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 Wanna Hold You
Ace Frehley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's give and take, love isn't always fair
People will stop and stare
What we've got we don't have to share
No damage done, there's more to come
And I've been dreaming so long
I really must confess
Because I told you
You're not like the rest
Oh no!
Now we've begun, something that's oh so real
We're in for fun, something we can't conceal
Just forget what people say
It doesn't matter anyway
No damage done, there's more to come
I've just been dreaming so long
I wanna hold you
I really must confess
Because I told you
You're not like the rest
Oh no!
Oh no!
You're not like the rest (alright)
Listen to me baby
Girl, girl, here it comes
Every time I look at you
I know just what I want to do
No damage done, let's have some fun
I'm tired of dreaming now!
I wanna hold you
I really must confess
Because I told you
You're not like the rest
Oh no!
I wanna hold you
I really must confess
Because I told you
You're not like the rest
Oh no!
I wanna hold you
I really must confess
Because I told you
You're not like the rest
Oh no!
I wanna hold you
I really must confess
Because I told you
You're not like the rest
Oh no!
I wanna hold you
I really must confess
Because I told you
"You're not like the rest" is a romantic song in which Ace Frehley expresses his love and desire to be with someone who is different from anyone he has met before. The song is all about confessing his love to this person and letting them know that they are special to him. The lyrics show his vulnerability and how he can't escape the emotions that he feels. He acknowledges that love isn't always fair and that people might stop and stare, but what they have together is worth it.
The chorus repeats the line "I wanna hold you" several times, emphasizing the main message of the song. He really must confess his feelings and be with this person. He knows that they are not like the rest and that he wants to hold them close. The second verse continues to express the reality of what they have started, which is something oh so real and they are in it for fun. He encourages his partner to forget what people say because it doesn't matter anyway. No damage has been done, and there is more to come, and he has been dreaming of this for so long.
The song's instrumentals support the emotional lyrics with a steady beat and guitar riffs that add to the overall power of the song. The repetitive phrase "Oh no!" at the end of each chorus shows the urgency of his desire to be with his love. The song ends with a final verse in which Ace confesses that he knows what he wants to do every time he looks at this person, and he is tired of dreaming. He again repeats the chorus, emphasizing the importance of holding his love close to him.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't escape, emotions tell the tale
My feelings for you are too strong and obvious to hide
It's give and take, love isn't always fair
Relationships require effort and compromise, and don't always have a happy ending
People will stop and stare
Our love may attract attention and scrutiny from others
What we've got we don't have to share
Our relationship is private and doesn't need to involve anyone else
No damage done, there's more to come
Our relationship hasn't caused any harm and has the potential for growth
And I've been dreaming so long
I've been hoping for a relationship like this for a long time
Now we've begun, something that's oh so real
Our relationship is now a tangible reality
We're in for fun, something we can't conceal
Our love is exciting and undeniable
Just forget what people say
We should ignore the opinions of others and focus on our own happiness
No damage done, there's more to come
Our relationship is still going strong and has a promising future
I wanna hold you
I want physical and emotional closeness with you
I really must confess
I need to tell you how I feel
Because I told you
I want to reinforce the fact that you're special to me
You're not like the rest
You're unique and stand out compared to other people I've been with
Every time I look at you
You captivate and attract me
I know just what I want to do
I have a strong desire for physical intimacy with you
Let's have some fun
Our relationship should be enjoyable and exciting
I'm tired of dreaming now!
I want our relationship to be real and concrete
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind