- Deuce (song)
-
"Deuce" Song by Kiss from the album Kiss Released February 8, 1974 Recorded Bell Sound Studios
New York City
October – November 1973Genre Hard rock, heavy metal Length 3:08 Label Casablanca Records Writer Gene Simmons Producer Kenny Kerner, Richie Wise Kiss track listing - "Strutter"
- "Nothin' to Lose"
- "Firehouse"
- "Cold Gin"
- "Let Me Know"
- "Kissin' Time"
- "Deuce"
- "Love Theme from KISS"
- "100,000 Years"
- "Black Diamond"
"Deuce" is a song written by Kiss bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons that first appeared on Kiss' eponymous 1974 debut album. In addition to being one of the band's most popular and most-covered songs, "Deuce" is a traditional concert opener. The song was performed on almost every tour to date, and has appeared on many Kiss' live and compilation albums, as well on Ace Frehley's.Although "Deuce" is not as instantly recognizable to casual Kiss fans as some of their other tracks (most notably "Rock n' Roll All Nite," "Detroit Rock City," etc.), it is undoubtedly a classic amongst the legion of Kiss fans. First appearing on their 1974 self-titled debut, the song's high energy made it an early concert opener for the band. Penned by bassist Gene Simmons, its memorable rolling riff was based on the Rolling Stones' 1971 rocker "Bitch" (off Sticky Fingers); Simmons admitted playing it backwards and putting his own variation on it. While such lyrics as "Get up and get your grandma out of here" and "You know your man is working hard, he's worth a deuce" are integral to the song, even Simmons has stated that he's not sure what the song's lyrics mean. Still, the song took on a new life on stage (just check out the great version on their 1975 breakthrough Alive!), and although it disappeared from their concert set list for nearly ten years, it returned in the late '80s, and has remained a staple of Kiss concerts ever since. The song was also remade as a funk rocker when Lenny Kravitz recorded it in the mid-'90s for the Kiss tribute album, Kiss My Ass.
Contents
Background
According to Gene Simmons, he simply copped the bassline of The Rolling Stones' "Bitch" and played it more or less backwards. The entire song was written nearly linearly; the riff came first, then the bridge, then finally the chorus. While uncredited, Paul Stanley provided the lightly phased intro riff, inspired by The Raspberries' "Go All The Way".[1]
"Deuce" also has special significance for Ace Frehley, who calls it his favorite Kiss song. "When I auditioned for Kiss", recalls Frehley, "they said, 'We're going to play you a song for you to listen to, and then try playing along — it's in the key of 'A'. They played ["Deuce"] as a three-piece. I thought, 'That's easy enough,' so I got up and wailed for four minutes playing lead work over it.".[2]
Gene Simmons stated in reference to the song "Lyrically, I had no idea what I was talking about. Sometimes stuff means a lot, sometimes it means nothing."
"Deuce" was a popular street term in the late 1960s and early 1970s (around the time in which this song was written), meaning a blowjob for $20.00.On July 28, 2009, a live version was released along with "100,000 Years" (Live) and "Parasite" (Live) in the Kiss 01 track pack for Rock Band 2.
Live performances
The song was performed during the first tours, mostly as the opener. It was dropped from the setlist for the Rock & Roll Over Tour and wasn't performed regularly in the USA until the Hot in the Shade Tour in 1990. It was played in some one-off shows in the USA in 1988 as well as the European Crazy Nights Tour in 1988. Gene Simmons said that at the band's first tours, after they did the usual setlist and encore, they didn't have any more songs to play so they played "Deuce" again.[3]
Covers
- The Hellmenn on the Kiss tribute Hard to Believe: Kiss Covers Compilation, 1991
- Lenny Kravitz (featuring Stevie Wonder) on Kiss My Ass, 1994
- Bathory on Octagon, 1995
- Ace Frehley on 12 Picks, 1997
- Overkill on Coverkill, 1999
- Extrema on "Pound For Pound, 2009.
Appearances
"Deuce" has appeared on following Kiss albums:
- Kiss - studio version
- Alive! - live version
- The Originals - studio version
- Double Platinum - studio version
- Smashes, Thrashes & Hits - studio version
- Greatest Kiss - studio version
- The Box Set - demo version
- The Very Best of Kiss - studio version
- Kiss Symphony: Alive IV - live version
- The Best of Kiss: The Millennium Collection - studio version
- Kiss Instant Live - live version
- Gold - studio version
- Kiss Chronicles: 3 Classic Albums - studio version
- Kiss Alive! 1975–2000 - Alive! version
- Kiss Alive 35 - live version
- Ikons - studio version
- Jigoku-Retsuden - re-recorded version
- Kiss Sonic Boom Over Europe - live version
Personnel
KISS, Alive! and Alive! The Millenium Concert personnel
- Gene Simmons - bass guitar, lead vocals
- Paul Stanley - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Peter Criss - drums, backing vocals
- Ace Frehley - lead guitar
Alive III personnel
- Gene Simmons - bass guitar, lead vocals
- Paul Stanley - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Eric Singer - drums, backing vocals
- Bruce Kulick - lead guitar
KISS Symphony: Alive IV personnel
- Gene Simmons - bass guitar, lead vocals
- Paul Stanley - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Peter Criss - drums, backing vocals
- Tommy Thayer - lead guitar
KISS Instant Live, KISS Alive 35, KISS Sonic Boom Over Europe and Jigoku-Retsuden personnel
- Gene Simmons - bass guitar, lead vocals
- Paul Stanley - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Eric Singer - drums, backing vocals
- Tommy Thayer - lead guitar
External links
- ^ Simmons, Gene and Stanley, Paul. The KISS Box Set liner notes, The Island Def Jam Music Group, 2001
- ^ Frehley, Ace. The KISS Box Set liner notes, The Island Def Jam Music Group, 2001
- ^ Kiss - Deuce SongFacts. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
External links
Categories:- Kiss (band) songs
- 1974 songs
- Songs written by Gene Simmons
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
