They sell out stadiums the world over. They have pinball machines and hundreds of other merchandise. They're iconic. So when I thought one day 'oh, what are their hits, I'm sure I'll know some' (as is the case with a lot of people I look up) and I realised, 'They don't have hits.'
The songs may not have charted, but I would say that 'Rock and Roll all Nite' and 'I Was Made For Lovin You' have longevity.
shareI'm unsure of what you mean, how are you judging 'hits?'
Detroit Rock City
Beth
I Was Made for Loving You
KISS seemed to have a bunch
If he doesn’t « know » it, it’s not a hit.
shareI would agree that seems to be the criteria in use here. A quick glance at their discography reveals multiple top 40 hits, including Beth (#4) and Forever (#8) making the top 10. Other songs like:
Rock and Roll All Night
Shout it out Loud
Hard Luck Woman
I was Made for Lovin’ You
All were top 20 hits and are still in rotation on most classic rock stations.
So the question is: what is the original OP’s criterion for what defines a “hit”? Chart position? Longevity? It seems that his ability to recognize a song is the only thing he uses to determine what is a hit and what isn’t. If he wishes to give us more information so we can all agree on what brands a song as a hit, we could better answer this question.
Rush
shareGood band
shareFunny that Rush used to open for Kiss back in the 70’s!
They are another perfect example of a band that may not have had songs that initially charted highly (New World Man at #21 was their highest charting song), but they do have a number of instantly recognizable hits that people readily know, with Tom Sawyer as the leader of that pack.
And, man, could they play live! I will miss them now that Neil has retired.
Best drummer
shareYou don't immediately think of I Was Made for Lovin' You? Because that was definitely a hit over here in Europe.
shareCrazy Crazy Nights - UK No.4
God Gave Rock and Roll To You - UK No.4
But I get what you mean.
How about Led Zeppelin?
Whole lotta lovin’ hit #4 on the Billboard charts.
Immigrant song made it to #16 on the Billboard Hot 100.
And, just to show that a song does not have to initially chart to be a hit... no one can argue that Stairway to Heaven is not one of the most recognizable hits ever recorded.
As a massive Zep fan I completely agree that Stairway to Heaven is a classic, but here in the UK they deliberately refused to release singles, sticking a huge two fingers up at the record industry. Granted, they had hits in the US and pretty well everywhere else, but it is funny that one of the biggest bands in the world never had a hit in their home country.
I also agree that the OP needs to make the criteria clearer regarding his definition of a hit.
KISS is the best example of a band that isn't good. Nothing catchy. Not a single member is talented. Lyrically they are average. To be honest, I think if they didn't have the whole gimmick of the way they dressed, they would have been swept under the rug.
shareI disagree Samoa
They had tons of hits, millions of fans, have been in movie scores...KISS is pretty awesome
Their merchandising alone has made them millions
I have two KISS T-shirts, I'm pretty sure most people do
Kiss are awesome! I saw them in England around 1982 on their unmasked tour.
shareThey are more of a performance band instead of singer songwriter band. They can play other people's songs and still sold out.
shareIncorrect my friend
Stanley and Simmons wrote most of their songs and they performed as Rock Gods should
Agreed that their performances were epic👍
KISS...no questioning these guys
Kiss, for me, is one of those bands that I'm sure I can't name a single song I know from them - until someone mentions "I wanna rock'n'roll all night" and then I go "Ohh okay, well there's that one." I don't think I know any other songs by them, though, and I think I even walk around thinking that one song is by any number of other similar bands, Motley Crue or someone.
shareMotley Crue is another example of a famous band that I went 'oh, what are their big hits? I'm sure I'll know them when I hear them' and I watched a documentary on them and they didn't have hits. Famous for being infamous I think.
shareKickstart my heart
Dr. Feelgood
Girls, Girls, Girls
Home sweet home
All charted in the top 40, some in the top 20.
I was never a fan of the band personally, but I know their major hits, many of which (especially Home sweet home) are staples of classic rock radio.
Yep, all those bands tend to get mixed up for me and I can't name a song - or I think they did another band's song!
share