A World Without Heroes
Encyclopedia
"A World Without Heroes" is a song by the American
hard rock
band Kiss
. It is credited as being written by Gene Simmons
, Paul Stanley
, Lou Reed
and Bob Ezrin
, and was originally recorded and released on their 1981 album Music from "The Elder".
Originally titled "Every Little Bit of Your Heart", the lyrics were changed in order the fit the concept of the album, which Lou Reed contributed the line "A world without heroes, is like a world without sun" to the lyrics.
The song is a slow ballad which features Simmons on lead vocals and Stanley on guitar solo. It was released as the lone single from The Elder album and reached #56 in the U.S.
and #55 in the UK
.
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A video was made to help promote the single, and was the first Kiss video to be played on MTV
.
Despite the video and chart performance of the single, Kiss did not play the song live until fan request at Kiss conventions in the mid 90s led them to performing an acoustic version on their 1996 Kiss Unplugged
performance and subsequent album.
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
. It is credited as being written by Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
, Paul Stanley
Paul Stanley
Stanley Harvey Eisen , better known by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American hard rock guitarist, singer, musician, painter and songwriter best known for being the rhythm guitarist and primary lead vocalist of the rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's...
, Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
and Bob Ezrin
Bob Ezrin
Robert Alan "Bob" Ezrin is a Canadian music producer and keyboardist, known for his work with artists including Alice Cooper, Kiss and Pink Floyd. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2004.-Biography:...
, and was originally recorded and released on their 1981 album Music from "The Elder".
Originally titled "Every Little Bit of Your Heart", the lyrics were changed in order the fit the concept of the album, which Lou Reed contributed the line "A world without heroes, is like a world without sun" to the lyrics.
The song is a slow ballad which features Simmons on lead vocals and Stanley on guitar solo. It was released as the lone single from The Elder album and reached #56 in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and #55 in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
.
Despite the video and chart performance of the single, Kiss did not play the song live until fan request at Kiss conventions in the mid 90s led them to performing an acoustic version on their 1996 Kiss Unplugged
KISS Unplugged
Kiss Unplugged is a Kiss album featuring the group performance in MTV Unplugged.On August 9, 1995, hard rock band Kiss performed on MTV Unplugged in what fans consider the beginning of the eventual Kiss Reunion Tour. Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons contacted former members Peter Criss and Ace Frehley...
performance and subsequent album.
Cher's version
In 1991 Cher recorded a version of this song for her album Love HurtsLove Hurts (Cher album)
Love Hurts is the twenty-first studio album by American singer-actress Cher, released on June 11, 1991 by Geffen Records. The RIAA certified it Gold on August 27, 1991. It is the final studio album with the record label Geffen...
.