Gene Simmons is the co-founder of the popular American rock band Kiss. Furthermore, he is also the co-lead vocalist of the band as well as the bassist. He is also popularly known by his nickname or stage name “The Demon.” Simmons has also written several songs including Rock and Roll All Nite, God Gave Rock and Roll to You, We Are One, and more.
As mentioned he co-founded the rock band Kiss along with the frontman of the band Paul Stanley back in 1973. However, before he formed and joined Kiss he was involved in various other bands including Lynx, Long Island Sounds, Bullfrog Bheer, and more.
It is no surprise that Kiss is considered one of the most popular and greatest rock bands of all time and there are many artists and bands who are inspired and influenced by Kiss. For example, the lead guitarist, frontman, and vocalist Kurt Cobain as well as the bassist Krist Novoselic of Nirvana were big fans of Kiss.
Surely, Gene Simmons has inspired many people but who is Simmons’ inspiration? which bands does he listen to? and most importantly what are his favorite songs of all time? we will find out in this handy article.
Gene Simmons’ favorite song from Kiss
Before we move on and discuss Simmons’ favorite songs from other bands, let’s find out if he has a favorite song from Kiss or not. As per the information we got, Simmons does have a favorite song from his band. While in an interview, Simmons talked about his favorite song from his band, he said that Goin’ Blind is his favorite track from Kiss.
Goin’ Blind is a song from Kiss’ second studio album that was released on October 22, 1974. The song itself is about a 93-year-old man trying to get romantic communication with a 16-year-old girl. Furthermore, in the MTV unplugged version of the song, he edited the second verse and sang “Little lady from the land beneath the sea” and it seemed that the song was about a sea captain who’s dying and the captain is talking about a mermaid.
Talking about the song Simmons said, “Goin’ Blind’ was a song I wrote with my school chum Stephen Parnell. In those days, I didn’t think much about lyrics, and I have no clue about why I sat down and wrote a letter called ‘I think I’m going blind’. Except I thought it was terribly romantic. It was about an old guy, I remember a movie called Hemingway‘s The Old Man and The Sea, and my vision of that was the old man and a mermaid.”
Moreover, Simmons also said that he really loved the cover version of Kiss’ famous song Rock And Roll All Nite by Toad The Sprocket. This song was included in a 1994 tribute album called Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved for Kiss’ 20th anniversary. In the album, various bands and artists covered Kiss’ songs.
Talking about the cover version of the legendary song, Simmons said, “I put together a Kiss tribute album because I didn’t wanna wait for anybody else to do it. I called everybody I could think of, and somebody offered up told Toad the Wet Sprocket, and they decided to record ‘Rock and Roll All Nite’, which was a curious case, and they had the complete latitude to do what they wanted with the song. And what came out was a fascinating sound that changed the drumbeat and even had a different passage going into the chorus. But if anything, it reminds me of Jackson Browne.”
These are the songs that Simmons really loves and are related to Kiss. Now let’s see what other songs from different bands are his favorites.
What is Gene Simmons’ favorite song?
As mentioned Simmons really loved the song Goin’ Blind as well as Rock and Roll All Nite however, he also loves various bands and their songs. As per the reports, one of Simmons’ favorite tracks is “Love Theme” by Barry White and Love Unlimited Orchestra. Likewise, one of his favorite tracks of all time is “Friday On My Mind” by the popular Australian rock band The Easybeats.
He is also really a fan of Van Halen’s “Running with the Devil” from their debut studio album. Furthermore, he has also shown his love for Pilot’s track “Magic.” Moreover, some of his other favorite tracks are “Concrete And Clay“ by British Pop band Unit 4 + 2, “Sleepwalk“ by Santo & Johnny, and “Baby Workout“ by Jackie Wilson.
There you go, these are a few tracks that are all-time favorites of the legendary musician and the co-founder of Kiss, Gene Simmons.
