"Shock Me" is a song released by American hard rock band Kiss on their 1977 album Love Gun. It was written by lead guitarist Ace Frehley, who made his lead vocal debut on the track. The song was inspired by an event that took place during Kiss' Rock and Roll Over tour, when Frehley was nearly electrocuted. This song was ranked #50 in Guitar World's "100 Greatest Guitar Solos" ever.

Background

On December 12, 1976, Kiss performed a concert at the Lakeland Civic Center in Lakeland, Florida. During the opening number, Frehley touched a metal staircase railing, which was ungrounded. Frehley was knocked to the ground, and the concert was delayed for 30 minutes. The show was eventually completed, and Frehley claimed to have lost feeling in his hand for the remainder of the concert.

Frehley presented "Shock Me" to Kiss in its completed form. According to Gene Simmons, the rest of the band was not involved in the song's arrangement. Although Frehley had written a number of Kiss songs previously, this was his first time performing lead vocals. The song has since become Frehley's "theme song" for the band. Frehley, who was insecure about his singing, recorded his vocals while lying on the floor.

Live history

"Shock Me" was added to Kiss's setlist starting with the Love Gun tour. Frehley's guitar solo, previously performed during "She" and then "Cold Gin", was added to the song. The song was dropped from the setlist after the 1977–78 Alive II tour. Kiss did not perform the song again until Frehley returned to the group for their 1996–97 Alive/Worldwide Tour. It remained in the group's setlist during the Psycho Circus tour, although Frehley's guitar solo was moved to "Into the Void." Tommy Thayer made his debut singing the song on March 16, 2008 at the Melbourne F1 Circuit.

Appearances

Kiss

• Love Gun (1977)
• Alive II (1977)
• The Box Set (2001)
• Gold (2005)
• Ikons (2008)

Cover versions

• Red House Painters – Shock Me EP (1994); Retrospective (1999)

Personnel

• Ace Frehley – lead vocals and lead guitar
• Paul Stanley – rhythm guitar and backing vocals
• Gene Simmons – bass and backing vocals
• Peter Criss – drums

Notes and references

1. Gooch, Curt and Jeff Suhs. KISS Alive Forever: The Complete Touring History, Billboard Books, 2002. ISBN 0-8230-8322-5
2. Gill, Julian. The KISS Album Focus, Volume 1 (3rd Edition). Xlibris Corporation, 2005. ISBN 1-4134-8547-2
3. Gooch, Curt and Jeff Suhs. KISS Alive Forever: The Complete Touring History, Billboard Books, 2002. ISBN 0-8230-8322-5

External links

• Lyrics at Rock Magic