"God Gave Rock and Roll to You" is a 1973 song by the British band Argent and covered by both Petra, in 1977 and 1984, and Kiss in 1991, both with modified lyrics.
Versions
Argent recorded the song in 1971 during the sessions for their album All Together Now, but it originally did not appear as an album track until 1973's In Deep, and was released as a successful single at that time. The 1997 CD re-release of All Together Now has the track included as a bonus. The original lyrics include a reference to British pop singer Cliff Richard, known for his Christianity. The Christian rock band Petra first released a cover version of the song in their 1977 album Come and Join Us. This version had modified lyrics in the verses from the Argent original, while the chorus remained largely unchanged. Petra then re-recorded and released a somewhat updated version for their 1984 album Beat the System. In 1989, the British band the Truth released a version. The song has also been covered by Bride featuring rap group DOC and by Midtown. Unrest remade the song as "God Gave Rock & Roll To You II" for their 1992 Bavarian Mods EP.
Kiss version
God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II was covered by the American hard rock band Kiss, with the track being released as a single in 1991 from the soundtrack to the movie Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. It was later included on Kiss' 1992 album Revenge. Though the power ballad covered the original Argent 1973 version "God Gave Rock and Roll to You", it had substantially modified lyrics in the verses, thus the reason behind the slight change in the name of the song. It is one of the few songs from Kiss' 'non-makeup era' to be played live since the band returned to wearing their trademark makeup in 1996.
Line-up
It was the last Kiss song to feature longtime drummer Eric Carr before his death three months later after it was released as a single. Although he was too ill to play drums on the track, he is featured on backing vocals during the a cappella break, singing the repeated line "...to everyone, he gave a song to be sung", as well as performing drums during the video for the song. The drum tracks were recorded by Eric Singer, who would become Kiss' full-time drummer following Carr's death. The single was also the first to feature Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley sharing lead vocals since "I" from 1981's Music from "The Elder".
Video
The video was filmed on 16mm film negative Van Nuys Airport, Van Nuys, California, on July 23 and 24, 1991 and was directed by Mark Rezyka for Mark Freedman Productions. The director of photography was Bernard Auroux. The video was produced by Joseph Sassone; production manager Jack Edward Sawyers; and edited by Scott C. Wilson. It features the band playing in an open space in an airplane hangar with flashbacks of Simmons and Stanley and their old bandmates Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Eric Carr and Vinnie Vincent during the make-up era of Kiss's heyday. There were no prominent clips of Carr or Vincent during the make-up years featured in the video, only a few group clips even though Carr was a part of that era for three-and-a-half-years and Vincent for the entire Creatures of the Night tour. Even though future member Eric Singer plays on the track, Carr appears in the video which would prove to be his last official appearance with the band. During the special aired on VH1 classic, Gene Simmons has stated that, "It's not just a cover song for a soundtrack, but a testament to Eric Carr, and I think a lot of people don't realize that."
Chart performance
The song proved to be a big hit for the band in many parts of the world, including making the Top Ten in the United Kingdom and Germany. It reached number 21 on Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the US, as well as its video receiving heavy rotation on music television channels.
Versions
The version released as a single and on the soundtrack to Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey differs slightly from that played in the film. In the film, a 40-second guitar solo is played by Steve Vai. It was later included on Steve Vai's album The Elusive Light and Sound, Vol. 1 under the title "Final Solo". "God Gave Rock & Roll to You II" would also be included on the Kiss album Alive III, which was released in 1993.
Personnel
Paul Stanley – rhythm and lead guitar, lead vocals
