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)
I'm Down
Ace Frehley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can't cry 'cause you're laughing at me
I'm down (I'm really down)
I'm down (down on the ground)
I'm down (I'm really down)
How can you laugh when you know I'm down?
(How can you laugh)
Man buys ring, woman throws it away
Same old thing happens every day
I'm down (I'm really down)
I'm down (down on the ground)
I'm down (I'm really down)
How can you laugh when you know I'm down?
(How can you laugh)
When you know I'm down?
We're all alone, and there's nobody else
You still moan, "Keep your hands to yourself"
I'm down (I'm really down)
I'm down (down on the ground)
I'm down (I'm really down)
How can you laugh when you know I'm down?
(How can you laugh)
When you know I'm down?
Baby, you know I'm down (I'm really down)
Oh yes, I'm down (I'm really down)
Down on the ground (I'm really down)
I'm fucking down (I'm really down)
Oh baby, I'm upside down
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Fucking down (I'm really down)
(Down on the ground)
(I'm really down)
(I'm really down)
(I'm really down)
(Down on the ground)
In this song, Ace Frehley sings about a relationship where one partner is lying and laughing at him while he's down. He expresses his frustration with his situation and questions how the other person can find joy in his misery. He then goes on to describe a scenario where a man buys a ring for a woman, only for her to throw it away, and how this is a repetitive cycle. He also portrays a situation where they are alone, but the other person still refuses to touch him. Overall, the lyrics depict a feeling of hopelessness and a lack of control in a relationship.
The repetition of the phrase "I'm down" emphasizes the singer's emotional state, emphasizing the point that he is feeling very low and struggling to cope. The repetition of the phrase "how can you laugh when you know I'm down?" further adds to this theme. By asking this question, Ace Frehley is attacking the other person's sense of empathy and implying that they are heartless.
Line by Line Meaning
You tell lies thinking I can't see
You think you can deceive me by telling lies, but I am not blind to the truth.
You can't cry 'cause you're laughing at me
You are laughing at me, so you cannot cry or feel sorry for me.
I'm down (I'm really down)
I am feeling very low and unhappy.
I'm down (down on the ground)
I am so low that I metaphorically feel like I am lying on the ground.
How can you laugh when you know I'm down?
You find joy in my misery, despite being aware that I am struggling.
Man buys ring, woman throws it away
A man purchases a ring for a woman, but she rejects it by throwing it away.
Same old thing happens every day
This kind of situation repeats itself regularly and predictably.
We're all alone, and there's nobody else
There is no one else around us, and we are completely isolated.
You still moan, "Keep your hands to yourself"
You complain about my physical touch, even when we are alone together.
Baby, you know I'm down (I'm really down)
My dear, you are aware that I am deeply distressed and unhappy.
Oh yes, I'm down (I'm really down)
Yes, I am truly feeling very low.
Down on the ground (I'm really down)
I metaphorically feel like I am lying on the ground, so low and defeated.
I'm fucking down (I'm really down)
I am so low that I feel utterly defeated and dejected.
Oh baby, I'm upside down
My dear, I am so disoriented and confused that I feel like I am upside down.
Fucking down (I'm really down)
I am so low, that I cannot express it enough, hence using an expletive to emphasize it.
(Down on the ground)
I feel so low that I imagine myself lying on the ground.
(I'm really down)
I want to emphasize that I am truly feeling very low.
(I'm really down)
Again, I want to emphasize that I am experiencing a very unhappy state.
(I'm really down)
Once more, I emphasize the depth of my sadness.
(Down on the ground)
For the final time, I reiterate my feeling of humiliation and defeat, as if lying on the ground.
Writer(s): Lennon John Winston, Mccartney Paul James
Contributed by Kylie P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@tomsav8848
The coolest and most creative member of Kiss to this day. His current stuff is still coolAF!
@TheJimbo1791
So very true !
@roachandroll5150
By miles.
Kiss hasn't had an original idea since 1979 possibly earlier...
Ace continues to keep going and reinventing himself..
@buttkid3548
Has Ace written a song since 78?
@mysteriowc
@@buttkid3548 yes... Albums as a matter of fact .
@mr.brenman2132
@@buttkid3548 what?
@hip-hopaintdead5281
ACK WE NEED ACE COMICS NOW REALLY
@jimhoffmann
Ace Frehley fan? Check out the new book about “Shock Me” by Historian Jim Hoffmann: https://www.amazon.com/My-Search-Shock-Signature-Scholarly/dp/B08CWG46ZW.
@princevultan6589
I concur, Curly! ACK!
@DMSProduktions
@@jimhoffmann Umm you're starting to SPAM! You do know bots are a TOS violation right?