On Heaven's Door. Omnibus Press. p. 64. ISBN 9780857121172.
- ^ Donald A. Guarisco. "Elected Review". AllMusic. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
- ^ "Alice Cooper – 'Elected'". Alpha Media. October 24, 2024. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
- ^ "Alice Cooper". Music Might. Archived from the original on May 6, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
- ^ Marc Maron (August 24, 2017). "Episode 840 - Alice Cooper". WTF with Marc Maron (Podcast). Event occurs at 52:15. Archived from the original on August 24, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ^ Tupica, Rich (September 29, 2021). "A look back: When Alice Cooper wanted to be 'Elected'". City Pulse. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
- ^ "Alice Cooper - Charts & Awards - Billboard Singles" Allmusic. Retrieved on August 10, 2009."
- ^ Rice, Jo; Tim Rice; Paul Gambaccini; Mike Read (1979). The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles (2nd ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 56. ISBN 0-900424-99-0.
- ^ ""Austrian Singles Charts Search for Alice Cooper"" Austriancharts.at. Retrieved on August 10, 2009."
- ^ ""Dutch Singles Charts Search for Alice Cooper"" dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved on August 11, 2009."
- ^ ""Irish Singles Charts Search for Alice Cooper"" irishcharts.com. Retrieved on August 11, 2009."
- ^ ""German Singles Charts Search for Alice Cooper"" Archived September 27, 2012, at the Wayback Machine musicline.de. Retrieved on August 11, 2009."
- ^ "MR BEAN & SMEAR CAMPAIGN FEATURING BRUCE DICKINSON | Artist | Official Charts". Official Charts. Archived from the original on March 13, 2013. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
- ^ "Mr. Bean and Comic Relief: I Want to be Elected". www.videocollector.co.uk.
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| Compilations | |
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| Songs | |
| Related articles | |
