"Detroit Rock City" is a song by the American hard rock group Kiss, released on their 1976 album Destroyer. The song was written by Paul Stanley and producer Bob Ezrin.
| "Detroit Rock City" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Kiss | ||||
| from the album Destroyer | ||||
| A-side | "Beth" | |||
| Released | July 28, 1976[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, because Detroit 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 played Charlotte 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]
Bassist Gene Simmons played an R&B-influenced bassline, 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. Retrieved July 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. Retrieved May 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. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
- ^ Trczinski, Matthew (September 14, 2020). "Kiss' Biggest Hit Was About a Real-Life Car Accident". Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Retrieved July 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. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
- ^ "The 40 best Kiss songs of all time". Louder Sound. July 15, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4356b." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
