Detroit Rock City

"Detroit Rock City" began with a guitar part by Paul Stanley, who explained: "I had the basic riff of the song, the 'get up, get down' part, but I didn't know what the song was about except it was about Detroit."^{[4][full citation needed]}

Stanley explained the song's origin further in 2023:

"Detroit Rock City" is an interesting one, because Detroit really embraced us before any other city. We were an opening act everywhere else, and in Detroit we were a headliner. It started as a tribute to Detroit, and then it kind of took a left turn, because we played Charlotte once, and somebody coming to the arena was killed in an accident. And I thought how bizarre that somebody on their way to something so life affirming loses their life. So there's a juxtaposition in that song about singing about how great Detroit is, and actually about someone going to the show who doesn't make it.^[5]

Bassist Gene Simmons played an R&B-influenced bassline, which he considered a departure from his usual style.^[6]

In 2014, Paste ranked the song number three on their list of the 20 greatest Kiss songs,^[7] and in 2019, Louder Sound ranked the song number one on their list of the 40 greatest Kiss songs.^[8]

Kiss

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

Additional personnel

• Bob Ezrin – spoken word and keyboards