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"Detroit Rock City"
Single by Kiss
from the album Destroyer
A-side	"Beth"
Released	July 28, 1976 (1976-07-28)
Recorded	1976
Studio	Record Plant, New York City
Genre	Hard rock heavy metal
Length	5:17 (album version) 2:58 (single version) 3:35 (Double Platinum version) 3:45 (Smashes, Thrashes & Hits 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.

Background

"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."

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.

Bassist Gene Simmons played an R&B-influenced bassline, which he considered a departure from his usual style.

In 2014, Paste ranked the song number three on their list of the 20 greatest Kiss songs, and in 2019, Louder Sound ranked the song number one on their list of the 40 greatest Kiss songs.

Personnel

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

References

1. "KISS - Detroit Rock City". Dutch Charts. Retrieved July 28, 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. 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.
6. 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')."
7. Lore, Mark (June 26, 2014). "The 20 Best KISS Songs". Paste. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
8. "The 40 best Kiss songs of all time". Louder Sound. July 15, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
9. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4356b." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 20, 2024.

• Kiss (band) songs
• 1976 singles
• Songs inspired by deaths
• Songs written by Paul Stanley
• Songs written by Bob Ezrin
• Casablanca Records singles
• Song recordings produced by Bob Ezrin
• The Mighty Mighty Bosstones songs
• Songs about Detroit
• Songs about rock music