KISS bassist and vocalist Gene Simmons and guitarist Paul Stanley are set to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on Thursday (June 11) in New York.
In an interview with Anthony Mason of CBS's weekday morning TV show CBS Mornings, the duo reflected on their five-decade-long musical partnership as well as the band's legacy.
When discussing how they wrote 'Rock And Roll All Nite,' the anthem most closely linked to KISS and one of the most recognizable rock songs ever recorded, Stanley said: “People didn't know rock anthems at the time, and fortuitously the head of the record company said, “You need an anthem.” I said, “What does that even mean?” And he said, “You need a song like SLY & THE FAMILY STONE 'Dance To The Music,\u2026” with lyrics like “I wanna take you higher.” So I went back to the hotel — Gene and I both went back — and I sat in my room and I thought, “What encapsulates this?” And I thought it's a song of empowerment.
I went, “I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day.“ I knock on Gene's door.
I go, “Gene, I have something.
What do you think?” And Gene goes, “So we stuck those two songs together and presto chango, we've been playing that longer than anybody in the studio has been alive.” After Mason noted that there is both a rivalry and a brotherhood between Paul and Gene, Stanley concurred.
Yeah But it's all with a purpose,” he said.
What we've always put priority to was the band, trying to make the best music possible.
It's not about winning; it's about sticking to your guns when you think it'll advance the band, so that's always been the common bond between us.
And it's only been rivalry in the same way that brotherly rivalry sometimes brings things to another level,” Asked why they connected in the beginning, Gene said: Oh yeah he hated me… We first met at the behest of a guitar player I grew up with and all that stuff.
I didn't know anybody else wrote songs.“ He said Stan — that was my name at the time — “his writes songs too.” And Gene goes Yeah What a jerk … So he plays me one and I think What a jerk… So I go Oh yeah, it's not that bad\u2026” The Songwriters Hall Of Fame singled out the KISS songs 'Rock And Roll All Nite,' “I Love It Loud,“ “Calling Dr.
Love,“ “Shout It Out Loud,” and “Christine Sixteen'’ as key works in Stanley and Simmons's catalog.
Stanley and Simmons were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame with the rest of KISS's original lineup in 2014 In December 2025 KISS received the Kennedy Center Honors Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley died last October after a fall at his New Jersey home He was 74 years old KISS played its two final shows ever in December 2023 at New York City's Madison Square Garden The last show held on December 2, 2023 streamed live on pay-per-view.\u2026":