Today marks the 50th anniversary of the release the Alice Cooper group’s fifth studio album, School’s Out, which featured the hit title track — widely regarded as the shock rockers’ signature song.
School’s Out reached #2 on the Billboard 200, Alice Cooper’s second-highest-charting album on the tally after 1973 chart-topping Billion Dollar Babies. The album’s popularity was propelled by the song “School’s Out,” which was the sole single issued from the record.
“School’s Out,” which peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, was the highest-charting single of the Alice Cooper group’s career, although Cooper’s 1989 solo hit “Poison” also reached that spot on the Hot 100.
The album cover features a photo of wooden school desktop with the names or initials of Alice Cooper’s five members — Cooper, bassist Dennis Dunaway, drummer Neal Smith and guitarists Michael Bruce and Glen Buxton — carved into it. The original vinyl album’s packaging also featured the LP wrapped in a pair of paper panties.
The song “School’s Out” celebrates the joy that children and teens feel when the school year ends, while also expressing youthful rebellion against oppressive authority. The tune has appeared in several films over the years, including Rock ‘n’ Roll High School, Scream and Dazed and Confused.
“School’s Out” was ranked at #293 on Rolling Stone‘s 2021 list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”
The School’s Out album has been certified Platinum by the RIAA for sales of more than a million copies in the U.S.
Here’s the album’s full track list:
“School’s Out”
“Luney Tune”
“Gutter Cat vs. the Jets”
“Street Fight”
“Blue Turk”
“My Stars”
“Public Animal #9”
“Alma Mater”
“Grande Finale”
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