"Shock Me" is a song by American heavy metal band Kiss, which first appeared on their 1977 album ''

Love Gun ''Love Gun'' is the sixth studio album by American hard rock band Kiss, released on June 30, 1977. Casablanca Records and FilmWorks shipped one million copies of the album on this date. It was certified platinum and became the band's first top ...

''. It was written by lead guitarist Ace Frehley, who made his lead vocal debut. The song was inspired by an event that took place during Kiss' ''Rock and Roll Over'' tour, when he was nearly electrocuted. It was ranked #50 in ''Guitar World'' magazine's "100 Greatest Guitar Solos Ever".

Background

On December 12, 1976, Kiss performed a concert at the Lakeland Civic Center in Lakeland, Florida. During the opening number, Frehley touched a metal staircase railing, which was ungrounded. He was knocked to the ground, and the concert was delayed for 30 minutes. The show was eventually completed, and Frehley claimed to have lost feeling in his hand for the remainder of the concert.Gooch, Curt and Jeff Suhs. ''KISS Alive Forever: The Complete Touring History'', Billboard Books, 2002. Frehley presented "Shock Me" to Kiss in completed form. According to

Gene Simmons Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; he, חיים ויץ, ; born August 25, 1949) is an Israeli-American musician. Also known by his stage persona The Demon, he is the bassist and co-lead singer of Kiss, the hard rock band he co-founded with Paul ...

, the rest of the band was not involved in the song's arrangement. Although Frehley had written a number of Kiss songs previously, this was his first time performing lead vocals. The song has since become his "theme song" for the band. Frehley, who was insecure about his singing, recorded his vocals while lying on the floor.Gill, Julian. ''The KISS Album Focus, Volume 1 (3rd Edition)''. Xlibris Corporation, 2005.

Live history

"Shock Me" was added to Kiss' setlist starting with the

Love Gun Tour The Love Gun Tour was a concert tour by Kiss, in support of ''Love Gun''. History This was the first tour where Ace Frehley sang lead vocals, on " Shock Me". The three Los Angeles shows were recorded for ''Alive II''. This is the only tour to ...

. Frehley's guitar solo, previously performed during "She" and then "Cold Gin", was added to the song. The song was dropped from the setlist after the 1977–78 '' Alive II'' tour. Kiss did not perform the song again until Frehley returned to the group for their 1996–97 ''Alive/Worldwide Tour''. It remained in the group's setlist during the Psycho Circus World Tour, although Frehley's guitar solo was moved to "Into the Void". Since Frehley's departure, Kiss continued to perform the song live with Tommy Thayer on lead vocals until it was dropped from the setlist in 2012 in favor of his song, "Outta This World".

Reception

"Shock Me" is widely considered one of Kiss's best songs. In 2014, ''

Paste Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to: Science and technology * Adhesive or paste ** Wallpaper paste ** Wheatpaste, A liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water * Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves a ...

'' ranked the song number ten on their list of the 20 greatest Kiss songs, and in 2019, '' Louder Sound'' ranked the song number seven on their list of the 40 greatest Kiss songs.

Appearances

Kiss

*''

'' (1977) *'' Alive II'' (1977) *'' The Box Set'' (2001) *'' Gold'' (2005) *''

Ikons ''Kiss Ikons'' is a four- CD box set featuring material recorded by the original members of the American hard rock band Kiss. It was released in 2008 by Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and refe ...

'' (2008)

Cover versions

* Acid Drinkers - '' Are You a Rebel?'' (1990) - retitled "Fuck Me", a bonus live track on the 2008 re-release * Red House Painters – ''

Shock Me EP ''Shock Me'' is an EP by American slowcore band Red House Painters. It was released in the UK only in 1994 on CD and 12" vinyl by record label 4AD. Recording ''Shock Me'' was recorded and mixed at Coast Recorders, San Francisco in 1993. Addi ...

'' (1994); ''

Retrospective A retrospective (from Latin ''retrospectare'', "look back"), generally, is a look back at events that took place, or works that were produced, in the past. As a noun, ''retrospective'' has specific meanings in medicine, software development, popu ...

'' (1999)

Personnel

* Ace Frehley – lead vocals, all guitars, bass * Peter Criss – drums, percussion, backing vocals * Paul Stanley – backing vocals

Notes and references

Lead, rhythm, and bass guitar performed by Ace Frehley

External links

Lyrics at Rock Magic
{{Authority control Kiss (band) songs 1977 songs Songs written by Ace Frehley Songs based on actual events