Elvis Presley Became a Fan of KISS After Listening to 1 Song Multiple Times

While Elvis Presley and KISS feel like part of two different eras, Elvis was still around to hear the exuberant band before his 1977 death. The members of KISS have praised the Memphis singer in the past. While Presley never publicly shared support for the band, his stepbrother said the “Heartbreak Hotel” singer became a fan after listening to one of their songs multiple times.

Elvis Presley became a fan of KISS after listening to ‘Let Me Go, Rock ‘n’ Roll’ repeatedly

KISS was formed in New York City in 1973 with Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss. The band became famous with early hits, such as “Nothin’ to Lose” and “Firehouse”. Elvis Presley’s stepbrother, Billy Stanley, was a fan of KISS, and bought their 1975 live album, Alive!. He was listening to it in the basement of Graceland when Elvis came down to hear Stanley’s new obsession. 

“I got it cranked up, playing air guitar,” Stanley told Artists on Record. “Elvis comes down [and asks] ‘What are you listening to?’… ‘It’s a band called Kiss’… And I showed him the album cover, and he said, ‘Uh, OK.’ He sat down on the couch, looking at it, and he said, ‘OK, I get it.’”

After listening to a few songs, Presley told Stanley to play “Let Me Go, Rock ‘n’ Roll” again. He listened to the track several times and believed he had figured out what made KISS successful. 

“He said, ‘So play that song again that you was just playing,’” Stanley continued. “It was ‘Let Me Go Rock [and] Roll.’ I played it. I actually played it two times for him, and I was surprised when he said, ‘Play it again.’ I played it again.”“I said, ‘What do you think?’ He said, ‘Well, I understand the whole thing. You know, KISS – keep it simple, stupid. And they got the makeup so they can walk around when they get off the stage. Nobody sees them and knows who they are or anything like that.’ He said, ‘Good idea.’”

“He said, ‘Billy, listen to it. All it is is a ‘50s groove. But that guitar player,’” Stanley shared. “I said, ‘That’s Ace [Frehley].’ He said, ‘That guy’s got some X-rated guitar licks. I really like him.’ Before he walked out of the room, he said, ‘I get it. It’s three chords and a cloud of dust [and] that’s how you do it. And you leave them wanting more. I’m sure that’s how they do it in their live performances.”

Gene Simmons said Elvis should have retired before he ended up ‘naked’ and ‘bloated’

The members of KISS were fans of Elvis and would have been honored to hear his thoughts in person. In 2017, their statues were placed at ICON: The Influence of Elvis Presley Exhibit at Graceland, where artists who the King of rock influenced are featured. 

After almost 50 years of tours and concerts, KISS is retiring after their current End of the Road World Tour. In an interview with Planet Radio, Simmons said they wanted to quit while still on top. He used Elvis as an example of what can happen when an artist refuses to see that they’re no longer the top dog. 

“We’ve all seen boxers who’ve stayed in the ring too long,” Simmons said. “Or poor Elvis [Presley], who ended up naked, bloated on a bathroom floor in Vegas. That ain’t Elvis. Quit while you’re on top. Quit while you have something that resembles people’s preconceived notion of you.”

“Remember we walk out there and introduce ourselves with ‘You wanted the best, you’ve got the best, the hottest band in the world KISS!’” he continued. “Not like, ‘Oh, I remember them when they were really good, you should have seen them back in year one or year two.’ No, it’s right here, right now, and if you can’t deliver the goods on a certain level, have the self-respect to say ‘Thank you, and we’re done.’ We’re approaching 50 years – how long can you do it?”