School's Out (song)

Infobox Single
Name = School's Out


Caption = 7" single
Artist = Alice Cooper
from Album = School's Out
A-side = "School's Out"
B-side = "Gutter Cat" (aka "Gutter Cat Vs. The Jets")
Released = 1972
Format = 45"
Recorded = 1972
Genre = Hard rock
Length = 3:26
Label = Warner Bros. Records
Writer = Alice Cooper, Michael Bruce, Glen Buxton, Dennis Dunaway, Neal Smith
Producer = Bob Ezrin
Certification =
Last single = "Be My Lover" (1972)
This single = "School's Out" (1972)
Next single = "Elected" (1972)
Misc ="School's Out" is a 1972 title track single released on Alice Cooper's fifth album. It is arguably Alice Cooper's most well-known song.

Cooper has said he was inspired to write the song when answering the question, "What's the greatest three minutes of your life?". Cooper said: "There's two times during the year. One is Christmas morning, when you're just getting ready to open the presents. The greed factor is right there. The next one is the last three minutes of the last day of school when you're sitting there and it's like a slow fuse burning. I said, 'If we can catch that three minutes in a song, it's going to be so big.'"

Cooper has also said it was inspired by a line from a Bowery Boys movie. On his radio show, "Nights with Alice Cooper," he joked that the main riff of the song was inspired by a song by Miles Davis. [Originally stated May 4, 2008; clarified as just a joke on June 3, 2008.]

The lyrics of "School's Out" indicate that not only is the school year ended for summer vacation, but ended forever, and that the school itself has been blown up. It incorporates the childhood rhyme, "No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers' dirty looks" into its lyrics. It also featured children contributing some of the vocals.

"School's Out" became Alice Cooper's first major hit single, reaching #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart and propelling the album to #2 on the Billboard 200 pop albums chart. The song reached #1 on the UK singles chart for three weeks in August 1972. It also marked the first time that Alice Cooper became regarded as more than just a theatrical novelty act.

The Single version of the song is a mono audio mix of the Album version with one major difference - the "turn-off" effect used upon the school bell sound effect at the end of the Album version is not used on the Single version, allowing the school bell to simply fade out. A palm-muted guitar track is also much more prevalent at the beginning of the Single version.

In 2004, "School's Out" was ranked #319 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Song in popular media

The song has been used in the movies "Scream", "Dazed and Confused", and "Rock 'n' Roll High School".

In 2004, the song was also used in a Staples television commercial in which Alice appeared as himself. [ [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2004_July_8/ai_n6098563 Staples Unveils Back-to-School Commercial Starring Alice Cooper; 'School's Out' - Or Is It - For Veteran Rocker in New Ad Campaign | Business Wire | Find Articles at BNET ] ] A young girl with black hair, obviously disappointed that school is starting soon, says, "I thought you said 'School's out forever.'" Alice (who's pushing a shopping cart full of her school supplies) replies, "No, no, no ... the song goes, 'School's out for summer.' Nice try though." (However, the lyrics to the song do include the phrase "School's out forever.")

The title of the first Degrassi movie comes from this song

The song is also referenced in Martin Scorsese's "The Departed" ; After the police academy graduation, Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) says to Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) "School's out... No more pencils, no more books."

The Simpsons episode Kamp Krusty had an excerpt of the song's refrain used during Bart's dream sequence with the destruction of Springfield Elementary on its last day of school before summer vacation.

A cover is playable in the video game "". In addition, the message "School's out forever!!", extracted from the song, can be seen on LED scrolling panels on the "Battle of the Bands" stage in the game's precursor, "Guitar Hero II".

In the Series "Everybody Hates Chris" in an episode when Chris gets revenge from the School Bully and the police are outside the school they play the song.

At the beginning of an Alvin and the Chipmunks VHS called "Alvin and the Chipmunks - School's out for Summer" the song is covered by the chipmunks. The lyric "School's been blown to pieces" was changed to "school's ancient history".

Cover versions

* 45 Grave in 1983, on the album "Sleep in Safety"
* Grave Digger in 1985, on the album Witch Hunter
* Cretu and Thiers in 1988, a single by Michael Cretu of Enigma fame
* The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
* Demons & Wizards
* Kirka in 1986, on the album R.O.C.K.
* Krokus in 1986, on the album "Change of Address"
* Soul Asylum in 1998 for the movie The Faculty
* Dave Mustaine, Marty Friedman, Bob Kulick, Bob Daisley, Eric Singer and Paul Taylor in 1999 for the tribute album "Humanary Stew: A Tribute to Alice Cooper"
* Sevendust in 1999
* Daphne & Celeste in 2000
* The Last Hard Men in 2001
* A-Teens in 2002, on the albums "Pop 'Til You Drop" and "New Arrival" - their version was a duet with Alice Cooper
* GWAR in 2006, on the album "Beyond Hell"
* Rob Zombie & Slash live with Alice Cooper at the 2007 Scream Awards.
* Jay Anderson Band in 2007, on the Laosy Lao LP
* Hideto Matsumoto with his first band Saver Tiger in 2003.
* A cover of School's Out is a playable track in .

References

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