The top 10 Kiss songs, ranked

17 October 2025, 13:37

By Mayer Nissim

In memory of Ace Frehley, we round up the very best songs by New York City rockers Kiss.

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With their makeup, OTT approach to merchandising, massive solos and Gene Simmons's even more massive tongue, Kiss were always easy to mock but crucially hard to ignore.

All of the above would have been meaningless if they didn't have the songs to back it up, but they absolutely did.

Kiss released 20 albums, from their self-titled debut in 1974 to their swansong Monster in 2012. They continued to tour until their final split in 2023.

Bassist and joint frontman Gene Simmons and rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley were ever-presents in the band, while founding drummer Peter Criss had three separate stints in the band.

Lead guitarist Ace Frehley left the group in 1982 amid musical and personal differences, though he returned from 1996 to 2002. In October 2025, Ace sadly died a few days after suffering a fall. He was 74.

In celebration of Ace's amazing life and work, and that of all of Kiss, below we round up their biggest and best songs.

Beth

KISS Beth official KISS video with remastered audio

Written by drummer Peter Criss with Stan Penridge and producer Bob Ezrin, 'Beth' was proof positive that Kiss could do proper balladry as well as the heavy stuff.
It actually came out originally as the flip of 'Detroit Rock City' but earned A-side status in August 1976 and is still their biggest US chart hit, going to number 7 on the top 100.
Christine Sixteen

Kiss - Christine Sixteen, Largo, 1977

Taken from 1977 album Love Gun (the Spinal Tap alarm bell rings), Gene Simmons's 'Christine Sixteen' is about exactly what you think it's about, and it even caused a bit of controversy back then.
Eddie and Alex Van Halen apparently played on demo recordings, but Ace had no trouble copying Eddie's bits when it came to laying it down.
Calling Dr Love

Kiss Calling Dr.Love Live 1977

Originally on Rock and Roll Over in 1976 and arguably improved a year later on Alive II.
Another Gene Simmons number, it's simply the sort of Kiss song Kiss did best. Daft, glammy rock and roll with zero pretensions.
Strutter

KISS Strutter '78 'Video'

A rare Gene Simmons/Paul Stanley co-write, this early single is a swaggering statement of intent that remained a constant in their live setlists over the year.
It actually failed to chart as the third single from their self-titled debut, but has definitely endured and been much covered over the years.
Hard Luck Woman

KIss - Hard Luck Woman 1976

Paul Stanley apparently wrote 'Hard Luck Woman' with Rod Stewart in mind, and you can hear the influence of songs like 'You Wear It Well' and 'Maggie May', but we're pleased he kept it for Kiss to play.
It's gentler sound helped it get to number 15 in the US singles chart, while Garth Brooks' version for the Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved tribute album in 1994 got into the country listings.
God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II

Kiss - God Gave Rock ‘n’ Roll To You II (Official Music Video)

Russ Ballard's 'God Gave Rock and Roll to You' was a number 18 hit in the UK charts for Argent, but didn't make the US top 100.
That made it a fine choice for Kiss to cover for the Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey soundtrack in 1991, slightly retitled to 'God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You II', with the song also popping up on the band's own Revenge album.
It became the band's joint biggest UK hit, reaching number 4.
Crazy Crazy Nights

KISS - Crazy, Crazy Nights Music Video

Kiss's other number 4 UK hit was 1987's 'Crazy Crazy Nights', from that year's Crazy Nights album, despite stalling at number 65 in the US.
It was written by Paul Stanley with hired gun Adam Mitchell, who later moaned that the finished product lacked the oomf of the original demo, especially with the backing vocals. That didn't seem to bother British fans though.
Rock and Roll All Nite

Kiss - Rock And Roll All Nite (From Kiss eXposed)

Another Paul Stanley/Gene Simmons co-write and one that was really the band's mainstream breakthrough.
As the lead single from 1975's Dressed to Kill, it only reached number 68 on the US charts but by early the next year a live version went to number 12, becoming the band's first top 20 hit. It became the band's standard set-closer for the rest of their existence.
Detroit Rock City

Kiss - Detroit Rock City (official Video)

"Detroit really embraced us before any other city," said Paul Stanley, who wrote 'Detroit Rock City' with producer Bob Ezrin. "We were an opening act everywhere else, but in Detroit we were a headliner."
This tribute to the city took a darker turn when Stanley incorporating the tale of a fan who died in an accident on the way to a show in Charlotte, giving it a level of depth that helped this single from fourth album Destroyer endure as one of the band's greatest moments.
I Was Made for Lovin' You

Kiss - I Was Made For Lovin' You

Kiss were best known for their hard rocking anthems and soft metal ballads, but their very best hit was this genre hopping bit of magnificence.
Paul Stanley wrote 'I Was Made For Lovin' You' with the song's producer Vini Poncia and songwriting genius Desmond Child.
"Paul wanted to write a good disco song and I decided to help him with that," said Child. "Paul started to write lyrics and chords then I played the song on the guitar and said 'Okay, we'll do something to improve this and make it really a good song.'"
He did more than that, making a total classic that may have only got to number 50 in the UK and 11 in the US, but has long endured and been covered more times than we can list (Scooter, Meundo, Yungblud, etc. etc.)
Many Kiss fans were disgusted at the band going disco, and Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss have all at time suggested mixed feelings at best (they often de-discofied it in concert), but that doesn't stop us from enjoying it one little bit.