{"id":222742,"date":"2026-01-14T12:20:45","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T17:20:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2026\/01\/14\/peter-criss-shuts-down-gene-simmons-claim-about-the-kiss-classic-beth-he-talks-about-things-he-doesnt-know-about-2\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T12:20:45","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T17:20:45","slug":"peter-criss-shuts-down-gene-simmons-claim-about-the-kiss-classic-beth-he-talks-about-things-he-doesnt-know-about-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2026\/01\/14\/peter-criss-shuts-down-gene-simmons-claim-about-the-kiss-classic-beth-he-talks-about-things-he-doesnt-know-about-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Peter Criss Shuts Down Gene Simmons\u2019 Claim About the KISS Classic \u2018Beth\u2019: \u2018He Talks About Things He Doesn\u2019t Know\u00a0About\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

\n\tPeter Criss is countering KISS<\/a> bandmate Gene Simmons\u2019 recent claim that the Catman \u201chad nothing to do\u201d with the group\u2019s 1976 hit, \u201cBeth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n

\n

\t\t\t\t\tRelated\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

\n
\n

\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n
\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Gene<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n
\n

\n

\t\t\t\t\tPeter Criss Shares What Ace Frehley Told Him About KISS\u2019 Kennedy Center Honors Before His\u00a0Passing\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

<\/time><\/p><\/div>\n

\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n
\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Donald<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n
\n

\n

\t\t\t\t\tKISS, Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor Talk 2025 Kennedy Center Honors: \u2018It\u2019s Not Only About What You Get From People, It\u2019s What You Give\u00a0Them\u2019\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

<\/time><\/p><\/div>\n

\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n
\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"La<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n
\n

\n

\t\t\t\t\tLa Arrolladora Banda El Lim\u00f3n & Juanes Take Over Regional Mexican Airplay Chart\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

<\/time><\/p><\/div>\n

\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tCriss co-wrote \u2014 along with the late Stan Penridge and producer Bob Ezrin \u2014 and sang the group\u2019s atypical ballad. It was initially released as the B-side to \u201cDetroit Rock City,\u201d but after garnering airplay on its own, became KISS\u2019 biggest hit, peaking at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was certified gold by the RIAA and won the People\u2019s Choice Award for favorite song in 1977. \u201cBeth\u201d appears on KISS\u2019 fourth studio album, Destroyer,<\/em> its first to achieve platinum status.<\/p>\n

\n\tSimmons told YouTube\u2019s Professor of Rock<\/em><\/a> that Criss\u2019 role in the song has been overstated: \u201cPeter had nothing to do with that song. He sang it\u2026The mythology of \u2018Beth\u2019 is exactly that: mythology. The real story is Peter was lucky enough to be in the same place at the same time as a guy who wrote a song called \u2018Beth.’\u201d Contacted by Billboard<\/em>, Criss \u2014 who last month released<\/a> his self-titled first new solo album in 18 years \u2014 says in no uncertain terms that Simmons\u2019 description of the \u201cBeth\u201d creative process is \u201cnot correct.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cGene wouldn\u2019t know how the song was originally written because Gene wasn\u2019t there from the conception of the song in the late \u201860s and he wasn\u2019t there for the completion of the song with Bob Ezrin. Gene\u2019s statements are ridiculous and very uncalled for; he talks about things that he doesn\u2019t know about,\u201d Criss tells Billboard<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWhat Gene\u2019s getting wrong is that as the singing songwriter, I wrote the melody and creating the phrasing for the song that\u2019s on the original demo \u2018Beck\u2019 with Stan Penridge [his late bandmate from the pre-KISS Chelsea]. Out of Stan\u2019s little black book what remained on the reworked version of \u2018Beth\u2019 is Stan\u2019s original verse and chorus, and my core melody remains on the reworked composition. The core melody was expanded with Bob\u2019s orchestration symphony and musical genius. Bob and I sat at the piano at the Record Plant studio working out the song. Bob Ezrin changed the tempo and made it slower, and I worked on changing some of the second verse and the phrasing with the slower tempo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tCriss adds that, \u201cBob Ezrin changed the title from \u2018Beck\u2019 to \u2018Beth\u2019 \u2014 not Gene or anybody else. It was Bob Ezrin; He asked me, \u2018Peter, do you mind if we change the title?\u2019 I said, \u2018Absolutely not. Beth is much better.\u2019 Bob took the song home and fixed the rest of the lyrics and the structure of the song. He added piano, some time changes and the incredible orchestra composition which elevated the song beyond my wildest my dreams. It was mind-blowing.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe day the New York Philharmonic came in and recorded its part was one of the most beautiful days of my life. Stan\u2019s input, my input, my voice and mostly Bob\u2019s absolute musical genius is responsible for the success of \u2018Beth.\u2019 Without Bob Ezrin\u2019s input and orchestral composition the song would not be what it is today, and I am so grateful to Bob.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tEzrin, meanwhile, tells Billboard<\/em> that Simmons\u2019 account is \u201cnot exactly how I remember it. I believe from what I was told that the original song was written by Criss and Penridge and was called \u2018Beck.\u2019 It was a bit rockier and more macho. I felt it had potential, so I asked to take it home and play with it a bit. I did slow it down, as Gene says, and I created that piano part but also (made it) more vulnerable and sensitive\u2026. It became more of a tragedy where both their hearts were broken. The section in the middle of \u2018Great Expectations,\u2019 another song on the same album, was public domain,\u00a0but the middle of \u2018Beth\u2019 is my composition.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tCriss, 80, recalls that, \u201cGene and Paul (Stanley) hated the song because it was a ballad and they did not want a ballad. It was Bob Ezrin who suggested the band needed a ballad because we had no girls in our audience.\u201d The band\u2019s manager, Bill Aucoin, agreed and supported Bob\u2019s idea.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cNo one knew \u2018Beth\u2019 was going to be a big hit. My name was credited to that song before it was a hit. I would not put my name on a song I had nothing to do with.\u00a0 That is not who I am. I would not do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tCriss also took offense at Simmons\u2019 contention on Professor of Rock<\/em> that, \u201cPeter does not write songs. He doesn\u2019t play a musical instrument. Drums are not a musical instrument, by definition. They\u2019re called a percussive instrument. Really important, sometimes extremely important in a band. It was for us. But you cannot play a drum fill that could be (copyrighted). But you can come up with a riff that you can own, and a melody and a lyric. Those can be (copyrighted). But nothing you do on drums will prevent anybody else from directly copying whatever you did and applying it to another song.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tCriss counters that, \u201cI do play an instrument. I play drums within the percussion family and drums are one of the oldest groups of musical instruments and a fundamental part of music. Acting as the rhythmic heartbeat that provides structure, tempo and energy, uniting other instruments and guiding the groove in most genres. Drums are critical for timekeeping, creating the foundation that allows other musicians to synchronize, making them essential for cohesive and popular music like rock, pop and jazz. By definition.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Brooklyn-born Criss, who now resides in New Jersey, served three tenures with KISS, beginning with its founding in 1973 through 1980, then from 1996-2000 and 2002-2004. There\u2019s been a great deal of acrimony with Simmons and Stanley over the years, with the two calling Criss (and the late Ace Frehley<\/a>) out over substance abuses. (Criss has been sober since the early \u201880s.) The three nevertheless accepted the band\u2019s Kennedy Center Honor<\/a> during December in Washington, D.C., a week before the release of the new Peter Criss <\/em>album<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tCriss is planning some personal appearances to promote the album this year and isn\u2019t ruling out the possibility of some concert dates. He\u2019s planning to start working on a follow-up album soon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Aller \u00e0 la source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Peter Criss is countering KISS bandmate Gene Simmons\u2019 recent claim that the Catman \u201chad nothing to do\u201d with the group\u2019s 1976 hit, \u201cBeth.\u201d Related Peter Criss Shares What Ace Frehley Told Him About KISS\u2019 Kennedy Center Honors Before His\u00a0Passing KISS, Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor Talk 2025 Kennedy Center Honors: \u2018It\u2019s Not Only About What You […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-222742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-musique","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=222742"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222742\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=222742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=222742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=222742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}