Deuce (song)

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"Deuce" is a song written by KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons that first appeared on KISS' eponymous 1974 debut album. Live versions appear on Alive! (performed by the original KISS lineup of Simmons, guitarists Paul Stanley and Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss), and Alive III (which featured the lineup of Simmons, Stanley, guitarist Bruce Kulick and drummer Eric Singer).

Remastered or reworked versions have appeared on later KISS compilation albums such as Double Platinum and Smashes, Thrashes & Hits.

"Deuce", in addition to being one of the band's most popular and most-covered songs, is a traditional concert opener.

According to Gene Simmons, he simply copped the bassline of The Rolling Stones' "Bitch" and played it more or less backwards. He says he wrote the entire song nearly linearly; the riff came first, then the bridge, then finally the chorus.

"Deuce" also has special significance for Ace Frehley, who calls it his favorite KISS song.

"When I auditioned for KISS", recalls Frehley, "they said, 'We're going to play you a song for you to listen to, and then try playing along — it's in the key of 'A'. They played ["Deuce"] as a three-piece. I thought, 'That's easy enough,' so I got up and wailed for four minutes playing lead work over it."

Paul Stanley admits the lightly phased intro was copped from a song called "Go All the Way" by The Raspberries.

The lyrics for "Deuce" are rather ambiguous, Gene Simmons admitted, "Lyrically, I had no idea what I was talking about. Sometimes stuff means a lot, sometimes it means nothing."

It has been widely construed by fans as a song about a man having two sexual encounters with a woman on the same night.

One of the more well-known cover versions appeared on the official KISS-authorized tribute album, KISS My Ass. It was performed by Lenny Kravitz with Stevie Wonder guesting on harmonica. Ace Frehley has played "Deuce" live during his solo career and a live version of it appears on his 1997 album, 12 Picks.