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)
New York Groove
Ace Frehley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the street, I was passin' my time away
To the left and to the right
Buildings towering to the sky
It's outta sight in the dead of night
Here I am again in this city
With a fistful of dollars
I'm back, back in the New York groove
I'm back, back in the New York groove
I'm back, back in the New York groove
Back in the New York groove, in the New York groove
In the back of my Cadillac
A wicked lady, sittin' by my side, sayin' "Where are we?"
Stopped at Third and Forty-three, exit to the night
It's gonna be ecstasy, this place was meant for me
Feels so good tonight, who cares about tomorrow
So baby, you'd better believe
I'm back, back in the New York groove
I'm back, back in the New York groove
I'm back, back in the New York groove
Back in the New York groove, in the New York groove
I'm back, back in the New York groove
I'm back, back in the New York groove
I'm back, back in the New York groove
I'm back, back in the New York groove
I'm back, back in the New York groove
I'm back, back in the New York groove
I'm back, back in the New York groove
I'm back, back in the New York groove
I'm back, back in the New York groove
I'm back, back in the New York groove
Ace Frehley’s “New York Groove” is a song about returning to New York City after many years away from it, and finding excitement and adventure once again. The opening lines of the song describe the feeling of being back in the city after a long absence, with the singer remarking on the towering buildings that “tower to the sky” and how it’s “outta sight in the dead of night.” The singer then sings about driving through the city with a “wicked lady” by his side and stopping at Third and Forty-Third, saying that “it's gonna be ecstasy, this place was meant for me.”
Throughout the song, Frehley sings about how good it feels to be back in the city, without worrying about tomorrow: “Feels so good tonight, who cares about tomorrow.” The repeated phrase “I’m back, back in the New York groove” emphasizes the excitement and joy the singer feels at being back in the city. Overall, “New York Groove” is an upbeat and catchy celebration of returning to New York City after time away, and the sense of belonging and excitement that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Many years since I was here
It's been a long time since I've been in this city
On the street, I was passin' my time away
I was wandering around with nothing special to do
To the left and to the right
There were tall buildings on both sides of the street
Buildings towering to the sky
The buildings were very tall and seemed to reach to the sky
It's outta sight in the dead of night
It's amazing to see this city at night
Here I am again in this city
I'm back once more in New York
With a fistful of dollars
I have a lot of money with me
And baby, you'd better believe
I'm serious about this
I'm back, back in the New York groove
I'm happy and excited to be back in this city
Back in the New York groove, in the New York groove
I'm back into the swing of things and enjoying everything the city has to offer
In the back of my Cadillac
I'm driving around in my fancy car
A wicked lady, sittin' by my side, sayin' "Where are we?"
I have a naughty woman with me who wants to know where we're going
Stopped at Third and Forty-three, exit to the night
We stopped at an intersection and are heading out for the night
It's gonna be ecstasy, this place was meant for me
I'm going to have a wonderful time, this city is perfect for me
Feels so good tonight, who cares about tomorrow
I'm enjoying myself so much right now that I don't even care about what will happen in the future
I'm back, back in the New York groove
I'm embracing the spirit of this city and loving every moment of it
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Russ Ballard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind