Before KISS, Paul Stanley was in a local band, Rainbow (not to be confused with Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow) and Uncle Joe. Through a mutual friend of Gene Simmons', Stanley joined Simmons' band Wicked Lester in the early 1970s. The band recorded an album in 1972, but as of 2008 it has never been officially released (although songs from the album appeared on Kiss's 2001 box set). Wicked Lester soon fell apart and Stanley and Simmons placed ads for a drummer and a guitarist in various New York papers. This resulted in Peter Criss and Ace Frehley joining the group, and they named themselves Kiss. Kiss released their self-titled debut in February 1974.
Stanley's persona in Kiss is "The Starchild", "The Bandit" in the mid-1973 shows.
In his book Sex Money Kiss, Gene Simmons admits that Stanley was the driving force for Kiss during the makeup-free 1980s, while Simmons was feeling lost without his demon makeup and attempting to launch a film career.
In 2006, Stanley resumed his association with Washburn Guitars and using the Washburn PS2000. Previously, he has had four signature guitars made by Silvertone, and tweaked the Ibanez Iceman to his specifications, calling it the PS10.
Stanley's most recent performances with Kiss were a group of shows in July 2007, dubbed the Hit 'N Run Tour. Prior to the final show on July 27, Stanley was hospitalized with an extremely rapid heartbeat. In his absence, Kiss performed live as a trio for the first time in decades. Previously, Kiss performed as a trio at Studio 54 in New York City for an international satellite broadcast on January 28, 1982, lip-syncing the song "I" from Music from "The Elder" for the Italian Festival della canzone italiana, also known as the Sanremo Festival, when Ace Frehley failed to show for the performance due to what was described at the time as a "mystery illness". The July 27, 2007 concert is the first Kiss concert Stanley has missed during his 34-year tenure with the group. In September 2007, Stanley took part in Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp as a guest star for his second time in New York City.
Stanley has very rarely recorded or performed outside of Kiss. In 1989, he embarked on a brief club tour, performing only Kiss songs (with one cover, Led Zeppelin's "Communication Breakdown"). His touring band included guitarist Bob Kulick and future Kiss drummer Eric Singer.
Stanley wrote and recorded material for a solo album in 1987–88, which was shelved in favor of the Kiss compilation, Smashes, Thrashes & Hits. While never officially released, songs such as "Don't Let Go" and "When 2 Hearts Collide" have circulated as bootleg recordings. One song from the project, "Time Traveler", was released as part of the Kiss's 2001 box set.
In 1989, Stanley loaned his voice to the title track for the soundtrack of the Wes Craven horror flick "Shocker". The song was written by long time Stanley collaborator Desmond Child, along with Jean Beauvior and Guy Man-Dude. The song was performed by a group of well known artists calling themselves "The Dudes Of Wrath". The Dudes consisted of Stanley and Child on vocals, Guy Man-Dude and Vivian Campbell (Def Leppard and Dio) on guitars, Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot, Ozzy Ozbourne, Whitesnake and Dio) on bass and Tommy Lee (Mötley Crüe) on drums. Background vocals were provided by Desmond Child, Louis Merlino, Alice Cooper guitarist Kane Roberts and Michael Anthony of Van Halen.
In the past, Stanley has been asked to produce albums for Poison and Guns N' Roses, but he was never able to commit due to his work on Kiss projects.
In 2005, a bootleg CD began circulating entitled People, Let Me Get This Off My Chest: The Very Best of Paul Stanley's On Stage Banter. The fan-made disc compiled 70 tracks worth of Stanley's distinctive song introductions and on-stage banter.
28 years after releasing his first solo album (as part of the four simultaneously released Kiss solo albums), Stanley released a second album, Live to Win, on October 24, 2006. The title song of his solo album, "Live to Win", appeared on the South Park episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft"
In October and November 2006, Stanley embarked on a theater tour in support of Live to Win. His touring band was the house band from the CBS TV show, Rock Star. The band appeared on both seasons of the show - Rock Star: INXS and Rock Star: Supernova. The band was composed of Paul Mirkovich (keyboards), Jim McGorman (guitar), Rafael Moreira (lead guitar), Nate Morton (drums), and Sasha Krivtsov (bass). In April 2007, Stanley extended the tour to include Australia, playing in Coolangatta, Wollongong, Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide. Portions of the tour were filmed for an as-yet-unreleased documentary titled Paul Stanley: Live to Dream by the Chicago-based Film Foetus. The band's performance at the House of Blues in Chicago, IL, was captured on film and released in 2008 on DVD and digital audio download formats as One Live KISS.
In 2008, Stanley sang a duet with Sarah Brightman, "I Will Be with You", on her Symphony album.
In 1999, Stanley starred in a Toronto production of The Phantom of the Opera, in which he played the role of The Phantom. He appeared in the musical from May 25 to August 1, and again that year from September 30 to October 31.
Stanley made his debut as a painter in 2005, exhibiting and selling original works of art.
http://www.paulstanley.com/
Detroit Rock City
Paul Stanley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nine o' clock, the radio's the only light
I hear my song and it pulls me through
Comes on strong, tells me what I got to do
I got to
Get up
Everybody's gonna move their feet
Everybody's gonna leave their seat
You gotta lose your mind in Detroit Rock City
Get up
Everybody's gonna move their feet
Get down
Everybody's gonna leave their seat
Getting late
I just can't wait
Ten o'clock and I know I gotta hit the road
First I drink, then I smoke
Start the car, and I try to make the midnight show
Get up
Everybody's gonna move their feet
Get down
Everybody's gonna leave their seat
Movin' fast, doin' 95
Hit top speed but I'm still movin' much too slow
I feel so good, I'm so alive
I hear my song playin' on the radio
It goes
Get up
Everybody's gonna move their feet
Get down
Everybody's gonna leave their seat
Twelve o'clock, I gotta rock
There's a truck ahead, lights starin' at my eyes
Oh my God, no time to turn
I got to laugh 'cause I know I'm gonna die
Why
Get up
Everybody's gonna move their feet
Get up
Everybody's gonna leave their seat
The song “Detroit Rock City” by Paul Stanley is a classic rock anthem that tells the story of a teenager’s exciting night out in the city of rock, Detroit. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the energy and excitement of a rock concert, as the singer gets swept away by the music.
The song starts with the singer feeling restless and “uptight” on a Saturday night. The only thing that can lift his spirits is hearing his favorite song on the radio, which “pulls him through” and inspires him to let loose. The chorus is a call to action for everyone to get up and dance: “Everybody’s gonna move their feet, everybody’s gonna leave their seat.”
As the night goes on, the singer’s excitement builds. He drinks and smokes before hitting the road to make it to the “midnight show” at a concert in Detroit. The high-speed drive to get there is only matched by the adrenaline and enthusiasm he feels for the music. When his song comes on the radio at top speed, he feels “so good” and “so alive.”
The song takes a dark turn towards the end, as the singer’s car crashes into a truck and he faces his own mortality. But even in the face of death, the chorus rings out: “Everybody’s gonna move their feet, everybody’s gonna leave their seat.” This final repetition of the chorus reminds us that, no matter what happens, rock ‘n’ roll and the spirit of youthful rebellion will live on.
Line by Line Meaning
I feel uptight on a Saturday night
I'm feeling anxious and restless on a Saturday night
Nine o' clock, the radio's the only light
The only source of light at this time is the radio
I hear my song and it pulls me through
Hearing my song gives me the motivation to push through
Comes on strong, tells me what I got to do
The song comes on strong and dictates my actions
Get up
Stand up and move
Everybody's gonna move their feet
Everyone is going to dance
Get down
Crouch down
Everybody's gonna leave their seat
Everyone is going to stand up and dance
You gotta lose your mind in Detroit Rock City
You need to go wild and crazy in Detroit Rock City
Getting late
The time is passing by quickly
I just can't wait
I'm eager to get going
Ten o'clock and I know I gotta hit the road
It's already 10 pm, and I need to start my journey
First I drink, then I smoke
I consume alcohol and cigarettes
Start the car, and I try to make the midnight show
I start my car and aim to arrive at midnight show
Movin' fast, doin' 95
I'm driving fast at 95 mph
Hit top speed but I'm still movin' much too slow
Although I'm going fast, I feel I'm still too slow
I feel so good, I'm so alive
I'm feeling good, and I'm lively
I hear my song playin' on the radio
My song is playing on the radio, and I can hear it
Twelve o'clock, I gotta rock
It's midnight, and I need to rock
There's a truck ahead, lights starin' at my eyes
There's a truck in front, and its lights are glaring at me
Oh my God, no time to turn
I can't turn back, and I'm afraid
I got to laugh 'cause I know I'm gonna die
I laugh because I know I'm going to die
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: PAUL STANLEY, ROBERT A. EZRIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Marc Lévesque
Great performance.
Tess Camilleri
Paul Stanley is the Best Ever 😘❤
steve zisk
Paul is on Fire here. Backing band is also Great
Life's great!
Simply brilliant!
Christina_fwb Jager
Paul Stanley is an awesome man and a great musician 🌹👍❤️🙏
Roland Kobelbauer
...back in the days, when he still had a great voice and sang live without backing track...
Paolo Carcano
Paul voice can blow up the entire hall! Simply fantastic 👏👏👏
Mario G.
some people are mean and don't know what they are talking about. Paul still great after 40 years of rock n roll. Come on don't be stupid to admit that PAUL still great....
Rob Zombee
I grew up listening to kiss always wishing I could be Paul Stanley .Simply awesome
Elias Lopes
Rafael Moreira on guitar!!!