Lick It Up (song)

"Lick It Up"
Single by Kiss
from the album Lick It Up
ReleasedSeptember 18, 1983
Recorded1983
StudioRight Track Studios, New York City
Genre
Length3:56
LabelMercury
Songwriter(s)Paul Stanley, Vinnie Vincent
Producer(s)Michael James Jackson, Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons
Kiss singles chronology
"I Love It Loud" / "Danger"
(1982) 		"Lick It Up" / "Dance All Over Your Face"
(1983) 		"All Hell's Breakin' Loose" / "Young and Wasted"
(1984)
Audio sample
"Lick It Up"
Music video
"Lick It Up" on YouTube

"Lick It Up" is a song by the American rock band Kiss. The title track to the group's 1983 album of the same name, it was released as the album's first single. Musicians Paul Stanley and Vinnie Vincent composed the song.[5] It was a Top 40 hit in the United Kingdom,[6] although it failed to chart as highly in the band's native U.S.

"Lick It Up" has been staple of the band's live performances. Due to its popularity among fans, Kiss has performed the song over 1,500 times as of December 2024, making it one of the group's top ten most-played pieces.[7]

Song information

A video was made to promote the single. It was the first music clip to feature the band without its makeup. The video premiered on MTV on September 18, 1983, in a half-hour special hosted by J. J. Jackson. Despite the hype and promotion for the single, it stalled at #66 on the American Billboard Hot 100.[8] However, the song broke into the Top 40 in several other countries.[9]

Kiss has performed "Lick It Up" on most of its tours since the single's release. The track was featured on the group's live albums Alive III and Kiss Symphony: Alive IV. It also appears on 2001's The Box Set. While a few others have been played in limited to rare occasions over the years, it is the only song from the band's unmasked era that has been regularly played live as a setlist staple since they returned to wearing their trademark makeup in 1996.

Reception

The American trade publication Cash Box stated that "high lead and backup vocals over a slowly throbbing guitar and drum rhythm set up an instructive lesson in feeling good." The single was named as one of the journal's 'Feature Picks'.[5]

Personnel

Kiss

Charts

Chart (1983-1984) Peak
position
Argentina Singles (CAPIF)[10] 4
Australian Singles (Kent Music Report)[11] 82
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[12] 32
French Singles (IFOP)[13] 58
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[14] 24
UK Singles (OCC)[15] 31
US Billboard Hot 100[16] 66
  • The song is featured in the TV series The Sopranos
  • It is also featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, on the V-Rock radio station.
  • The Kiss Symphony version appears in the video game Tony Hawk's Underground.
  • The studio version of the song appears in the TV series "Family Guy" during the episode "Girl, Internetted". In particular, this use is a running gag through the episode, including a scene where character Brian claims his Hummer he is temporarily driving is so manly the radio plays only this song repeatedly- and indeed, when he tries to change to a different station, it merely switches to a different portion of the song. It also crosses over with another running gag of the episode when Brian and Stewie use an option where Sam Elliott briefly narrates the lyrics at the end.
  • The studio version of the song appears in the 2001 film Rock Star
  • The studio version of the song appears in the 2022 film Bones and All

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Ultimate Hair Metal Party Playlist". Kerrang!. April 5, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  2. ^ Prato, Greg. "KISSology - Kiss | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  3. ^ Masley, Ed (July 8, 2014). "Best '80s pop-metal songs, from Def Leppard to Poison". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  4. ^ Everley, Dave; Barton, Geoff; Elliott, Paul; Sharp, Ken (July 15, 2019). "The 40 best Kiss songs of all time". Classic Rock. p. 3. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. November 12, 1983. p. 8. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  6. ^ "Officialcharts.com - Kiss". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  7. ^ "Kiss Tour Statistics - Songs Played Total". Setlist.fm. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  8. ^ "Billboard singles chart history-Kiss". Retrieved February 18, 2009.
  9. ^ International Chart History
  10. ^ "International Bestsellers" (PDF). Cashbox. February 4, 1984.
  11. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  12. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4439." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  13. ^ "Accès direct aux Artistes (K): choose Kiss". Infodisc.fr. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  14. ^ "Kiss – Lick It Up". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  15. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  16. ^ "Kiss Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 20, 2024.