Love Gun (song)
Encyclopedia
"Love Gun" is a song by the American
hard rock band KISS
released on their 1977
album of the same name
. The B-side
is the album track "Hooligan", a song written by drummer Peter Criss
.The secret to the musical longevity of Kiss is its ability to marry the sonic muscle of hard rock to songs full of indelible pop hooks. "Love Gun" is one of the best examples of this skill, an ideal marriage of hooks and riffs that has become one of the group's defining classics. The lyrics are a statement of hard rock machismo at its most grandiose as they depict a powerful lover who likens himself to a deadly weapon: "No place for hidin', baby/No place to run/You pull the trigger of my love gun." The melody is equal parts hard rock and pop song, wedding verses that swing in an ominously heavy fashion to a chorus built on a simple, surprisingly flowery singalong hook that underlines its repetition of the title phrase. Kiss' recording of "Love Gun" turns the song into a stomping rocker punctuated with a few pop frills: the surging, swinging power chords and the machine-gun-like drum fills that drive the chorus along are pure hard rock, but the fluttery, high-pitched backing vocals that sail in on the chorus are pure pop. Paul Stanley completes the sound with a snarling vocal that makes the hyperbole of the lyrics work (fans might also be interested to know that Stanley also plays bass on this track in addition to his singing and guitar duties). "Love Gun" surprisingly failed to become a hit single despite its high hook quotient, but the song became an instant staple of the Kiss live show and retained this place of honor for years.
Sung by guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley
, he has claimed in several interviews since its release that it is one of his favorite KISS songs, even stating that "... "Love Gun" is quintessential KISS and is probably one of the five signature essential [KISS] songs." Stanley has also said that "The Hunter" section of the Led Zeppelin
song "How Many More Times
" inspired the lyrics of "Love Gun".
Paul Stanley plays bass on the recording.
"Love Gun" has been played on every KISS tour since its release, and has made numerous appearances on KISS greatest hits and compilation albums despite the fact that it stalled at #55 on the U.S. singles chart.
for 1992's Kiss tribute album
Hard to Believe
. In 2003 Hayseed Dixie
released Kiss My Grass: A Hillbilly Tribute to Kiss
, and album consisting entirely of Kiss covers, including "Love Gun", played in the bluegrass
style. Styx
guitarist Tommy Shaw
contributed his version of "Love Gun" for the 2004 Kiss tribute album Spin the Bottle. Eccentric British rock band Sack Trick
covered the song on their Kiss covers album Sheep in KISS Make Up
. German guitarist Axel Rudi Pell
covered this song on the album Diamonds Unlocked
. Former KISS Guitarist Ace Frehley
covers this song with his solo group.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hard rock band KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
released on their 1977
1977 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1977.-January–February:*January 1 – The Clash headline the gala opening of the London music club, The Roxy....
album of the same name
Love Gun
Love Gun is the sixth studio album by American hard rock band Kiss. It was certified platinum on June 30, 1977, just two weeks after the album's release....
. The B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
is the album track "Hooligan", a song written by drummer Peter Criss
Peter Criss
George Peter John Criscuola , better known as Peter Criss, is an American drummer and singer, best known as the original drummer for the rock band Kiss...
.The secret to the musical longevity of Kiss is its ability to marry the sonic muscle of hard rock to songs full of indelible pop hooks. "Love Gun" is one of the best examples of this skill, an ideal marriage of hooks and riffs that has become one of the group's defining classics. The lyrics are a statement of hard rock machismo at its most grandiose as they depict a powerful lover who likens himself to a deadly weapon: "No place for hidin', baby/No place to run/You pull the trigger of my love gun." The melody is equal parts hard rock and pop song, wedding verses that swing in an ominously heavy fashion to a chorus built on a simple, surprisingly flowery singalong hook that underlines its repetition of the title phrase. Kiss' recording of "Love Gun" turns the song into a stomping rocker punctuated with a few pop frills: the surging, swinging power chords and the machine-gun-like drum fills that drive the chorus along are pure hard rock, but the fluttery, high-pitched backing vocals that sail in on the chorus are pure pop. Paul Stanley completes the sound with a snarling vocal that makes the hyperbole of the lyrics work (fans might also be interested to know that Stanley also plays bass on this track in addition to his singing and guitar duties). "Love Gun" surprisingly failed to become a hit single despite its high hook quotient, but the song became an instant staple of the Kiss live show and retained this place of honor for years.
Sung by guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley
Paul Stanley
Stanley Harvey Eisen , better known by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American hard rock guitarist, singer, musician, painter and songwriter best known for being the rhythm guitarist and primary lead vocalist of the rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's...
, he has claimed in several interviews since its release that it is one of his favorite KISS songs, even stating that "... "Love Gun" is quintessential KISS and is probably one of the five signature essential [KISS] songs." Stanley has also said that "The Hunter" section of the Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
song "How Many More Times
How Many More Times
"How Many More Times" is the ninth and final track on English rock band Led Zeppelin's 1969 debut album Led Zeppelin. The song is credited in the album liner to Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham, but is listed by ASCAP as written by all four members of the band.-Album version:At eight...
" inspired the lyrics of "Love Gun".
Paul Stanley plays bass on the recording.
"Love Gun" has been played on every KISS tour since its release, and has made numerous appearances on KISS greatest hits and compilation albums despite the fact that it stalled at #55 on the U.S. singles chart.
Cover versions
"Love Gun" was covered by the Surfin' CeasersRoddy Radalj
Roddy Radalj is a rock musician and singer-songwriter who grew up in Perth, Western Australia...
for 1992's Kiss tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
Hard to Believe
Hard to Believe: Kiss Covers Compilation
-Various labels:Waterfront Records DAMP-121 Southern Records DAMP-121 Records C/Z Records CZ-024 -External links:* Amazon...
. In 2003 Hayseed Dixie
Hayseed Dixie
Hayseed Dixie is an American band which began in the autumn of 2000 with the release of their first album, A Hillbilly Tribute to AC/DC. The band performs a mixture of cover versions of hard rock songs and original compositions in a style that is a unique fusion of bluegrass and rock music and are...
released Kiss My Grass: A Hillbilly Tribute to Kiss
Kiss My Grass: A Hillbilly Tribute to Kiss
Kiss My Grass: A Hillbilly Tribute to Kiss is the third album by American band Hayseed Dixie, released in 2003 . The album consists entirely of covers of songs by the hard rock band Kiss performed in the bluegrass style....
, and album consisting entirely of Kiss covers, including "Love Gun", played in the bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
style. Styx
Styx (band)
Styx is an American rock band that became famous for its albums from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Chicago band is known for melding the style of prog-rock with the power of hard rock guitar, strong ballads, and elements of American musical theater....
guitarist Tommy Shaw
Tommy Shaw
Tommy Roland Shaw is an American guitarist, best known for his work with the rock band Styx. In between his stints with Styx, he has played with the supergroup Damn Yankees and Shaw Blades, and has released several solo albums....
contributed his version of "Love Gun" for the 2004 Kiss tribute album Spin the Bottle. Eccentric British rock band Sack Trick
Sack Trick
Sack Trick are an eccentric British music collective who have been compared to the humour of Monty Python and musical madness of Frank Zappa. The bassist Chris Paulo Dale is the center of the group, guiding the audience through a universe that is more rock circus than rock opera, with a partiality...
covered the song on their Kiss covers album Sheep in KISS Make Up
Sheep in KISS Make Up
Sheep in KISS Make Up is a 2005 KISS tribute album by Sack Trick. Described as "the most amazingly diverse KISS tribute album you will ever hear", it was released independently by the band after they decided to give up on record companies....
. German guitarist Axel Rudi Pell
Axel Rudi Pell
Axel Rudi Pell is a German guitar player, playing melodic heavy metal. He started off with the band Steeler before leaving to start his solo career in 1989 with the eponymous band Axel Rudi Pell...
covered this song on the album Diamonds Unlocked
Diamonds Unlocked
Diamonds Unlocked is the twelfth album by German guitarist Axel Rudi Pell. It is a cover album released in September/October 2007. The album consists of 10 cover tracks and 1 self-written introduction track...
. Former KISS Guitarist Ace Frehley
Ace Frehley
Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Kiss. He took on the persona of the "Spaceman" or "Space Ace" when the band adopted costumes and theatrics...
covers this song with his solo group.
Appearances in pop culture
- "Love Gun" was featured during the opening credit sequence in the 1999 film Detroit Rock CityDetroit Rock City (film)Detroit Rock City is a 1999 film about four teenagers in a Kiss cover band who try to see their idols in Detroit in 1978. Comparable to Rock 'n' Roll High School, Dazed and Confused, The Stöned Age, and I Wanna Hold Your Hand, Detroit Rock City tells a coming of age story through a filter of 1970s...
, the movie itself named after the KISS songDetroit Rock City (song)"Detroit Rock City" is a song by the American hard rock group Kiss featured on their 1976 album, Destroyer. The song was written by Paul Stanley and Bob Ezrin and is about a real Kiss fan who was killed in a car accident on his way to a Kiss concert...
. - The song was also featured in the 2008 film Role ModelsRole ModelsRole Models is a 2008 American comedy film directed by David Wain about two energy drink salesmen who are ordered to perform 150 hours of community service as punishment for various offenses. For their service, the two men work at a program designed to pair kids with adult role models. The film...
, where the character Wheeler (Seann William ScottSeann William ScottSeann William Scott is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Steve Stifler in the American Pie film series...
) explains that the song is about Paul Stanley's penis. - The song is featured in the video game Guitar Hero: Warriors Of RockGuitar Hero: Warriors of RockGuitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is a music video game and the sixth main entry in the Guitar Hero series for the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 consoles. The game was released September 24, 2010 in Europe, September 28, 2010 in North America and September 29, 2010 in Australia...
.