Ace Frehley brings an electrifying presence to KISS not just as lead guitarist for KISS, but also as a songwriter. Known as The Spaceman of the group, Frehley is behind some of the band’s most beloved tracks. Check out three songs you didn’t know he wrote for KISS.
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1. “Cold Gin”
Frehley wrote a hit for the band right off the bat with “Cold Gin.” Featured on KISS’ 1974 self-titled debut album, “Cold Gin” follows a man drowning his sorrows in the potent liquor. In the KISS: Behind the Mask – Official Authorized Biography, Frehley reveals that he wrote the song in his head while on the subway. “When I think back and I listen to the original recording of ‘Cold Gin’ it’s so slow and so dry, there’s no ambiance to it,” Frehley described. “I would like to re-record ‘Cold Gin’ with today’s equipment.” However, bandmate Gene Simmons states in the book that he wrote the bridge and middle section of the song while Paul Stanley helped arrange it, despite Frehley getting sole credit.
2. “Flaming Youth”
Frehley teamed up with bandmates Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, along with hit producer Bob Ezrin, to pen KISS’ 1976 single, “Flaming Youth.” Simmons claims that the song was inspired by the band Flaming Youth whom KISS opened for in 1973 and Ezrin ran with the band name as the title of the song. One of the main guitar riffs was pulled from another song Simmons wrote called “Mad Dog” which wouldn’t see the light of day until 25 years later on the 2001 compilation, The Box Set.
[RELATED: The 20 Best Ace Frehley Quotes]
3. “Shock Me”
“Shock Me” isn’t merely the title of this KISS hit, it was inspired by a real-life shocking incident Frehley experienced at a KISS show in 1976. “I got electrocuted in Florida and I survived,” Frehley describes in Behind the Mask. “The guys said, ‘Why don’t you write a song about getting electrocuted? And I came up with ‘Shock Me.’ I knew it was definitely a good riff.” Typical for a KISS song, the lyrics are chock full of sexual innuendos, with “Shock Me” marking the first time Frehley sang lead on a KISS song.
“Isn’t every Kiss song about sex?” he told Songfacts. “What Kiss song isn’t about sex? Sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll. Yeah, obviously, there was a lot of crazy partying going on behind the scenes, and we drew from our experiences when we wrote lyrics.” Widely regarded as one of the best KISS songs, “Shock Me” was featured on their 1977 album Love Gun, which became their first to reach the Top 5 on the Billboard 200.
Photo by Richard Creamer/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
