Or maybe God Gave Rock n' Roll.
I'm torn on this, I like the song in the original Argent version for its melody (although it emanates a kind of pathos I don't exactly appreciate - for someone as driven by nostalgia and Romanticism, this exact mood that feels like pot-bellied Dads reminiscing of their glory days I find rather distasteful) and the Kiss cover makes sense
and suits them,
but also feels so very dumb-dumb-dumb again.
Again,
these people
should always make sure and take precautions that everything they do will be slightly tongue-in-cheek, it would make everything so much more palatable.
(doesn't matter two of those were not in the band nor did they use make-up around that time)
In fact that is why I kinda mentioned those three other bands, ZZ Top and AC/DC are
obviously tongue-in-cheek and while Manowar try to pose as hyper-serious, it's just inconceivable they'd really mean it. And they're better off for it.
For me, this is represented with Simmons trying to be "The Demon" (lol) on talk shows, scowling and trying to talk about the "moozik and artistry", like a fat CEO in a suit with a fat cigar trying to promote the label and the product without any hint of self-awareness, let alone self-irony - but here also while
being dressed as "The Demon".
Every time the sense of perspective and certain grounded-ness shines through (and especially in that video
Sheriff posted, where
Simmons actually cracks and laughs), it elevates the band for me. Especially as it is one of the ways (along with downright bizarre, but eventually respectable decisions like
Music from the Elder) the band can actually escape the corporate mindset that Simmons especially seems to have from the start.
(I realise this might be an unexpected take from me, since I am tired of the post-modern insincerity in everything, of the "Marvelisation" of cinema, of irony and everything else that protects cowardly artist from sincerity and having to actually engage emotions and such.
But with Kiss, it's necessary.)
God Gave Rock N Roll is an attempt at... well... pathos. By Kiss. And I don't know myself whether I consider it good or extreme cringe.
I think if KISS didn’t capture your imagination when you were younger, I don’t believe they have it in them to capture a fully developed brain.
For what it's worth, having suffered from reading seven and a half books by Sapkowski (some of them several times, as I repeatedly couldn't finish the series and started over), in the realm of
"overrated dumb things that you can only properly like if you discover it when you're 13 - and then you become weirdly obsessed with it", Kiss are actually rather high-brow, enjoyable, respectable and overall exceptional and admirable in my book.
As someone who discovered them only as an adult, I see a band with obvious songwriting talent (at least potentially; not always utilised well), professional output (in terms of production and ... well,
competent instrumental presentation) and somewhat original shtick/identity, with their overall career slanting toward mediocrity at best (and I wish they concentrated on their strong sides more), but in general, while I don't get the extremes (extreme love / extreme hate), I think the band should be universally mildly liked. Which is more than I can say about a lot of other bands.
