Detroit Rock City

This article is about the song. For the film, see Detroit Rock City (film). For the book, see Detroit Rock City (book).

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1976 single by Kiss

"Detroit Rock City"

Single by Kiss
from the album  Destroyer
A-side| "Beth"
Released| July 28, 1976 (1976-07-28)[1]
Recorded| 1976
Studio| Record Plant, New York City
Genre|

* Hard rock[2]
* heavy metal[3]

Length|

* 5:17 (album version)
* 2:58 (single version)
* 3:35 (Double Platinum version)

Label| Casablanca
Songwriter(s)| Paul Stanley, Bob Ezrin
Producer(s)| Bob Ezrin
Kiss singles chronology
| "Flaming Youth" / "God of Thunder"
(1976)  | "Detroit Rock City" / "Beth"
(1976)  | "Beth" / "Detroit Rock City"
(1976)

|
|

"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.

The song is one of the band's most popular and is a classic rock staple. It is also seen as one of the more technical songs musically in the band's canon. The song has been noted for being a duet between guitarists Stanley and Ace Frehley.

## Composition and release[edit]

The song, recorded and released as a single in 1976, was the third single from Kiss's album Destroyer and was planned to be their last in support of the album. As a single, it did poorly in sales and radio play (other than in Detroit), and failed to chart in the U.S. even though it would prove to be a fan favorite. It came as a surprise that the B-side "Beth", a ballad written and sung by drummer Peter Criss, wound up catching on in different markets in the U.S., so the single was reissued with "Beth" as the A-side and "Detroit Rock City" as the B-side.

While the song briefly references Detroit, the real-life incident which inspired the lyric evidently did not take place there. "I had the basic riff of the song, the 'Get up, get down' part," Stanley recalls, "but I didn't know what the song was about except it was about Detroit. And then I remembered on the previous tour, I think it was in Charlotte, somebody had gotten hit by a car and killed outside the arena. I remember thinking how weird it is that people's lives end so quickly. People can be on their way to something that's really a party and a celebration of being alive and die in the process of doing it. So that became the basis for the lyric."[4]

On Destroyer, the song segues into "King of the Night Time World", via the sounds of a car crash. The songs were played together on the Destroyer Tour.

On the original 7" version, the song was heavily edited; the intro was cut and the car crash ending the album version was inserted within the song itself, with the song fading out on the first bridge.

Bassist Gene Simmons wrote a notable bassline that was influenced by R&B music.[5]

During the Rock & Roll Over Tour, Stanley changed the lyric, "I know I'm gonna die, why?" to "I know I'm gonna die, and I don't care!" The song was ranked at number six on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs and is featured on the album Heavy Metal - The First 20 Years. "Detroit Rock City" was based on an earlier song that Kiss performed only in concert called "Acrobat". In 2014, Paste ranked the song number three on their list of the 20 greatest Kiss songs,[6] and in 2019, Louder Sound ranked the song number one on their list of the 40 greatest Kiss songs.[7]

## 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

## References[edit]

1. ^ "KISS - Detroit Rock City". Dutch Charts. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
2. ^ 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."
3. ^ "VH1 - 40 Greatest Metal Songs". Music Database. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
4. ^ Leaf, David and Ken Sharp, KISS: Behind the Mask - The Official Authorized Biography
5. ^ 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').""
6. ^ Lore, Mark (June 26, 2014). "The 20 Best KISS Songs". Paste. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
7. ^ "The 40 best Kiss songs of all time". Louder Sound. July 15, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2022.

* v
* t
* e

Kiss

* Paul Stanley
* Gene Simmons
* Eric Singer
* Tommy Thayer

* Ace Frehley
* Peter Criss
* Eric Carr
* Vinnie Vincent
* Mark St. John
* Bruce Kulick

Studio albums|

* Kiss
* Hotter than Hell
* Dressed to Kill
* Destroyer
* Rock and Roll Over
* Love Gun
* Dynasty
* Unmasked
* Music from "The Elder"
* Creatures of the Night
* Lick It Up
* Animalize
* Asylum
* Crazy Nights
* Hot in the Shade
* Revenge
* Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions
* Psycho Circus
* Sonic Boom
* Monster

1978 solo albums|

* Ace Frehley
* Gene Simmons
* Paul Stanley
* Peter Criss

Live albums|

* Alive!
* Alive II
* Alive III
* Kiss Unplugged
* You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best!!
* Kiss Symphony: Alive IV
* Kiss Instant Live
* Alive! The Millennium Concert
* Kiss Alive 35
* Kiss Sonic Boom Over Europe
* Kiss Rocks Vegas

Compilations|

* Double Platinum
* Killers
* Chikara
* Smashes, Thrashes & Hits
* Greatest Kiss
* The Very Best of Kiss
* The Millennium Collection: The Best of Kiss
* The Best of Kiss, Volume 2: The Millennium Collection
* Gold
* The Best of Kiss, Volume 3: The Millennium Collection
* Jigoku-Retsuden
* Kiss 40

Box sets|

* The Originals
* The Box Set
* Kiss Chronicles: 3 Classic Albums
* Kiss Alive! 1975–2000
* Ikons

Video albums|

* Animalize Live Uncensored
* Exposed
* Crazy Nights
* X-treme Close-Up
* Kiss Konfidential
* Kiss My Ass: The Video
* Kiss Unplugged
* Psycho Circus 3-D Video
* The Second Coming
* Kiss Symphony: The DVD
* Rock the Nation Live!
* Kissology Volume One: 1974–1977
* Kissology Volume Two: 1978–1991
* Kissology Volume Three: 1992–2000
* Kiss Rocks Vegas

Tribute albums|

* Hard to Believe: A Kiss Covers Compilation
* Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved
* A Tribute to the Creatures of the Night
* Kiss My Grass: A Hillbilly Tribute to Kiss
* Spin the Bottle: An All-Star Tribute to Kiss
* Gods of Thunder: A Norwegian Tribute to Kiss
* Lick It Up – A Millennium Tribute to Kiss
* Kiss My Ankh

Concert tours|

* Club Tour
* Kiss Tour
* Hotter than Hell Tour
* Dressed to Kill Tour
* Alive! Tour
* Destroyer Tour
* Rock & Roll Over Tour
* Love Gun Tour
* Alive II Tour
* Dynasty Tour
* Unmasked Tour
* Creatures of the Night Tour
* Lick It Up World Tour
* Animalize World Tour
* Asylum Tour
* Crazy Nights World Tour
* Hot in the Shade Tour
* Revenge Tour
* Kiss My Ass Tour
* Alive/Worldwide Tour
* Psycho Circus World Tour
* The Farewell Tour
* Alive 35 World Tour
* Sonic Boom Over Europe Tour
* The Hottest Show on Earth Tour
* The Tour
* Monster World Tour
* Kiss 40th Anniversary World Tour
* Freedom to Rock Tour
* Kissworld Tour
* End of the Road World Tour

Films|

* Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park
* Detroit Rock City
* Scooby-Doo! and Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery

Merchandising|

* Action figures
* Comics
* Kiss: Psycho Circus
* Pinball
* Pinball video game
* Kiss: Psycho Circus: The Nightmare Child
* Kiss Kasket
* Kiss by Monster Mini-Golf
* Los Angeles Kiss
* Bibliography

Related|

| Management|

* Bill Aucoin
* Doc McGhee

|

Songwriters|

* Bryan Adams
* Jean Beauvoir
* Michael Bolton
* Desmond Child
* Karl Cochran
* Stephen Coronel
* Sean Delaney
* Kim Fowley
* Bob Halligan Jr.
* Mikel Japp
* Holly Knight
* Bob Kulick
* Gerard McMahon
* Adam Mitchell
* Tony Powers
* Lou Reed
* Kane Roberts
* Jaime St. James
* Davitt Sigerson
* Ken Tamplin
* Bruce Turgon
* Jim Vallance
* Diane Warren

Articles|

* Discography
* Band members
* Songs
* Awards
* Kiss Army
* Operation Payback
* "Road to Europe"
* Rock School
* Gene Simmons Family Jewels
* The Elder

Bands|

* Black 'n Blue
* Black Sabbath
* Chelsea
* Eric Singer Project
* Frehley's Comet
* Grand Funk Railroad
* Mini Kiss
* Union
* Vinnie Vincent Invasion
* White Tiger
* Wicked Lester

Albums|

* Anomaly
* Asshole
* Cat #1
* Gene Simmons Vault
* Let Me Rock You
* Live to Win
* One for All
* Out of Control
* The Original Wicked Lester Sessions
* Origins Vol. 1
* Origins Vol. 2
* Rockology
* Space Invader
* Spaceman
* Trouble Walkin'
* Unfinished Business

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Kiss singles

| Kiss|

* "Nothin' to Lose"
* "Kissin' Time"
* "Strutter"

|

Hotter Than Hell|

* "Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll"

Dressed to Kill|

* "Rock and Roll All Nite"
* "C'mon and Love Me"

Alive!|

* "Rock and Roll All Nite" (Live)

Destroyer|

* "Shout It Out Loud"
* "Flaming Youth" / "God of Thunder"
* "Detroit Rock City" / "Beth"

Rock and Roll Over|

* "Hard Luck Woman"
* "Calling Dr. Love"

Love Gun|

* "Christine Sixteen"
* "Love Gun"

Alive II|

* "Shout It Out Loud" (Live)
* "Rocket Ride"

Double Platinum|

* "Strutter '78"

Solo albums|

| Gene Simmons|

* "Radioactive"

|

Ace Frehley|

* "New York Groove"

Peter Criss|

* "Don't You Let Me Down"
* "You Matter to Me"

Paul Stanley|

* "Hold Me, Touch Me (Think of Me When We're Apart)"

Dynasty|

* "I Was Made for Lovin' You"
* "Sure Know Something"

Unmasked|

* "Shandi"
* "Talk to Me" (except US)
* "Tomorrow"

Music from "The Elder"|

* "A World Without Heroes"
* "I"
* "The Oath" (Japan only)

Creatures of the Night|

* "I Love It Loud" (US)
* "Killer" (UK)
* "Creatures of the Night" (UK)

Lick It Up|

* "Lick It Up"
* "All Hell's Breakin' Loose"

Animalize|

* "Heaven's on Fire"
* "Thrills in the Night"

Asylum|

* "Tears Are Falling"
* Uh! All Night

Crazy Nights|

* "Crazy Crazy Nights"
* "Reason to Live"
* "Turn On the Night"

Smashes, Thrashes & Hits|

* "Let's Put the X in Sex"
* "(You Make Me) Rock Hard"

Hot in the Shade|

* "Hide Your Heart"
* "Forever"
* "Rise to It"

| Revenge|

* "God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II"
* "Unholy"
* "Domino"
* "I Just Wanna"
* "Every Time I Look at You"

|

Alive III|

* "I Love It Loud" (Live)

Kiss Unplugged|

* "Rock and Roll All Nite" (Unplugged)

Carnival of Souls|

* "Jungle"

Psycho Circus|

* "Psycho Circus"
* "We Are One"
* "I Finally Found My Way"
* "You Wanted the Best"

Sonic Boom|

* "Modern Day Delilah"
* "Say Yeah"
* "Never Enough"

Monster|

* "Hell or Hallelujah"
* "Long Way Down"

Best of Kiss 40|

"Yume no Ukiyo ni Saite Mi na" (with Momoiro Clover Z, Japan only)

* Category

* v
* t
* e

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

* Dicky Barrett
* Tim "Johnny Vegas" Burton
* Ben Carr
* Joe Gittleman
* Lawrence Katz
* Joe Sirois
* Chris Rhodes
* Kevin Lenear

* Nate Albert
* Dennis Brockenborough
* Josh Dalsimer
* Roman Fleysher
* Tim Bridewell

Studio albums|

* Devil's Night Out
* More Noise and Other Disturbances
* Don't Know How to Party
* Question the Answers
* Let's Face It
* Pay Attention
* A Jackknife to a Swan
* Pin Points and Gin Joints
* The Magic of Youth
* While We're at It
* When God Was Great

EPs and other releases|

* Where'd You Go?
* Ska-Core, the Devil, and More
* Live from the Middle East
* Medium Rare

Singles|

* "Detroit Rock City"
* "The Impression That I Get"
* "The Rascal King"

Discography

* v
* t
* e

Detroit Tigers

* Established in 1901
* Based in Detroit, Michigan

Franchise|

* History
* Seasons
* Records
* No-hitters
* Award winners and league leaders
* Players
* First-round draft picks
* Managers
* Coaches
* Owners and executives
* Opening Day starting pitchers

Ballparks|

* Bennett Park
* Tiger Stadium
* Comerica Park

* Spring training: Whittington Park
* Plant Field
* Bosse Field
* Henley Field
* Joker Marchant Stadium

Culture|

* Paws
* "Detroit Rock City"
* "The Bird"
* The Bird: The Life and Legacy of Mark Fidrych
* One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story
* Magnum, P.I. (reboot)
* Tiger Town
* Cobb
* For Love of the Game
* Bless You Boys
* "The Singing Hot Dog Man"
* "Roar (song)"

Lore|

* 1910 Chalmers Award
* Disco Demolition Night
* 2009 AL Central tie-breaker game
* 28-out perfect game

Rivalries|

* Chicago White Sox
* Cleveland Guardians
* Kansas City Royals
* Minnesota Twins

Important figures|

| Hall of Fame members|

* Sparky Anderson
* Ty Cobb
* Mickey Cochrane
* Sam Crawford
* Charlie Gehringer
* Hank Greenberg
* Harry Heilmann
* Hughie Jennings
* Al Kaline
* George Kell
* Heinie Manush
* Jack Morris
* Hal Newhouser
* Alan Trammell

|

Ford C. Frick Award recipient|

* Ernie Harwell

BBWAA Career Excellence Award recipients|

* Joe Falls
* Tom Gage
* H. G. Salsinger

Minor league affiliates|

* Player overview
* Triple-A: Toledo Mud Hens
* Double-A: Erie SeaWolves
* High-A: West Michigan Whitecaps
* Single-A: Lakeland Flying Tigers
* Rookie: FCL Tigers
* DSL Tigers 1
* DSL Tigers 2

Key personnel|

* Owner: Christopher Ilitch
* President of baseball operations: Scott Harris
* General Manager: Vacant
* Manager: A. J. Hinch

World Series
championships (4)|

* 1935
* 1945
* 1968
* 1984

American League pennants (11)|

* American League: 1907
* 1908
* 1909
* 1934
* 1935
* 1940
* 1945
* 1968
* 1984
* 2006
* 2012

Division titles (7)|

* East: 1972
* 1984
* 1987
* Central: 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014

Wild card berths (1)|

* 2006

Broadcasters|

* TV: Bally Sports Detroit
* Matt Shepard
* Kirk Gibson
* Jack Morris
* Radio: Detroit Tigers Radio Network
* WXYT-FM
* Dan Dickerson
* Jim Price
* History: List of Detroit Tigers broadcasters

Seasons (122)

1900s|

· 1900 1901 · 1902 · 1903 · 1904 · 1905 · 1906 · 1907 · 1908 · 1909

1910s|

* 1910
* 1911
* 1912
* 1913
* 1914
* 1915
* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
* 1919

1920s|

* 1920
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929

1930s|

* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939

1940s|

* 1940
* 1941
* 1942
* 1943
* 1944
* 1945
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949

1950s|

* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959

1960s|

* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969

1970s|

* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979

1980s|

* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989

1990s|

* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999

2000s|

* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009

2010s|

* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019

2020s|

* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023

Authority control |

* MusicBrainz work

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