I'm Eighteen
Encyclopedia
"I'm Eighteen" is a 1970 song by rock
band Alice Cooper
, featured on their first major label release album Love It to Death
. It was released in November 1970, 3 months prior to the album, and became the band's breakthrough hit.
's 40 Greatest Metal Songs. It also appeared on Guitar magazine as one of the 50 heaviest riffs of all time.
Rolling Stone
included the song on their list at 482 "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
" and had this to say of the song, "Before 'I'm Eighteen,' Cooper was just another hairy rock oddball. But this proto-punk smash defined the age when, in Cooper's words, you're 'old enough to be drafted but not old enough to vote.' Years later, Johnny Rotten sang this at his audition for the Sex Pistols
; by then, Cooper was a guest on The Muppet Show
."
, on their 1984 album Fistful of Metal
(the day their youngest member turned 19) and was later covered by post-grunge
band Creed
on the soundtrack to the 1998 movie The Faculty
, and also by Zwan
on tour. The song was also covered by Camp Freddy
with Slash
of Guns and Roses on guitar
and Chester Bennington
of Linkin Park
on vocals. Don Dokken
featuring John Norum
on guitar recorded a cover version of the song on the tribute album Humanary Stew: A Tribute To Alice Cooper, only called "Eighteen".
It was used in an episode of the 1999 TV show Freaks and Geeks
, when Guidance Counsellor Mr. Rosso (Dave "Gruber" Allen) played an acoustic cover of the song to show the kids he knew what they were going through.
The song is featured in Bill Couturié
's 1987 documentary Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam
, and on the Sons Of Anarchy
episode, "Giving Back".
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, featured on their first major label release album Love It to Death
Love It to Death
Rolling Stones John Mendelsohn found it favorable. He explained that it "represents at least a modest oasis in the desert of dreary blue-jeaned aloofness served up in concert by most American rock-and-rollers." However, referring to "Black Juju" he also stated that "the one bummer on this album is...
. It was released in November 1970, 3 months prior to the album, and became the band's breakthrough hit.
Achievements
It was ranked #39 on VH1VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's 40 Greatest Metal Songs. It also appeared on Guitar magazine as one of the 50 heaviest riffs of all time.
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
included the song on their list at 482 "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" was the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone, issue number 963, published December 9, 2004, a year after the magazine published its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time"....
" and had this to say of the song, "Before 'I'm Eighteen,' Cooper was just another hairy rock oddball. But this proto-punk smash defined the age when, in Cooper's words, you're 'old enough to be drafted but not old enough to vote.' Years later, Johnny Rotten sang this at his audition for the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
; by then, Cooper was a guest on The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
."
Cover Versions & Appearances in Popular Culture
The song was covered by thrash metal pioneers AnthraxAnthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
, on their 1984 album Fistful of Metal
Fistful of Metal
-Personnel:*Neil Turbin – Vocals*Dan Spitz – Lead guitar*Scott Ian – Rhythm guitar*Danny Lilker – Bass*Charlie Benante – Drums...
(the day their youngest member turned 19) and was later covered by post-grunge
Post-grunge
Post-grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged in the mid-1990s as a derivative of grunge, using the sounds and aesthetic of grunge, but with a more commercially acceptable tone...
band Creed
Creed (band)
Creed is an American rock band formed in 1995 in Tallahassee, Florida. Becoming popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the band has released three consecutive multi-platinum albums, one of which has been certified diamond, and has sold over 28 million records in the United States, with an...
on the soundtrack to the 1998 movie The Faculty
The Faculty
The Faculty is a 1998 science fiction horror film written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Robert Rodriguez...
, and also by Zwan
Zwan
Zwan was an American alternative rock band that was formed by members of The Smashing Pumpkins, Slint, Tortoise, Chavez, and A Perfect Circle. Zwan was started in late 2001 by Billy Corgan, lead singer and guitarist of The Smashing Pumpkins, after the Pumpkins disbanded in December 2000. The band...
on tour. The song was also covered by Camp Freddy
Camp Freddy
Camp Freddy is a group of established musicians who play rock and roll covers at various shows around America. The band is composed of core members Dave Navarro , Billy Morrison , Matt Sorum , Donovan Leitch, Jr. and Chris Chaney...
with Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
of Guns and Roses on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and Chester Bennington
Chester Bennington
Chester Charles Bennington is an American musician, singer-songwriter and actor. He is best known as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Linkin Park....
of Linkin Park
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries...
on vocals. Don Dokken
Don Dokken
Donald Maynard Dokken is best known for being the lead singer and founder of the band Dokken. He is known for his vibrato-laden, melodic vocal style which has made him an influential figure in American heavy metal. After enjoying mainstream success with Dokken, he parted ways with the band in 1988...
featuring John Norum
John Norum
John Norum is a rock music guitarist and founder of the Swedish band Europe . Concurrent to his role with Europe, he also maintains a side solo project...
on guitar recorded a cover version of the song on the tribute album Humanary Stew: A Tribute To Alice Cooper, only called "Eighteen".
It was used in an episode of the 1999 TV show Freaks and Geeks
Freaks and Geeks
Freaks and Geeks is an American teen comedy-drama television series, created by Paul Feig and executive produced by Judd Apatow, that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 television season...
, when Guidance Counsellor Mr. Rosso (Dave "Gruber" Allen) played an acoustic cover of the song to show the kids he knew what they were going through.
The song is featured in Bill Couturié
Bill Couturié
Bill Couturié is a film director, best known for the Academy Award-winning documentary Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt which he produced and his multi-Emmy Award Winning film Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam, which he wrote, produced, and directed...
's 1987 documentary Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam
Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam
Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam is an Emmy Award–winning 1987 documentary, inspired by the book of the same title, directed by Bill Couturié. Using real letters written by US soldiers and archive footage, the film creates a highly personal experience of the Vietnam War...
, and on the Sons Of Anarchy
Sons of Anarchy
Sons of Anarchy is an American television drama series created by Kurt Sutter about the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club operating in Charming, a fictional town in Northern California...
episode, "Giving Back".