Edward Pevos | M Live
DETROIT, MI – It’s a rock anthem for Detroit. We talked to Kiss singer/songwriter and guitarist Paul Stanley about how he came to write “Detroit Rock City.”
Stanley and Gene Simmons are the two remaining original members of the Rock and Roll Hall of fame band.
Upcoming Kiss concerts:
Grand Rapids at Van Andel Arena on Saturday, August 13 at 8pm.
Saginaw at the Dow Events Center on Monday, August 15 at 7:30pm.
Toledo at the Huntington Center on Wednesday, August 24 at 7:30pm.
About “Detroit Rock City:”
Stanley co-wrote the song which was featured on the band’s 1976 album “Destroyer.” The song did not chart in the U.S., but was popular in Detroit. The b-side, “Beth,” ended up becoming a hit instead. The band reissued the single with “Beth” as the a-side.
Stanley told me the song is not only about Detroit, but about a Kiss fan who died in a car crash on his way to a Kiss concert.
“There had been an accident outside of an arena in Charlotte. Someone was killed coming to the concert. I thought, how odd and how striking and the juxtaposition of someone coming to a Kiss concert, which celebrates being alive, to lose your life. That was the twist of “Detroit Rock City.” To change it from a song about your amazing city to something much more epic.”
Stanley says Detroit embraced Kiss before anyone else did.
“While we were still an opening back on a three act bill, we were headlining in Detroit. The city embraced us. We were met with open arms and legs. Detroit always understood what we were about. There was a point of view and embracing of rock and roll that saw us taken in with a hospitality that we hadn’t seen yet anywhere else.”
Stanley then decided to write a song about Detroit.
“I had heard a few songs about cities, and I thought, well, Detroit is as good as it gets. So, I thought of “Detroit Rock City.” The first thing that came was the chorus: ‘Get up! Get down! You gotta lose your mind in Detroit Rock City.'”
“Then when the lyrics started, we were trying to push ourselves on ‘Destroyer,’ and step out of the box on the kind of songs we’d been singing before.”
Stanley says he enjoys playing “Detroit Rock City” at each show on tour.