It just occurred to me that, despite the obvious Friday the 13th connection, I’ve never discussed Alice Cooper’s classic song “He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask)” here before. That oversight ends today, thanks to this upload by lairofhorror:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qglpDlSlPzE
Now that I think about it, it’s eerily appropriate how I decided to write about a song made to tie-in with Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives during the sixth installment of TGIF13. I wish I could say this was my plan from the beginning, but the fact is that I just got lucky.
Upon close examination of the lyrics, the reference to “Lover’s Lake” immediately leaps out at me. I’ve heard of “Lover’s Lane” before, but “Lover’s Lake?” At first I assumed that Alice Cooper arbitrarily coined the phrase as a quick way to reference the site of a potential slasher victim buffet with Camp Crystal Lake in the song, but a little research reveals otherwise. It turns out there are actually a few lakes bearing the name in existence, with the one in Chatham, MA being the most popular. That certainly puts an amusing new spin on that part of the song!
Oh, and what’s the deal with the part about Jason being “out for your soul?” I suppose one could argue Cooper is exercising artistic license, but come on. Since when has that ever been Jason’s modus operandi? But as much as I kid (you didn’t think those nitpicks were serious, did you?), this song is awesome. I suggest listening to it while reading this informative article about it for maximum effect.
