Born Paul Frehley on April 27, 1951, in the Bronx, New York, Frehley began playing guitar when he received an electric six-string for his 14th birthday in 1965. Already a big fan of the Rolling Stones, he was blown away when he caught a multi-band live show in N.Y.C. in early 1967, featuring both the Who and Cream, among others, which solidified his desire to pursue rock guitar more seriously (and put a promising art career on the back burner). Frehley began playing in local bands soon after, adding both Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix to his influences -- and around this time, adopted the nickname "Ace." Although none of the bands he played with had taken off, he answered an ad in a local paper for a new hard rock, theatrically based group in early 1973.
A few weeks after his initial tryout, Frehley was hired as the lead guitarist for the new quartet, joining bassist/singer Gene Simmons, rhythm guitarist/singer Paul Stanley, and drummer Peter Criss to form the band Kiss. By year's end, the greasepaint- and costume-wearing band was signed to Casablanca Records, and by 1978, had become one of the world's top hard rock bands. A string of platinum albums and sold-out tours lasted from 1975 until 1979, until the trappings of fame threatened to break up the band. Frehley's best friend in the band, Criss, left Kiss in 1980, as the group unsuccessfully experimented with non-metal styles. Ace Frehley's use of alcohol and drugs increased due to his ever-increasing unhappiness in the band, and, by 1982, he'd exited Kiss.
Within a year or two after his split from Kiss, Ace began putting his own solo band together, Frehley's Comet. The band played local N.Y.C. clubs, but failed to issue a record until 1987's self-titled debut for Megaforce Records. Instead of following the heavy metal direction of his exceptional 1978 solo album, Frehley's Comet tried to keep pace with the current pop-metal movement (Mötley Crüe, etc.), issuing two other albums (and a live EP) by 1989. Around this time, Frehley put his old art talents to use once again through computer graphics, with a few of his images even being featured in an art exhibit. Despite mudslinging in the press between Simmons/Stanley and Frehley in the early '90s, all four original Kiss members made up in time to reunite for a 1995 taping of MTV Unplugged. The taping was such a success that it led to a full-blown reunion of the original lineup, resulting in the massively successful 1996-1997 Alive Worldwide Tour.
Frehley continued as a member of Kiss until the end of their Farewell Tour (lasting longer than fellow original member Peter Criss, who dropped out in 2001). Live appearances, including gigs at the massive Rocklahoma festival, kept Ace busy until 2009, when he released the album Anomaly on his own label, Bronx Born Records. In 2011 he published No Regrets, a detailed and frank memoir that recounted, among other things, his aforementioned struggles with alcohol and cocaine addiction. In 2013 he celebrated seven years of sobriety and spent much of that year appearing at horror, sci-fi, and pop culture conventions.
The following April, after a long wait, Kiss was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, before August brought the release of Space Invader, a solo album that took a heavier approach than Anomaly. Released in 2016, Origins, Vol. 1 was an all-covers album featuring songs from Ace's favorite bands, up to and including Kiss, with new versions of "Parasite" and "Cold Gin" sitting next to songs from Thin Lizzy and Cream. The following year, Frehley joined Kiss bassist/vocalist Simmons on-stage at a Hurricane Harvey benefit for the Children Matter organization in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was the first time the former bandmates had performed together in over 16 years. In 2018 Frehley issued his eighth solo long payer, Spaceman, which featured a power pop cover of Eddie Money's "I Wanna Go Back" and the rowdy single "Rockin' with the Boys," the latter of which was written during Kiss' '70s heyday.
In the fall of 2018, Frehley revealed that he was changing his entire solo backing band from guitarist Richie Scarlet, bassist Chris Wyse and drummer Scot Coogan to Gene Simmons‘ solo band members consisting of Philip Shouse on guitar/vocals, Ryan Cook on guitar/vocals, Jeremy Asbrock on guitar/vocals, and Christopher Williams on drums.
He then released a second covers album, Origins, Vol. 2, in September 2020.
Biography by Greg Prato
Website: http://www.acefrehley.com
Ace Frehley (1978)
Frehley's Comet (1987)
Second Sighting (1988)
Trouble Walkin' (1989)
Anomaly (2009)
Space Invader (2014)
Origins Vol. 1 (2016)
Spaceman (2018)
Origins Vol. 2 (2020)
10,000 Volts (2024)
Back To School
Ace Frehley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Back from vacation and you're eager to learn
Anticipation mixed with desire
No one can stop you cause your heart's on fire
Back, back to school
I'll teach you all the things that you never knew
'Cause it's back to school for you
Now I 'm the teacher but I have no degree
Forget the rest I'll teach you biology
Now just relax and you'll do your best
Concentrate and you'll pass the test
I'll be your teacher and you'll be my pet
Put down your notebook
Cause's there's no written test
Graduation is what you deserve
You'll have no problem cause I grade on a curve
Back, back to school
I'll teach you all the things that you never knew
'Cause it's back to school for you
Ace Frehley's song Back to School is an upbeat song that talks about the excitement and anticipation of returning to school after a long summer vacation. The first verse of the song says that the summer season is over, but the eagerness to learn still burns in the hearts of students. The anticipation for learning new things is so high that nothing can stop them as their hearts are on fire. The chorus of the song expresses the excitement of going back to school, where the singer will teach those things that students have never learned before.
In the second verse of the song, the singer reveals himself as the teacher, although he has no degree. He assures the students that he will be teaching them biology, and they need to relax and do their best to pass the test. The singer regards the students as his pet and even says that there will be no written test, but the graduation is deserved, and the grading will be on a curve.
Overall, the song outlines the excitement and anticipation that students feel when they go back to school after a long summer vacation. The singer assures the students that he will teach them what they have never learned before and that all they need to do is concentrate and do their best in the exams.
Line by Line Meaning
Hot summer's gone and you're still ready to burn
Despite the summer just passing, you're still excited as ever to learn and grow.
Back from vacation and you're eager to learn
After your break, you're raring to go and soak up knowledge.
Anticipation mixed with desire
Your anticipation for the upcoming school year is mixed with strong desire to accomplish great things.
No one can stop you cause your heart's on fire
Your passion for learning is so strong that nothing can get in your way.
Back, back to school
It's time to head back to the classroom and start another year of learning.
I'll teach you all the things that you never knew
As your teacher, I'll be able to impart new knowledge and insights that you've never encountered before.
'Cause it's back to school for you
This is a reminder that it's now your turn to go back to school and start the learning process once again.
Now I'm the teacher but I have no degree
Even though I don't have a formal degree in teaching, I have the knowledge and ability to teach you biology.
Forget the rest I'll teach you biology
Don't worry about what anyone else is saying or doing, because I'll be focusing on teaching you biology.
Now just relax and you'll do your best
Take a deep breath and calm your nerves - you'll perform your best when you're feeling relaxed and confident.
Concentrate and you'll pass the test
By giving your full attention and focus to the material, you'll be more likely to succeed on the upcoming test.
I'll be your teacher and you'll be my pet
In a playful way, this line emphasizes the teacher-student relationship and the guidance and support that the teacher is providing to their pupil.
Put down your notebook
Stop taking notes and just listen - this is a reminder to be present and absorb as much information as possible.
Cause's there's no written test
Don't worry about having to take a written test, since that won't be part of this particular learning experience.
Graduation is what you deserve
With your dedication and hard work, graduation is a worthy achievement that you will soon attain.
You'll have no problem cause I grade on a curve
Even if the material seems difficult, don't worry - the teacher is grading on a curve, which means that there will be some leniency in terms of grading for the class as a whole.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ACE FREHLEY, JOHN REGAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind