"Detroit Rock City" is a song by the Americanhard rock groupKiss, released on their 1976 albumDestroyer. The song was written byPaul Stanley and producerBob Ezrin.
| "Detroit Rock City" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byKiss | ||||
| from the albumDestroyer | ||||
| A-side | "Beth" | |||
| Released | July 28, 1976 (1976-07-28)[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1976 | |||
| Studio | Record Plant, New York City | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Casablanca | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Bob Ezrin | |||
| Kiss singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
edit"Detroit Rock City" began with a guitar part by Paul Stanley, who explained: "I had the basic riff of the song, the 'get up, get down' part, but I didn't know what the song was about except it was about Detroit."[4][full citation needed]
Stanley explained the song's origin further in 2023:
"Detroit Rock City" is an interesting one, becauseDetroit really embraced us before any other city. We were an opening act everywhere else, but in Detroit we were a headliner. It started as a tribute to Detroit, and then it kind of took a left turn, because we playedCharlotte once, and somebody coming to the arena was killed in an accident. And I thought how bizarre that somebody on their way to something so life affirming loses their life. So there's a juxtaposition in that song about singing about how great Detroit is, and actually about someone going to the show who doesn't make it.[5]
BassistGene Simmons played an R&B-influencedbassline, which he considered a departure from his usual style.[6]
In 2014,Paste ranked the song number three on their list of the 20 greatest Kiss songs,[7] and in 2019,Louder Sound ranked the song number one on their list of the 40 greatest Kiss songs.[8]
Personnel
edit- Kiss
- Paul Stanley – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Gene Simmons – bass, backing vocals
- Ace Frehley – lead guitar
- Peter Criss – drums
- Additional personnel
- Bob Ezrin – spoken word and keyboards
Charts
edit| Chart (1976) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[9] | 99 |
References
edit- ^"KISS - Detroit Rock City".Dutch Charts. RetrievedJuly 28, 2022.
- ^Pollock, Bruce (2005).The 7500 Most Important Songs for the Rock and Roll Era (2nd ed.). Routledge. p. 75.ISBN 0-415-97073-3.
Anthemic hard rocker, B-side of "Beth," and later as the subject of a movie which Marshall Mathers undoubtedly snuck into for free.
- ^"VH1 - 40 Greatest Metal Songs".Music Database. RetrievedMay 17, 2020.
- ^Leaf, David and Ken Sharp,KISS: Behind the Mask - The Official Authorized Biography
- ^Stanley, Paul (March 2, 2023).KISS "Detroit Rock City" Live on the Stern Show.The Howard Stern Show. Event occurs at 0:10. RetrievedNovember 30, 2024.
- ^Trczinski, Matthew (September 14, 2020)."Kiss' Biggest Hit Was About a Real-Life Car Accident". Showbiz Cheat Sheet. RetrievedJuly 29, 2022.
Simmons wrote a bassline for the song that was influenced by R&B music — a bassline which he said was very different from most of his work. Simmons compared the bassline to Issac Hayes' "Theme from Shaft" and Curtis Mayfield's "Freddie's Dead (Theme From 'Superfly')."
- ^Lore, Mark (June 26, 2014)."The 20 Best KISS Songs".Paste. RetrievedApril 5, 2022.
- ^"The 40 best Kiss songs of all time".Louder Sound. July 15, 2019. RetrievedApril 5, 2022.
- ^"Top RPM Singles: Issue 4356b."RPM.Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
