Lick It Up (song)
Encyclopedia
"Lick It Up" is a glam metal
song by the American
hard rock band Kiss
. It is the title track on their 1983
album of the same name
.
Written by guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley
and guitarist Vinnie Vincent
, the song was released as the first single from the album in 1983.
A video was made to promote the single. It was the first video to feature the band without its famous makeup. The video premiered on MTV
on September 18, 1983 in a half-hour special hosted by J.J. Jackson. Despite all the hype and promotion for the single, it stalled at #66 on the American Billboard Hot 100
, although it broke into the Top 40 in several other countries.
"Lick It Up" has been played by the band on most of their tours since its release, and was on the Kiss live albums Alive III
and Kiss Symphony: Alive IV
. The song also appears on 2001
s The Box Set. As of 2010, it is one of only a select few songs from their non-makeup era that are still performed live, and it is the only one of those few that can be considered a genuine fixture in their setlist.
The guitar bridge after the second iteration of the chorus was intended to be a full-fledged guitar solo; however, it is said that the solo recorded by Vinnie Vincent was not approved for the song, and he was asked by Gene Simmons
to make another solo. Upset, Vincent made a bridge followed by a breakdown instead.
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
song by the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hard 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 the title track on their 1983
1983 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1983.-January-April:*January – ZTT Records is founded.*January 8 – The UK singles chart is tabulated from this week forward by The Gallup Organization...
album of the same name
Lick It Up
Lick It Up is the 11th studio album by the U.S. band Kiss. On the day of the album's release, Kiss appeared on MTV without their trademark makeup. It was the first public appearance without makeup by Kiss since the very early days of the band...
.
Written by guitarist/vocalist 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...
and guitarist Vinnie Vincent
Vinnie Vincent
Vincent John Cusano, better known as Vinnie Vincent, is an American guitarist from Bridgeport, Connecticut and songwriter known for his brief membership in the band Kiss.-Replacing Ace Frehley in Kiss:...
, the song was released as the first single from the album in 1983.
A video was made to promote the single. It was the first video to feature the band without its famous makeup. The video premiered on MTV
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....
on September 18, 1983 in a half-hour special hosted by J.J. Jackson. Despite all the hype and promotion for the single, it stalled at #66 on the American Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, although it broke into the Top 40 in several other countries.
"Lick It Up" has been played by the band on most of their tours since its release, and was on the Kiss live albums Alive III
Alive III
"Take It Off" originally was a bonus track on the Japanese, European and South American CD releases and the US vinyl release only, being placed between "Forever" and "I Love It Loud"...
and Kiss Symphony: Alive IV
KISS Symphony: Alive IV
Kiss Symphony: Alive IV is a 2003 live album from Kiss performing with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra . The arrangements were made by David Campbell, who also conducted the MSO. It is the group's fourth album in the Alive series and first release under Kiss Records and Sanctuary Records...
. The song also appears on 2001
2001 in music
See also:* 2001 in music Record labels established in 2001-Events:*January 1**Comeback of Guns N' Roses in House of Blues**Hum disbands.*January 17 – Bass player Jason Newsted leaves Metallica after 14 years with the band....
s The Box Set. As of 2010, it is one of only a select few songs from their non-makeup era that are still performed live, and it is the only one of those few that can be considered a genuine fixture in their setlist.
The guitar bridge after the second iteration of the chorus was intended to be a full-fledged guitar solo; however, it is said that the solo recorded by Vinnie Vincent was not approved for the song, and he was asked 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:...
to make another solo. Upset, Vincent made a bridge followed by a breakdown instead.