Paul Stanley recounted the story behind the classic "Strutter," the opening track from Kiss , and confessed some disappointment with the final result of the song in an interview with Classic Rock .
At the time the band's debut album was being created, Stanley and the other members still had regular jobs in other fields. "I was a kid with a big dream, an incredible love for rock 'n' roll, and an uncontrollable desire to succeed and make music my life. It was already my life, but it wasn't paying the bills," he said.
“Strutter” originated from a Gene Simmons called “Stanley The Parrot,” whose melody was transformed into the verses of the final version of the song. “Once the feel of the music changed, it seemed to lend itself to lyrics that captured that air of smugness,” Stanley continued.
Inspired by the attitude and groove of The Rolling Stones ," the lyrics of Kiss's formative classic were inspired by the beauty of New York women in the 1970s, whose image conveyed self-confidence and "exuded sex appeal," as the vocalist explained.
Stanley's problem with the song lies in the studio version, which fails to capture the energy of the track, resulting in a very different sound in live performances.
“When we recorded, honestly, the final result was a little disappointing. It just didn’t sound like how it sounded live. We were a loud and clear rock 'n' roll band, but I didn’t know how to get that live sound in the studio, and for some reason, the people who should have known, didn’t know either,” he said. “When I listen to those early KISS albums, I feel like we sound kind of unfinished, like the less positive attributes of a garage band.”
Despite this, “Strutter” still holds a special place in the musician's heart. “I think it’s one of Kiss’s best songs. One of the best things about Kiss’s early songs is that they were really uninhibited and came from our core: we had nothing to overcome, we just did what excited us,” he concluded.
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