Kiss gave us a lot of great songs—some of which have very interesting stories behind them. For example, Kiss’ Paul Stanley said he wrote one of the band’s signature hits, “I Was Made for Lovin’ You,” inside of a “musical whorehouse.” Here’s a look at the “den of iniquity” which inspired one of the most enduring disco/rock hybrid songs ever—and how the public reacted to the track.
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Kiss’ Paul Stanley’s experiences in a ‘den of iniquity’
During a section of his book Face the Music: A Life Exposed, Stanley discusses going to Studio 54 in the late 1970s. “I had heard all these 126-beats-per-minute songs and listened to the lyrics and thought, ‘Gee, I can do that,’” he said. “I went home and set a drum machine to 126 BPM and sat down and started ‘I Was Made for Lovin’ You.’ It’s funny that some Kiss fans think the song has a sanitized connotation of disco because it was written in a musical whorehouse.”
Stanley elaborated on his experiences at Studio 54. “Studio 54 was a den of iniquity; it was sordid—to a level and degree that I wasn’t completely comfortable with,” he said. “It was hardcore debauchery—sexual relations between everybody and anybody and drugs everywhere… But I loved going there to dance. Nobody at Studio 54 wore a white suit and danced like John Travolta. I could go down there in jeans and a T-shirt and dance. Sometimes I’d go there on a Saturday night and not leave until the next morning.”
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Stanley felt Studio 54 was about living “in the moment.” Subsequently, this vibe inspired him to write the opening lyrics of the song: Tonight I’m gonna give it all to you. Afterward, he worked on the track with songwriter Desmond Child and producer Vini Poncia. The studio version of the track blew Stanley away when he first heard it —even if he didn’t like it as much as “Love Gun” or “Detroit Rock City.”
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How the world reacted to ‘I Was Made for Lovin’ You’
A very seedy place inspired “I Was Made for Lovin’ You.” However, that didn’t stop it from becoming a mainstream hit. The track reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, remaining on the chart for 16 weeks. In addition, its parent album, Dynasty, was a hit as well. The album reached No. 9 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 25 weeks.
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Afterward, “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” resonated in pop culture for decades to come. For example, Ewan McGregor performed a snippet of it in the “Elephant Love Medley” from Moulin Rouge!, which features lyrics from a number of famous songs about love. In addition, Jack Black sang a parody of “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” about Nickelodeon slime called “I Was Made For Sliming You” at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards. “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” has seedy origins, however, it became a lasting hit.
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