My Sunday Song – “Detroit Rock City” by Kiss

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic

For My Sunday Song #76, I bring you the Kiss classic, “Detroit Rock City”.  The song was the opening track to the album ‘Destoyer’ and it was also the third single in support of the album.  However, the song never charted due to the little B-Side on the back called “Beth” (which is a story for another time).

A fan favorite and still played at shows today, “Detroit Rock City has become one of the band’s most recognizable songs behind “Rock & Roll All Nite”.  The song was so popular, there was even a movie made called “Detroit Rock City” that Kiss actually appeared in.

The song does mention Detroit, but is really about a young fan that is killed why he was on his way to a Kiss concert.  The story is based of an actual event that occurred outside a Kiss concert in Charlotte where a fan was hit by a car and killed outside the arena.  Knowing it is based a real life event adds a little extra to the impact of the song.

The song opens with a radio broadcast (the broadcaster is played by Gene Simmons) of the death of a driver killed in a car crash then seques in to the young man getting into his car and heading to the concert playing Kiss’s “Rock & Roll All Nite” on the radio.  During the song, you go back and forth between the song and hearing the car drive down the road getting closer to the show.  The song ends with the car crashing and immediately goes into the next song on the album “King of the Night Time World”.

The song was so different than anything they had done prior, musically and lyrically.  They took a chance shaking things up a bit and it worked.  The song has a great guitar riff, a great solo, some cool drum parts and even a sweet little bass line.  The song has everything going for it.  It will always be one of my favorite Kiss songs and it is one of the best opening tracks they have on any of their albums.

Give it a listen and enjoy!  Happy Sunday!!

“Detroit Rock City”

I feel uptight on a Saturday night
Nine o’ clock, the radio’s the only light
I hear my song and it pulls me through
Comes on strong, tells me what I gotta do
I got to…

Get up!
Everybody’s gonna move their feet
Get down!
Everybody’s gonna leave their seat

You gotta lose your mind in Detroit, Rock City

Get up!
Everybody’s gonna move their feet
Get down!
Everybody’s gonna leave their seat

Getting late
I just can’t wait
Ten o’clock and I know I gotta hit the road
First I drink, then I smoke
Start up the car, and I try to make the midnight show

Get up!
Everybody’s gonna move their feet
Get down!
Everybody’s gonna leave their seat

Movin’ fast, doin’ 95
Hit top speed but I’m still movin’ much too slow
I feel so good, I’m so alive
I hear my song playin’ on the radio
It goes

Get up!
Everybody’s gonna move their feet
Get down!
Everybody’s gonna leave their seat

You gotta lose your mind in Detroit, Rock City

Twelve o’clock, I gotta rock
There’s a truck ahead, lights starin’ at my eyes
Oh my God!
No time to turn
I got to laugh ’cause I know I’m gonna die
Why?

Get up!
Everybody’s gonna move their feet
Get down!

Get up!
Everybody’s gonna leave their seat
Get down!

Written by Paul Stanley and Bob Ezrin

17 thoughts on “My Sunday Song – “Detroit Rock City” by Kiss”

  2. This song is such an epic piece of hard rock history. It’s like it’s vital for all heavy rock fans to know it. And I really enjoyed your write up, sometimes we hear a song so much we stop listening. I for one did not know it was inspired by a real event. That is a heck of thing to learn about a song you’ve known 30 years. Another interesting aspect to it is that since it’s release there have been so many tribute intros on other bands songs. I can think of 4 or five off the top of my head where you hear the car keys, the humming the radio the engine.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

Leave a comment