"Deuce"
Song by Kiss
from the album Kiss
ReleasedFebruary 8, 1974
RecordedOctober – November 1973
StudioBell Sound (New York City)
GenreHard rock
Length3:08
LabelCasablanca
Songwriter(s)Gene Simmons
Producer(s)
  • Kenny Kerner
  • Richie Wise
Kiss track listing
10 tracks
  1. "Strutter"
  2. "Nothin' to Lose"
  3. "Firehouse"
  4. "Cold Gin"
  5. "Let Me Know"
  6. "Kissin' Time"
  7. "Deuce"
  8. "Love Theme from KISS"
  9. "100,000 Years"
  10. "Black Diamond"

"Deuce" is a song by the American hard rock band Kiss, written by bassist and vocalist Gene Simmons. The song 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 has appeared on many Kiss live and compilation albums.

Background

According to Gene Simmons, he simply copied the bassline of the Rolling Stones' "Bitch" and played it more or less backwards. "I wrote 'Deuce' on the bass," he said, "so the guitars ended up shadowing the bass line or variations of it in different octaves".[1]

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".[2] "It's an integral part of the song," he observed, "but should I get credit for that? I don't think so".[3]

"Deuce" also has special significance for Ace Frehley, as it was the first song he ever played with Kiss. "When I auditioned for Kiss", recalled 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". Frehley has also stated that Deuce is his favorite Kiss song[4][5]

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".[6][7]

On July 28, 2009, a live version was released (along with live versions of "100,000 Years" and "Parasite") in the Kiss 01 track pack for Rock Band 2.

Live performances

The song was performed during the first Kiss tours, mostly as the opener. It was dropped from the setlist for the Rock and Roll Over Tour and was not performed regularly in the USA until the Hot in the Shade Tour in 1990. After 1976, it was not played again until a show in Evansville, Indiana, in January 1978. It was played in some one-off shows in the US in 1988 as well as the European Crazy Nights Tour in 1988. Simmons has said that during the band's first tours, after they did the usual setlist and encore, they did not have any more songs to play so they played "Deuce" again.[8]

Reception

"Deuce" is widely considered one of Kiss's best songs. In 2014, Paste ranked the song number one on their list of the 20 greatest Kiss songs,[9] and in 2019, Louder Sound ranked the song number two on their list of the 40 greatest Kiss songs.[10]

Appearances

"Deuce" has appeared on the following Kiss albums:

Personnel

Kiss, Alive! and Alive! The Millennium Concert personnel

Alive III personnel

  • Gene Simmons – bass guitar, lead vocals
  • Paul Stanley – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
  • Eric Singer – drums
  • Bruce Kulick – lead guitar

Kiss Symphony: Alive IV personnel

  • Gene Simmons – bass guitar, lead vocals
  • Paul Stanley – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
  • Peter Criss – drums
  • 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
  • Tommy Thayer – lead guitar

A tribute nod to the "worth a deuce" lyric and signature guitar riff is briefly featured on the 1976 single "Muff Divin'" by Indiana punk band The Gizmos.

References

  1. ↑ Kitts, Jeff: 'Back in black (and white)', Guitar World, September 1996, p79
  2. ↑ Simmons, Gene and Stanley, Paul. The KISS Box Setes, The Island Def Jam Music Group, 2001
  3. ↑ Kitts, Jeff: 'Back in black (and white)', Guitar World, September 1996, p79
  4. ↑ Frehley, Ace. The KISS Box Set liner notes, The Island Def Jam Music Group, 2001
  5. ↑ "- YouTube". YouTube.
  6. ↑ "Deuce by Kiss". SongFacts. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  7. ↑ Thompson, Dave (2011). 1000 Songs That Rock Your World. kp / fw media. ISBN 9781440218996.
  8. ↑ Kiss - Deuce SongFacts. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  9. ↑ Lore, Mark (June 26, 2014). "The 20 Best KISS Songs". Paste. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  10. ↑ "The 40 best Kiss songs of all time". Louder Sound. July 15, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
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