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/
Take Me Away
Paul Stanley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lookin' back on all of my memories
And my mind was dreamin' like it does
She wore white and in the night we made love
Together, I remember, together as one
It came so easy but now it seems so long ago
My chance is fading into night
Together, I remember, together as one
Together, I remember, together as one
Yesterday is far away, so take me out to sea
Far away, I've been what never will be
Check me in, to lose or win, I'm livin' memories
The drift begins, the dream of it sets me free
We lived each moment as if the days would never end
It seemed our lives had just begun
I can't stay, I'll make my way on the run
Together, I remember, together as one
Together, I remember, together as one
Yesterday is far away, so take me out to sea
Far away, I've been what never will be
Check me in, to lose or win, I'm livin' memories
The drift begins, the dream of it sets me free
Yesterday is far away, so take me out to sea
Far away, I've been what never will be
Check me in, lose or win, livin' memories
The drift begins, the dream of it sets me free
In the song "Take Me Away," Paul Stanley reflects on past love and memories. He starts off by describing how his eyes were burning, as he looks back on his memories. He remembers a woman who he was in love with, represented by the color white. He reminisces about how they made love together, and how it felt like they were one. However, he realizes that it was so easy back then, but now it seems so long ago. The chance he had is now fading away, and he cannot change what he has done.
The chorus repeats the phrase "yesterday is far away, so take me out to sea," which is symbolic of leaving behind the past and moving forward. He says that he has been what never will be, meaning that he has had experiences that cannot be repeated. He accepts that he is living with memories and he is checking into them, whether he wins or loses. The drift begins, and he is dreaming of something new that will set him free.
In the second verse, Paul Stanley reflects on how they lived each moment as if the days would never end. It felt like their lives had just begun, and they were filled with hope and love. However, he has to let go and move on. He concludes by saying that he cannot stay; he must make his way on the run. The memories will stay with him, but he must move forward and start a new chapter in his life.
Line by Line Meaning
My eyes were burnin'
I was feeling intense emotions
Lookin' back on all of my memories
Reflecting on my past experiences
And my mind was dreamin' like it does
My imagination was running wild
She wore white and in the night we made love
I had a passionate experience that I remember fondly
Together, I remember, together as one
We were united in that moment
It came so easy but now it seems so long ago
It feels like it happened a lifetime ago
My chance is fading into night
My opportunity for that experience is gone
I can't change or rearrange what I've done
I can't alter the past
Yesterday is far away, so take me out to sea
I want to escape from my thoughts of the past
Far away, I've been what never will be
I've experienced things I can never have again
Check me in, to lose or win, I'm livin' memories
I'm letting go of control and reliving memories
The drift begins, the dream of it sets me free
I'm escaping reality and living in my memories
We lived each moment as if the days would never end
We lived in the present without worrying about tomorrow
It seemed our lives had just begun
We were young and full of life
I can't stay, I'll make my way on the run
I can't live in the past, I have to move forward
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PAUL STANLEY, MIKEL JAPP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
johnny zell
My eyes were burnin'
Lookin' back on all of my memories
And my mind was dreamin like it does
She wore white and in the night we made love
Together, I remember, together as one
It came so easy
But now it seems so long ago
My chance is fading into night
I can't change or rearrange what I've done
Together, I remember, together as one
Together, I remember, together as one
Yesterday, is far away, so take me out to sea
Far away, I've been what never will be
Check me in, to lose or win, I'm livin' memories
The drift begins, the dream of it sets me free
We lived each moment as if the days would never end
It seemed our lives had just begun
I can't stay, I'll make my way on the run
Together, I remember, together as one
Together, I remember, together as one
Yesterday, is far away, so take me out to sea
Far away, I've been what never will be
Check me in, to lose or win, I'm livin' memories
The drift begins, the dream of it sets me free
Yesterday, is far away, so take me out to sea
Far away, I've been what never will be
Check me in, lose or win, livin' memories
The drift begins, the dream of it sets me free
Luca Marroncelli
Tonight You Belong to Me - 4:39
Move On (Stanley, Mikel Japp) - 3:07
Ain't Quite Right (Stanley, Japp) - 3:34
Wouldn't You Like to Know Me - 3:16
Take Me Away (Together as One) (Stanley, Japp) - 5:26
It's Alright - 3:31
Hold Me, Touch Me (Think of Me When We're Apart) - 3:40
Love in Chains - 3:34
Goodbye - 4:09
Kim Larsson
Damn, this LP has aged so well.
There is a timeless quality to Stanley's voice and writing....
Very, very well done.
Eric Sartana
Great song. Paul is one of the greatest vocalists ever...
Mr. 2cents.
I agree.
Jeff Railey
Paul Stanley is an awesome and inspirational musician. I met him twice, and the Starchild is very cool 😎 and down to earth.
Jim Howerton
Absolutely...such an iconic frontman and vocalist
Helena Katić
Yes he is and this song is very special to me
Michael Mathieu
Appecie's drums on this give me goosebumps. Just the right drummer with the right swing and a beautiful, heavy, powerful song by the greatest frontman in rock, period.
alecbalecb
@Uncon TROLLable absolutely IMO
the magic guy
AMEN!!!!
Christie A
RIP Bob Kulick. A hidden master.