| "Rock and Roll All Nite" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US single of live version recording | ||||
| Single byKiss | ||||
| from the albumDressed to Kill andAlive! | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | April 2, 1975 (US) October 14, 1975 (7" live version) | |||
| Recorded | February 1975 May 16, 1975 (7" live version) | |||
| Studio | Electric Lady Studios, New York City | |||
| Genre | Hard rock[1][2] | |||
| Length | 2:49 (album version) 2:34 (single version) 3:20 (7" live version) | |||
| Label | CasablancaNB-829 (US) | |||
| Songwriters | Paul Stanley,Gene Simmons | |||
| Producers | Neil Bogart & Kiss | |||
| Kiss singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| Live video | ||||
| "Rock and Roll All Nite" fromKiss eXposed onYouTube | ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "Rock and Roll All Nite" (studio version) onYouTube | ||||
| "Rock and Roll All Nite" (live in Detroit, 1975) onYouTube | ||||
| "Rock and Roll All Nite" fromMTV Unplugged (1996) onYouTube | ||||
"Rock and Roll All Nite" is a song by Americanrock bandKiss, released in 1975 as the first single from their third studio albumDressed to Kill. The studio version of the song peaked at No. 68 on theBillboard singles chart, besting the band's previous charting single, "Kissin' Time" (#89). A subsequent live version, released as a single in October 1975, eventually reached No. 12 in early 1976, the first of six Top 20 songs for Kiss in the 1970s.[3] "Rock and Roll All Nite" became Kiss'ssignature song and has served as the group's closing concert number in almost every concert since 1976.[4][5]
"Rock and Roll All Nite" was written byPaul Stanley andGene Simmons while Kiss was still in Los Angeles, as part of theirHotter than Hell Tour. However, during the group's concert atCobo Hall in Detroit on January 26, 1976, Stanley introduced it as a song that was written in and for Detroit. The tour ended early (February 1975), whenCasablanca Records founder and presidentNeil Bogart ordered Kiss to return to the studio to record a follow-up toHotter Than Hell, which had stalled on the charts and failed to meet Casablanca's sales expectations. One of Bogart's instructions to the band was to compose an anthem, something he felt the band needed.[4][6][self-published source] The song itself was inspired by theSlade song "Mama Weer All Crazee Now".[7]
They wrote the pre-chorus, Stanley wrote the chorus, and Simmons wrote theverses, borrowing parts of a song he had previously written, entitled "Drive Me Wild". The song was one of two the group recorded toward the end of the Hotter than Hell Tour prior to returning toElectric Lady Studios for the properDressed to Kill recording sessions.[6] For the choruses, the band and Bogart brought in a large group of outside contributors to sing and clap, including members of the Kiss road crew, studio musicians, andPeter Criss's wife Lydia. Some of theroad crew used their jacketzippers to create sound.[4][8]
Cash Box said that "the undulating beat and anthem-like quality of the chorus add up to a satanic hit" and that it opens with "pounding drums and a ferocious guitar roar."[9]Record World said that the "group allows their drummer and vocals to take control of the moment as they get down to r&r basics with the best of 'em."[10]
Kiss' version appears in a2022TV commercial forApplebee's. In 2008, it was named the 16th greatest hard rock song of all time byVH1.[11] In 2021, it was listed at No. 404 onRolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[12]
While "Rock and Roll All Nite" would eventually become a fixture in Kiss's live performances, it was not inserted into the band's setlist immediately, nor did it immediately replace "Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll" as the closing number.[6] The ending of the live version of "Rock and Roll All Nite" is taken from "Getaway" (which, as indicated above, was released as the single'sB-side). Kiss performed the song during the closing ceremonies for the2002 Winter Olympics inSalt Lake City which proved to be Ace Frehley's final performance with Kiss. They also performed the song live withAdam Lambert during the season 8 finale ofAmerican Idol, on May 20, 2009, at theNokia Theater in Los Angeles.[citation needed]
On December 31, 2019 (2019-12-31), this song was performed onThe 70th NHK Red & White Year-End Song Festival featuringX Japan's drummer/pianistYoshiki Hayashi.
The original version of the song, as it appears onDressed To Kill, does not have aguitar solo, while many later versions do have one. TheKiss Unplugged version featuresAce Frehley andBruce Kulick sharing the solo. TheUnplugged version was released as a single and reached number 13 onBillboard'sMainstream Rock Tracks.[13] The original version also ends while fading away; all live versions end with the last notes of anotherDressed to Kill song, "Getaway" (which, as indicated above, was released as the studio-version single'sB-side). The chorus ofAlive!'s version of the song is played at the beginning of "Detroit Rock City", from 1976'sDestroyer.[citation needed]
Kiss collaborated with Japanese girl groupMomoiro Clover Z on the single "Yume no Ukiyo ni Saite Mi na", consisting of the title track and a version of "Rock and Roll All Nite".[citation needed]
Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem covered the song for the first episode of the 2023 seriesThe Muppets Mayhem and its soundtrack.
Studio version
| Chart (1975) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[14] | 74 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[15] | 68 |
| USCash Box Top 100[16] | 57 |
Live version
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[22] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[23] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[24] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| "Rock and Roll All Nite" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byPoison | ||||
| from the albumLess than Zero | ||||
| Released | October 12, 1987 | |||
| Recorded | 1987 | |||
| Genre | Glam metal[25] | |||
| Label | Def Jam Recordings/CBS Records (original release) Enigma/Capitol Records (subsequent releases) | |||
| Songwriter | Stanley/Simmons | |||
| Producer | Rick Rubin | |||
| Poison singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "Rock and Roll All Nite" by Poison onYouTube | ||||
American rock bandPoison covered and released "Rock and Roll All Nite" as a single from thesoundtrack to the filmLess than Zero in 1987. It was then released on a Poison albumThe Best of Poison: 20 Years of Rock in 2006 and again on the cover albumPoison'd in 2007.
At the start of the "Nothin' But a Good Time" music video, Poison's rendition of "Rock and Roll All Nite" is heard on the radio.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
