"
Detroit Rock City" is a song by the
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hard rock group
KissKiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in December 1972. Easily identified by its members' trademark face paint and stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid and late-1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
featured on their
1976-January-February:* January 5 - Bob Dylan releases Desire.* January 6 - Peter Frampton releases Frampton Comes Alive!* January 7 - Kenneth Moss, a former record company executive, is sentenced to 120 days in the Los Angeles County Jail and four years probation for involuntary manslaughter in the...
album,
Destroyer. The song was written by
Paul StanleyStanley Harvey Eisen , better known by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American hard rock guitarist, actor, and singer, who is one of the two lead vocalists for the rock band Kiss...
and
Bob EzrinRobert Alan "Bob" Ezrin is a Canadian record producer, known for his work with artists including Alice Cooper, Kiss and Pink Floyd...
and is about a real Kiss fan who was killed in a car accident on his way to a Kiss concert 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
DetroitDetroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwest region of the United States. Located north of Windsor, Ontario, Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada. It was founded...
), and failed to chart in the U.S.
"
Detroit Rock City" is a song by the
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hard rock group
KissKiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in December 1972. Easily identified by its members' trademark face paint and stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid and late-1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
featured on their
1976-January-February:* January 5 - Bob Dylan releases Desire.* January 6 - Peter Frampton releases Frampton Comes Alive!* January 7 - Kenneth Moss, a former record company executive, is sentenced to 120 days in the Los Angeles County Jail and four years probation for involuntary manslaughter in the...
album,
Destroyer. The song was written by
Paul StanleyStanley Harvey Eisen , better known by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American hard rock guitarist, actor, and singer, who is one of the two lead vocalists for the rock band Kiss...
and
Bob EzrinRobert Alan "Bob" Ezrin is a Canadian record producer, known for his work with artists including Alice Cooper, Kiss and Pink Floyd...
and is about a real Kiss fan who was killed in a car accident on his way to a Kiss concert 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
DetroitDetroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwest region of the United States. Located north of Windsor, Ontario, Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada. It was founded...
), 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"Beth" is a song by Kiss, originally released on their 1976 album, Destroyer. To date, it is their highest-charting single, reaching #7 on Billboard's American charts...
", a ballad sung by drummer
Peter CrissGeorge Peter John Criscuola , better known as Peter Criss, is an American musician best known as the original drummer for the rock band Kiss...
, wound up catching on in different markets in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, so the single was reissued with "Beth" as the A-side and "Detroit Rock City" as the B-side.
During the
Love Gun/
Alive II 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 #6 on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs, and is featured on the album
Heavy Metal – The First 20 Years which was released on July 25, 2006.
The song's title was used for a
1999 motion pictureDetroit Rock City is a 1999 cult film about four teenagers in a Kiss cover band who try to see their idols in Detroit in 1978. It takes its title from the Kiss song of the same name. The movie bombed at the box office, grossing fewer than five million dollars domestically, and it disappeared from...
in which a group of teenage Kiss fans travel to
DetroitDetroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwest region of the United States. Located north of Windsor, Ontario, Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada. It was founded...
to see the band in 1978.
The
Detroit TigersThe Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team based in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in . The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant 10 times...
often use the song when the team takes the field at the beginning of the game. The song is also used on various radio and television broadcasts of games, especially (on the radio) before the start of the final half-inning of a game. The
Detroit Red WingsThe Detroit Red Wings is a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL....
play the tune right before the first face-off of a game.
The song was tributed as a fictional venue - The Rock City Theater, located in
Detroit, MichiganDetroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwest region of the United States. Located north of Windsor, Ontario, Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada. It was founded...
- in the music video game
Guitar Hero IIGuitar Hero II is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane. It is the second installment in the Guitar Hero series and is the sequel to Guitar Hero...
. It is also featured in the video game
Rock Band, in which the master track is used - however, the first solo appears extended, and the ending ("Get up!/Everybody's gonna leave their seats/Get down!") was cut off the song. Kiss also played the song on an episode of
Gene Simmons Family JewelsGene Simmons Family Jewels is an American reality television series that premiered on A&E on August 7, 2006. The show follows the life of KISS bassist and vocalist Gene Simmons, his longtime partner Shannon Tweed, and their two children, Nick and Sophie...
. It is also playable on
Rock RevolutionRock Revolution is a music video game developed by Zoë Mode and HB Studios and published by Konami. It was first revealed on May 15, 2008, and released on October 15, 2008 for the Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360...
. The
Rock Band version of the song appears in the new film
Paul Blart: Mall Cop in a scene where Blart (played by Kevin James) is playing the song on
Rock Band in an arcade while thugs led by a man named Veck, who is posing as a mall cop, hold the place hostage. It is also played in the 2008 movie
Role ModelsRole Models is a American comedy film directed by David Wain about two energy drink salesmen who are ordered to perform 150 hours of community service as punishment for various offenses. For their service, the two men work at a program designed to pair kids with adult role models. The film stars...
when the main characters arrive at a fantasy role playing festival. The song will also be playable for the
upcoming video gamesThe 2009 releases of Dance Dance Revolution are upcoming cross-platform music video games by Konami. Although originally all versions were announced under the working title of just Dance Dance Revolution at E3, the PlayStation 2 and Wii versions were re-branded as sequels to the DDR titles for...
for
Dance Dance RevolutionDance Dance Revolution, abbreviated DDR, and previously known as Dancing Stage in Europe and Australasia, is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, Dance Dance Revolution is the...
.
Other versions
"Detroit Rock City" was covered by a ska-core band
The Mighty Mighty BosstonesThe Mighty Mighty Bosstones are an American third wave ska band from Boston, Massachusetts.Formed in 1983, the Bosstones are credited with the creation of the ska-core genre, a form of music that mixes elements of third wave ska and hardcore punk...
on a Kiss tribute album
Kiss My AssKiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved is a 1994 tribute album, featuring a variety of artists covering songs by the American rock band Kiss. Released to coincide with Kiss' 20th anniversary, the album was certified gold by the RIAA, and spent thirteen weeks on the charts."Hard Luck Woman" was...
. It has also been covered by
Hayseed DixieHayseed Dixie is an American band which began in the Fall of 2000 with the release of their first album, A Hillbilly Tribute to AC/DC. The band performs a mixture of cover versions of hard rock songs and original compositions in a style that is a cross between bluegrass and rock music...
on their album
Let There Be Rockgrass. It was also covered by the retro-swing band Alien Fashion Show in 1998, producing the single "Detroit Swing City." On New Years' Eve 1999, at a concert at the
Pontiac SilverdomeThe Pontiac Silverdome is a domed stadium located in the city of Pontiac, Michigan. It hosted the Detroit Lions of the NFL from 1975–2001, the Detroit Pistons of the NBA from 1978–1988, the Michigan Panthers of the USFL from 1983–1984, the college football Cherry Bowl in 1984 and 1985 and Motor...
,
MetallicaMetallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1981. Founded when drummer Lars Ulrich posted an advertisement in a local newspaper, Metallica's line-up has primarily consisted of Ulrich, rhythm guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield, and lead guitarist Kirk...
,
Kid RockRobert James Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter with five Grammy Award nominations...
,
SevendustSevendust is an American metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. They were originally signed to TVT Records, but then released their fifth album with Winedark Records in the US, and Roadrunner Records overseas. Currently, they are signed to their own label 7 Bros...
and
Ted NugentTheodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American hard rock guitarist and vocalist from Detroit, Michigan. He originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes...
collaborated on a cover. The power metal band
HammerFallHammerFall is a heavy metal/power metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden. The band was formed in 1993 by ex-Ceremonial Oath's guitarist Oscar Dronjak.- Early days :...
covered it on its album
Crimson ThunderCrimson Thunder is the fourth studio release by Swedish metal band HammerFall. It was the first album the band worked with producer Charlie Bauerfeind on.The cover art is made by Samwise who is best known for his Warcraft concept arts....
as a
bonus trackIn terms of recorded music, a bonus track is a piece of music which has been included on specific releases or reissues of an album. This is most often done as a promotional device, either as an incentive to customers to purchase albums they might otherwise not, or to repurchase albums they already...
. Also Covered by Canadian
cover bandA cover band , also called tribute band is a band that plays mostly or exclusively cover songs. New or unknown bands often find the cover band format marketable for smaller gigs, and these bands may be know as a wedding band, party band and function band. Many bands, however, start as cover bands...
Sweet Siren.
Ska punkSka punk is a fusion music genre that combines ska and punk rock. Ska punk achieved its greatest popularity in the United States in the late 1990s, although there has also been a following worldwide...
band
Less than JakeLess Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida. Originally formed in 1992 as a power pop trio, the band evolved into a hybrid of ska punk. Less Than Jake have also been cited as showing influences from a wide variety of genres including post-grunge, alternative rock, third...
made their own recording and single entitled "Gainsville Rock City". The song is their hometown anthem and makes two references towards "Detroit Rock City". One of course being the title and the other is the intro which is the sound of a person entering his car and inserting his key into the ignition then starts the car. The main riff was covered by Japanese band
GO!GO!7188GO!GO!7188 , also known simply as Gogo, is a Japanese rock band with influences spanning from surf rock to punk rock to enka. The band was formed in June of 1998 by Yumi Nakashima and Akiko Noma , both alumnae of the same year at Shoyo High School in Kagoshima, Kyūshū...
for their cover of "Kazari Janai no yo Namida wa" (originally by
Akina Nakamoriis a Japanese pop singer and actress. She was one of the most popular singers of the 1980s in Japan. She is known for her deep, power-house voice.- Beginning :Akina made her debut in 1982 with the single Slow Motion...
) on their cover album album,
Tora no Ana 2.
Alternative rockAlternative rock is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s...
band
Bullet LaVoltaBullet LaVolta was an alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts that was originally formed in January 1987 by four college disk jockeys: Clay Tarver , Bill Whelan , Corey "Loog" Brennan and Chris "Cruster" Guttmacher . The band later added singer Yukkie Gipe after he responded to an...
also covered the song on their 1990 EP
Gimme Danger, this version also appears on
Hard to Believe: Kiss Covers CompilationHard to Believe: Kiss Covers Compilation is a Kiss tribute album with all of the tracks performed by underground, independent, punk bands of the late 1980s. The one band featured on this album that would continue on to greater success is Nirvana...
. Former
Twisted SisterTwisted Sister is an American heavy metal band from New York City. Their work fuses the shock tactics of Alice Cooper, the rebellious mood of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, and the extravagant image of glam rock bands such as New York Dolls notably for the makeup...
lead singer
Dee SniderDavid Daniel "Dee" Snider is an American singer-songwriter, screenwriter, radio personality, and actor. Snider is most famous for his role as the frontman of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister...
also covers the song on the Kiss tribute album
Spin the BottleSpin the Bottle - An All-Star Tribute to Kiss is a 2004 tribute album, featuring a variety of artists covering songs by the American rock band Kiss...
.
Personnel
- Paul Stanley
Stanley Harvey Eisen , better known by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American hard rock guitarist, actor, and singer, who is one of the two lead vocalists for the rock band Kiss...
- lead vocals/rhythm guitar
- Ace Frehley
Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley is an American guitarist best known as an original member and lead guitarist for the rock band Kiss. He took on the persona of "The Spaceman" when the band adopted costumes and theatrics...
- lead guitar
- Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli American rock bassist, vocalist, and actor. He is best known as "The Demon", the blood-spitting, fire-breathing, and tongue-wagging bassist and one of the lead vocalists in the hard rock band Kiss, an act he co-founded in the early 1970s...
- bass guitar/backing vocals
- Peter Criss
George Peter John Criscuola , better known as Peter Criss, is an American musician best known as the original drummer for the rock band Kiss...
- drums