Quoth David Harrington <daveh@mail.frontiernet.net>:

Why Must I Be Sad? is about a Alice Cooper fan. Over half the song is the names of early Alice Cooper Albums & Songs.

"No More Mister Nice Guy
I Love the Dead"

These are the titles of two songs on Alice Cooper's 1973 Album Billion Dollar Babies

"I've been thinking about it
Now I understand what he said
Ask me now"

Obviously just a fan trying to interprete what Alice Cooper's songs are about (what a crazy idea; spending a bunch of time interpreting songs that someone else wrote ;-) )

"I understand the words that Alice said"

Alice?? Could it be Alice Cooper?!

"I kick the rocks beneath me
I squint at the sun
sad
sad
sad
sad
Why must I be sad?
Rows of dandelions growing all around me
Why must I be sad?"

The fan is dealing with angst and sadness contained within his own life and Alice's music.. However, he is also realizing the world of nature around him and wondering why he feels so unhappy..

"No one knows these things but me and him
so I'm writing everything down in a spiral notebook
in the hopes that one day
other people will feel as low as this"

The fan is identifying with Alice's music and has decided that since Alice Cooper's music seems to be expressing what he's feeling, he too will transcribe his feelings for others in hope that others will later be able to identify with them..

"Welcome to My Nightmare"

Title of a 1975 Alice Cooper Album

"Dead Babies"

Title of a Song off the 1971 Alice Cooper Album "Killer"

"Raped and Freezin'"

Title of a Song off the 1973 Alice Cooper Album "Billion Dollar Babies"

"You Drive Me Nervous"

Title of a Song off the 1971 Alice Cooper Album "Killer"

"Elected
Generation Landside"

Titles of Songs of the 1973 Alice Cooper Album "Billion Dollar Babies"

"Under My Wheels"

Song off the 1971 Alice Cooper Album "Killer"

"Muscle of Love"

Title the a 1973 Alice Cooper Album and a title of a song off the same album

"School's Out"

Title of a 1972 Alice Cooper Album

"Only Women Bleed"

Title of a song off the 1975 Alice Cooper Album "Welcome to my Nightmare"

"Billion Dollar Babies"

Title of a 1973 Alice Cooper Album

As you can see I have a fair amount of evidence that this song might have a slight Alice Cooper relationship..

Quoth <Arianai@aol.com>:

Why Must I Be Sad? Just Cheer Up Then, hmmm?

i don't think this is a song about an alice cooper fan, exactly, because i thought one of the giants was a fan, hugely. perhaps Mr. Flansburgh is the one? hmmm? it seems to be more of a tribute, perhaps

Quoth Dave Williams <dwilliam@shore.intercom.net>:

I definitely support the "whiny kid and/or frustrated rocker" scenario rather than the "Touching affirmation of individuality" theory. It's practically dripping with sarcasm. How can you write a song (or at least narrate one) if you can't think?

The more interesting question is whether it's a kid who can't glue a poster in his room, or a guy who can't put a poster up on a wall. I originally thought it was some earnest hippie, the kind I saw a lot of in college, but I like the theory that it's a guy in a band who's upset that he can't publicize his band.

But why the Alice Cooper album names at the beginning and end of the song? "No More Mister Nice Guy/I Love The Dead etc. It could be that the whiny kid is sitting in his bedroom listening to Alice, or it could be the band guy who is in a band because he wanted to be Alice Cooper when he was 13 - sitting in his bedroom, perhaps :-)