Released 2nd July, 1991 Label Epic | Length 5:27 Language English | |
Recorded Bearsville Studios, New York, USA Writer(s) Alice Cooper, Vic Pepe, Jack Ponti, Bob Pfeifer | ||
"Wind-Up Toy" is the twelfth and final track on Alice Cooper's nineteenth studio album "Hey Stoopid". Though the song was never released as a single, the song is very popular among Cooper's fans, often favourite above all others by some. Guitar player Joe Satriani makes a guest appearance on the track.
Contents
Relation to Steven
The track is the first confirmed appearance of fictional character/alter ego Steven in more than 15 years. In the song, we learn that he is imprisoned in a lunatic hospital and that his only friends are the insects, rats and his toys on the floor. This tells us that he still has the mind of a small child. Obviously it upset Steven to become an adult. The song possibly suggests something happened that forced him to be like an adult, before he was ready for it. It might be that his parents rejected him;
Daddy won't discuss meWhat a state I must beMommy couldn't stand living with a wind-up toySteven feels that he never had the chance to be a young boy and that he grew up too fast. Because of this, he acts like a child and probably thinks that he still is one:
Preacher crucifies meWarden wants to fry meI was never youngNever just a little boyIt is also hinted that Steven still is haunted by the nightmare from Cooper's 1975 album "Welcome to My Nightmare", and possibly also the Curator from the album:
I'm lost in a nightmareAfter the song ends, a little girl's voice can faintly be heard calling "Steven!"