I Am Made of You (Welcome 2 My Nightmare, 2011)

HAPPY NEW YEAR! We are expecting wonderful and magnificent things in 2023! We are so thankful you are joining us on this journey and hope you are blessed by what is shared through this blog and its community.

If you haven’t already, make sure you join the “Fridays With Alice” Facebook group – a great place to share your love and fellowship with others that Love Jesus Christ and Alice Cooper.

Released in 2011, some thirty years after the original Welcome To My Nightmare LP (1975), the Welcome 2 My Nightmare LP was a much-anticipated announcement.

The album combines the themes found in Welcome To My Nightmare (1975) and Alice Cooper Goes To Hell (1976), throwing the listener into the hellish nightmare and occurrences of Steven. However, it’s a new nightmare – a modern one.

“Let’s just give Alice a new nightmare. You have a different nightmare every night. You dream totally different stuff every night. Let’s give Alice an entirely new nightmare. What would be a nightmare for him in 2011?” – Alice Cooper

The scenarios found on the LP are tongue-in-cheek examples of the horrible things that may very well be found in the depths of the abyss and things that would haunt Alice and Steven. Surprisingly, we find Ke$ha playing the sinister role of Satan – more seductive than scary but evil all the same.

“I Am Made of You” is the first song on the album – an instant classic and masterpiece. The tune begins with the familiar piano riff from the song ‘Steven’ (found on the original ‘Welcome to My Nightmare’ album but then quickly turns into a melodic rock ballad.

The song leads the listener through a three-part declaration of Steven’s despair – exasperation, expectation, and ends with exaltation. It is undoubtedly one of the best songs in Cooper’s vast catalog of music.

NOTE: While this post will focus on a few different scenarios, we are heading in a direction based on the Love of our Creator – the Love He has for His creation. This post will kickstart us into the New Year and lay the groundwork for the next few posts.

We hope that, while this journey may lead us in directions that are controversial or difficult to fathom, the Mercy, Love, and Grace of our Lord are extended to ALL. Anyone willing to declare Him as Lord and believe with their heart shall be saved (Romans 10:8-13).

This post will look at “I Am Made of You” from a few different scenarios.

While the song can be interpreted differently, we will focus mainly on David and the Psalms. However, as you listen to the song, it also applies elsewhere in the scriptures.

The stories of Adam, Abraham, Moses, Paul, Peter, James, etc., also relate. This song defines everyone in some capacity. It correlates to everyone’s walk with the Lord.

In the beginning, I was just a shadow
In the beginning, I was alone
In the beginning, I was blind
Living in a world devoid of light
In the beginning, there was only night

I was shattered, left in pieces, and I felt so cold inside
Then I called you from the darkness where I hide

I am made of you

In the lyrics, we are clearly shown that life isn’t easy. There are often challenging decisions we must make and tough pills we sometimes have to swallow – events that push our faith the hardest. Yet, these places and times are where and when real growth occurs.

In Psalms 13, David’s words read:

1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
And day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

3 Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
4 and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
And my foes will rejoice when I fall.

5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
My heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing the Lord’s praise,
for he has been good to me.

In the above-listed verses, David pleads with God – using the phrase ‘how long‘ four times within the first two verses. Obviously, he is trapped in some sort of darkness and despair – even physically spending time in the cave of Adullam (1 Samuel 21:15-22:2).

However, notice how David remains vigilant and faithful – holding on to his Trust in the Lord. It seems that moments like that are the most natural times to give up and lose hope, yet doing so only leaves us consumed by despair and ruin while allowing the enemy to gain a foothold on us.

Perseverance and faithful intentions allow God to move. We must remember that His timing is not the same as ours. We must hold on and wait for His breakthrough to happen. Looking back and seeing His plan is often easier than looking forward, expecting to know ours.

We mustn’t focus on what’s to come but on where He’s brought us instead. Live today without the anxiety and fear of tomorrow (Matthew 6:34).

Standing in faith and on His promises is challenging; it’s often difficult to see what will happen next. We often find that the picture is fuzzy, yet the evidence of His plan is right there in plain sight, but for some reason, it’s just not in complete focus.

It’s almost as if our faith is intact, but our logic and reasoning demand that the evidence be blatantly obvious. Our minds alter our hearts instead of vice versa.

As humans, we often allow our surroundings, current events, and other intangible factors to dictate our moods and mindsets. Instead, we should strive to work diligently at giving Him praise in all things and at all times – no matter the circumstances.

When things seem dark or bleak, let us cling to Psalms 13:5 – “I trust in your unfailing love; My heart rejoices in your salvation.” Stop and think about those words.

How often do we allow His ‘unfailing love’ to cover every aspect of our life? To just silently be still and rejoice for His Grace, His Mercy, and His Love – our salvation.

In the beginning, you were revelation
A river of salvation, and now I believe
All I wanted, all I needed, was someone to rescue me
I was drowning; I was dying; now I’m free

I am made of you

As the song exclaims, it’s through revelation, that point when we wholeheartedly bow and claim Him and His Word as complete truth, that we are yanked from despair and placed on a firm foundation – Solid Rock.

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise ,and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” – Matthew 7:24-27

As we recite the words of scripture, which fortify our hearts, minds, and souls, we must know that the declarations made through His Word are a solid foundation for our lives. They affirm our freedom to be whom He has created us to be.

Here I am now; I can stand now coz your love has made me strong
And forever, you’re the singer; I’m the song

I am made of you

By the end of “I Am Made Of You,” Steven has realized that we find our strength and meaning in Christ through the Father’s Love and us being His creation. Knowing that He is the composer, we are merely His songs. That’s FASCINATING!

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” – Psalm 139:13-14

The lyrics and scriptures listed above parallel one another. David and Alice are on the same page – knowing who guides them and who is responsible for them.

We are created in the image of God; His character has been interwoven into the DNA of our existence. As we are knit together in our mother’s wombs, a plan for our lives has already been set in motion (Jeremiah 1:5). The groundwork has been laid, and all we must do is “show up!”

Wrapping up this week’s post, how often do we stop and think about whom He has created us to be? How often do we seek His Will instead of our own?

It’s a struggle – a constant battle within our minds, knowing that we are His. It requires diligence, focus, and commitment, but we must remember and know that we are made from Him. We are equipped to carry out all the plans He has set forth for us. First, however, we must know and receive them.

We must understand that we are each unique creations. Each person’s mold is entirely different, yet the same Creator placed within us His own ‘witness marks’ – hints and indentations of Himself.

He’s put those hints of His nature there for us to know more about who we are and why we are here. They are inherent. They flow naturally. However, here’s the secret. Like any well-written song, it takes more than just a page of words and notes for that song to come to life. It takes vision, execution, and creativity.

The perfect song requires many factors – composer, musicians, singer, producer, and other intangible elements – to create. Our Creator is all those things in our lives – breathing motivation, drive, and purpose into our being.

We must be mindful of those inherent traits and become whom He’s created us to be. We must learn and know that we are here for a reason. YOU are His song, His masterpiece. So share your song – His song – with the world knowing and believing Him as Lord.

In conclusion, “I Am Made Of You” is breathtaking. It’s as if the answer to life’s questions are answered and acknowledged before the nightmare begins. As if to say, all the other experiences found on this LP can be avoided. Just know that you are His and His creation. Embrace that and Him.

Welcome 2 My Nightmare is well-written and features many little pieces from the original nightmare. They are either on the surface like the piano riff found at the beginning of “I Am Made Of You” or others buried further in the melody.

The LP combines new and old, continuing the original Welcome To My Nightmare and Alice Cooper Goes To Hell LPs. Yet, Welcome 2 My Nightmare stands apart – the album is definitely a new Nightmare.

That’s it for this week, see you next Friday!

Until then, Keep Walkin’ in Faith and Rockin’ with Alice!