During a recent appearance on SiriusXM’s *Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk*, Bryan Adams reminisced about his early songwriting days, revealing the backstory behind the KISS songs he co-wrote in the 1980s. Adams, then a 21-year-old with his album *You Want It, You Got It* making waves, received an unexpected offer from producer Michael James Jackson to collaborate with KISS.
Adams shared, “I got a call from Michael James Jackson, who was producing KISS at the time. He asked if I’d like to write a couple of songs for them, and I was like, ‘Is this for real?’” Jackson flew Adams to Los Angeles, where he met with KISS members Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, and Eric Carr. Adams worked individually with each band member, though he didn’t end up writing a song directly with Simmons. However, Simmons played Adams a compelling bassline, which Adams recorded on his cassette recorder.
Back in Vancouver, Adams and his songwriting partner, Jim Vallance, turned Simmons’ bassline into the song “War Machine.” Adams explained, “We wrote the song around the bassline and within an hour or so, it was done.” Additionally, Vallance had an existing song called “Rock And Roll Hell” that wasn’t getting much traction. Adams suggested reworking it for KISS, and the pair completed the song, which Simmons later requested a third verse for.
Last month, Adams released music videos for his versions of “War Machine” and “Rock And Roll Hell,” both of which originally appeared on KISS’s 1982 album *Creatures Of The Night*. The tracks were also released as a limited-edition double A-side seven-inch single on August 30 via Adams’ new independent label, Bad Records.
In his statement about the release, Adams reflected, “These are songs I co-wrote when I was a 22-year-old struggling songwriter. It’s incredible to think these themes are still relevant today. I’m very grateful to KISS for the opportunity back then.”
It’s a nostalgic look back at a formative period in Adams’ career and an interesting peek into the songwriting process behind some classic KISS tracks.
