Alice Cooper - School's Out

This was Cooper's biggest hit; it was especially popular in the UK where it topped the chart for three weeks. A concert staple, it is usually the last song he plays at his shows.

The chorus of children who sing on this was put together by producer Bob Ezrin. In 1979, Ezrin used another kid's chorus when he produced "Another Brick In The Wall (part II)" for Pink Floyd. He liked the idea of hearing children's voices on songs about school. In this song, they chime in while Cooper is singing the children's rhyme "No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers' dirty looks." They also come in on the bridge and outro.

The title (and song) were inspired by a warning often said in Bowery Boys movies in which one of the characters declares to another, "School is out," meaning "to wise up." The Bowery Boys were characters featured in 48 movies that ran from 1946-1958. They were young tough guys in New York City who were always finding trouble. The movies ran on American TV throughout the '60s and '70s, eating up a lot of air time on independent stations. It was one of these TV viewings that Cooper saw. In the film, the character Sach (Huntz Hall) did something dumb, which prompted one of the other guys to say, "Hey, Sach, School's Out!" Cooper like the way the phrase sounded and used it as the basis for this song.

Lyrics

Well we got no choice All the girls and boys Making all that noise 'Cause they found new toys Well we can't salute ya Can't find a flag If that don't suit ya That's a drag School's out for summer School's out forever School's been blown to pieces No more pencils No more books No more teacher's dirty looks Well we got no class And we got no principles And we got no innocence We can't even think of a word that rhymes School's out for summer School's out forever My school's been blown to pieces No more pencils No more books No more teacher's dirty looks Out for summer Out till fall We might not go back at all School's out forever School's out for summer School's out with fever School's out completely