Alice Cooper ballads are strange things - they are either very good and believable, or they are, um, trash! The final song on the first side,
'Only My Heart Talking', falls into the latter category
It wouldn't be too bad, but the tune is bland, the lyrics are obvious and his voice sounds strained
Alice Cooper - Vocals
John McCurry - Guitar
Hugh McDonald - Bass
Bobby Chouinard - Drums
Alan St. John - Keyboards
Steven Tyler from Aerosmith provides guest vocals on the song
The co-writers for this song were Andy Goldmark, who has also written for Carly Simon, Jennifer Paige, and Michael Bolton and Bruce Roberts, who has penned songs for such rock heavyweights as Engelbert Humperdinck, Barbra Streisand, Cliff Richard and The Kids From Fame
It's interesting to note that the video continues with the 'chains' motif that was used in the 'Poison' video, and also for the live shows
05/10 - Only My Heart Talking (Roberts, Goldmark, Cooper)
"Anybody's dream can fall apart
Anybody's mask can break
Couldn't tell you how I wanted you
Enough to make you want to stay
I never said the words out loud
I guess I couldn't get 'em straight
Baby, give me one more chance
Before you walk away
It's only, only, only, only my heart talkin'
Yeah, it's only, only, only, only my heart talkin'
Sayin' things I never thought I'd say
Can't you hear me knocking
I tried to fool you but it wouldn't play
'Cause my heart it's talkin', it's talkin'
Oh baby, it's talkin'
Talkin' to you
Everytime I take it to the edge
Everytime I'm so afraid
Don't you know I cry my eyes out, babe
Everytime you look away
Oh, I almost dropped a tear
But I caught it just in time
I'd say those things you want to hear
If you'd help me, help me, help me try
It's only, only, only, only my heart talkin'
Yeah, it's only, only, only, only my heart talkin'
Sayin' things I never thought I'd say
Can't you hear me knocking
Tried to fool you but it wouldn't play
'Cause my heart it's talkin', it's talkin'
Baby, it's talkin'
Talkin' to you
Well, I don't want to hide away
Hide away without you, baby
Don't you go and run away
Come and help me, baby
Just a little help, baby
Oh, my little baby
It's only, only, only, only my heart talkin'
Yeah, it's only, only, only, only my heart talkin'
Sayin' things I never thought I'd say
Can't you hear me knocking
I tried to fool you but it wouldn't play
'Cause my heart it's talkin', it's talkin'
Baby, it's talkin'
Talkin' to you
It's only, only, only, only my heart talkin'
Yeah, it's only, only, only, only my heart talkin'
Yeah it`s only only only only only, only only only
My heart talkin`
Talkin' to you
It's my heart that does the talkin'
talkin' to you
ah... talkin' to you"
Opening side two is
'Bed Of Nails', and the guitar playing of Kane Roberts is immediately obvious!
Musically, this is a good rock song, with an opening that is reminiscent of the gothic rock from the original ACG, but what lets it down are the lyrics. No less a person than Bob Dylan has stated that '
Alice Cooper is a very under-rated songwriter', but we are now being forced to listen to lines such as
"Our love is a bed of nails
Love hurts good on a bed of nails
I'll lay you down and when all else fails
I'll drive you like a hammer on a bed of nails"
It's as if Alice gave a notebook to a 14 year old metalhead in 1989 and said 'write me a song'!
The song was covered by the band Children Of Bodom on their 'Hellhounds On My Trail' EP. Their version is
here
Alice Cooper - Vocals
John McCurry - Guitar
Hugh McDonald - Bass
Bobby Chouinard - Drums
Alan St. John - Keyboards
Kane Roberts plays guitar on the track
Diane Warren is the other credited writer
Note: More chains in the video
06/10 - Bed Of Nails (Cooper, Warren, Child)
"[spoken] (I love the way you hurt me, my tears, your wine
Your thorns withdraw my blood and fall like crimson rain.
Light candles in the pale moon shining above us.
The line between pleasure in pain has slowly vanished
Reaching deeper and deeper into a void of your venomous love)
Yeah, we're gonna fight
We do it every night
Baby, when you scratch
You know I'm gonna bite
You can make me die
I can make you cry
Opposites attract
That's the reason why
No one else could make you feel like I do, I do, I do
No one ever gets as deep inside you
As I do, baby
Our love is a bed of nails
Love hurts good on a bed of nails
I'll lay you down and when all else fails
I'll drive you like a hammer on a bed of nails
Yeah...
First we're gonna kiss
then we're gonna say
Dirty little words
Only lovers say
Rockin' through the night
Rollin' on the floor
When they hear us screamin'
They'll be breakin' down the door
No one else could make you feel like I do, I do, I do
No one ever gets as deep inside you
As I do, baby
Our love is a bed of nails
Love hurts good on a bed on nails
I'll lay you down and when all else fails
I'll drive you like a hammer on a bed of nails
Bed of nails, bed of nails
I'll drive you like a hammer on a bed of nails
Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow
Gonna drive you like a hammer
Baby, put me in your slammer, oh yeah
No one else could make you feel
Like I do, I do, I do
No one ever gets as deep inside you
As I do, baby
Our love is a bed of nails
Love hurts good on a bed of nails
I'll lay you down and when all else fails
I'll drive you like a hammer on a bed of nails
Our love is a bed of nails
Love hurts good on a bed of nails
I'll lay you down and when all else fails
I'll drive you like a hammer on a bed of nails
Bed of nails, get on my bed of nails
I'll drive you like a hammer on a bed of nails
Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow
Gonna drive you like a hammer
Baby, put me in your slammer, oh yeah
I'll drive you like a hammer on a bed of nails
Ow ow ow ow ow
I`ll drive you drive you drive you drive you drive you drive you oh yeah
Drive you like a hammer on a bed of nailes
Ow ow ow ow ow
I`ll drive you drive you drive you drive you drive you drive you oh yeah"