Only Women Bleed

"Only Women Bleed"
Single by Alice Cooper
from the album Welcome to My Nightmare
B-side	Cold Ethyl
Released	1975
Format	7-inch single
Genre	Rock
Length	5:49
Writer(s)	Alice Cooper, Dick Wagner
Producer	Bob Ezrin
Alice Cooper singles chronology
"Muscle of Love" (1974) "Only Women" (1975) "Department of Youth" (1975)

"Only Women Bleed" is a song written by the musicians Alice Cooper and Dick Wagner. It is a ballad about a woman in an abusive marriage.

It is one of Cooper's biggest hits, reaching #1 on the Canadian RPM national singles chart (listed as "Only Women", see below)^[1] and #12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1975. It is from his album Welcome to My Nightmare. It was the first of several ballad releases by Cooper that got into the top 20.

The single was released prior to the release of Welcome to My Nightmare in the US as a shortened version of the song, and was alternatively titled "Only Women" by Atlantic Records due to protest by feminist groups^[2]. The single version of the song featured more orchestral parts than the album version.

Guns N' Roses (who featured Cooper on their 1991 song "The Garden") used to play this song in concert as an intro to "Knockin' on Heaven's Door".

The song was featured on the soundtrack to Rob Zombie's remake of Halloween.

Other recordings

Cover versions of the song have been recorded by notable artists including:

• Carmen McRae on her 1976 album Can't Hide Love.
• Julie Covington on her eponymous 1978 album; it reached #12 on the UK charts when it was released as a single.
• Etta James on her 1978 album Deep in the Night
• Ruby Turner on her 1986 album Live at Glastonbury
• Elkie Brooks on her 1986 album No More the Fool
• Lita Ford on her 1990 album Stiletto
• Favorite Angel on her 1990 album Only Women Bleed (CD single)
• Slash (Guns N' Roses) on their Use Your Illusion Tour
• John Farnham on his 1993 album Then Again
• Dick Wagner on his 1995 solo album Rock HitStory
• Glenn Hughes, Paul Gilbert, Bob Kulick, Mike Porcaro, Steve Ferrone & Paul Taylor on the 1999 tribute album Humanary Stew: A Tribute to Alice Cooper
• Etta James on her 1999 album The Heart of a Woman
• Audrey Turner on her 1999 album I Smell Trouble
• Tori Amos as a B-side to her 2001 single "Strange Little Girl"
• Luna B-side on the Lovedust single 2002
• The Chris Farlowe Band on his 2004 album Rock N Roll Soldier
• Madeleine Martin for 2007 Californication
• Wensday on her 2007 album Torch Rock
• Tina Arena on her 2008 album Songs of Love & Loss II

References

1. ^ http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.3999a&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=ccntousk30frf6h4jsn237nm12
2. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/song/only-women-bleed-t3662946

Preceded by "Wildfire" by Michael Murphey

Canadian RPM number-one single July 5, 1975 (1 week)

Succeeded by "Listen to What the Man Said" by Wings