"Deuce" is a song by the American hard rock band Kiss. Written by Kiss bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons the song appeared on Kiss' eponymous 1974 debut album. In addition to being one of the band's most popular and most-covered songs, "Deuce" is a traditional concert opener. The song was performed on almost every tour to date, and has appeared on many Kiss' live and compilation albums, as well on Ace Frehley's.

Background [edit]

According to Gene Simmons, he simply copied the bassline of The Rolling Stones' "Bitch" and played it more or less backwards. The entire song was written nearly linearly; the riff came first, then the bridge, then finally the chorus. While uncredited, Paul Stanley provided the lightly phased intro riff, inspired by The Raspberries' "Go All The Way".^[1]

"Deuce" also has special significance for Ace Frehley, who calls it his favorite Kiss song. "When I auditioned for Kiss", recalls Frehley, "they said, 'We're going to play you a song for you to listen to, and then try playing along — it's in the key of 'A'. They played ["Deuce"] as a three-piece. I thought, 'That's easy enough,' so I got up and wailed for four minutes playing lead work over it.".^[2]

Gene Simmons stated in reference to the song "Lyrically, I had no idea what I was talking about. Sometimes stuff means a lot, sometimes it means nothing."
"Deuce" was a popular street term in the late 1960s and early 1970s (around the time in which this song was written), meaning fellatio and full sex afterwards.

On July 28, 2009, a live version was released along with "100,000 Years" (Live) and "Parasite" (Live) in the Kiss 01 track pack for Rock Band 2.

Live performances [edit]

The song was performed during the first tours, mostly as the opener. It was dropped from the setlist for the Rock & Roll Over Tour and wasn't performed regularly in the USA until the Hot in the Shade Tour in 1990. It was played in some one-off shows in the USA in 1988 as well as the European Crazy Nights Tour in 1988. Gene Simmons said that at the band's first tours, after they did the usual setlist and encore, they didn't have any more songs to play so they played "Deuce" again.^[3]

Covers [edit]

• The Hellmenn on the Kiss tribute Hard to Believe: Kiss Covers Compilation, 1991
• Acid Drinkers on Fishdick, 1994
• Lenny Kravitz (featuring Stevie Wonder) on Kiss My Ass, 1994
• Bathory on Octagon, 1995
• Lost Reflection as live encore
• Ace Frehley on 12 Picks, 1997
• Overkill on Coverkill, 1999
• Extrema on Pound For Pound, 2009.

Appearances [edit]

"Deuce" has appeared on following Kiss albums:

• Kiss - studio version
• Alive! - live version
• The Originals - studio version
• Double Platinum - studio version
• Smashes, Thrashes & Hits - remixed studio version
• Greatest Kiss - studio version
• The Box Set - demo version
• The Very Best of Kiss - studio version
• Kiss Symphony: Alive IV - live version
• The Best of Kiss: The Millennium Collection - studio version
• Kiss Instant Live - live version
• Gold - studio version
• Kiss Chronicles: 3 Classic Albums - studio version
• Kiss Alive! 1975–2000 - Alive! version
• Kiss Alive 35 - live version
• Ikons - studio version
• Jigoku-Retsuden - re-recorded version
• Kiss Sonic Boom Over Europe - live version

Personnel [edit]

KISS, Alive! and Alive! The Millennium Concert personnel [edit]

• Gene Simmons - bass guitar, lead vocals
• Paul Stanley - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Peter Criss - drums, backing vocals
• Ace Frehley - lead guitar

Alive III personnel [edit]

• Gene Simmons - bass guitar, lead vocals
• Paul Stanley - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Eric Singer - drums, backing vocals
• Bruce Kulick - lead guitar

KISS Symphony: Alive IV personnel [edit]

• Gene Simmons - bass guitar, lead vocals
• Paul Stanley - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Peter Criss - drums, backing vocals
• Tommy Thayer - lead guitar

KISS Instant Live, KISS Alive 35, KISS Sonic Boom Over Europe and Jigoku-Retsuden personnel [edit]

• Gene Simmons - bass guitar, lead vocals
• Paul Stanley - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Eric Singer - drums, backing vocals
• Tommy Thayer - lead guitar

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• "Deuce" at SongFacts.com