In New York City in 1973, Paul “Starchild” Stanley, Gene “Demon” Simmons, Ace “Spaceman” Frehley, and Peter “Catman” Criss came together to form the rock band, Kiss. While their most distinguishing feature is their face paint, their universally-loved music has made them one of the world’s definitive glam rock bands. The band has racked up more than 75 million record sales worldwide.
Rock-loving filmmakers have taken notice of Kiss' wildly popular music and used it in their movies. From “God Gave Rock ‘n’ Roll to You II” to “I Was Made for Lovin’ You,” Kiss' rocking tracks have been used in all kinds of contexts in movies.
“I Was Made For Lovin’ You” In Why Him?
Although the script is far from perfect, Christmas comedy Why Him? is anchored by James Franco and Bryan Cranston’s chemistry as a young tech magnate and the cranky dad whose daughter he’s dating.
The father and daughter at the heart of the story have a shared love of Kiss' music, and in the heartfelt finale, Laird hires Kiss members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley to show up at his proposal.
“Beth” In Wet Hot American Summer
David Wain’s cult comedy classic Wet Hot American Summer gave early roles to a handful of actors who went on to become huge stars, like Bradley Cooper, Amy Poehler, and Paul Rudd.
Kiss' “Beth” plays on the soundtrack when the guy who captured the flag is being chased. Coop (Michael Showalter) falls over and plays it off in front of Katie (Marguerite Moreau).
“Calling Dr. Love” In Magic Mike
Steven Soderbergh had a lot of interesting soundtrack opportunities in Magic Mike because the Channing Tatum-starring drama revolves around male strippers and every dance scene needed an accompanying song.
Alongside “Feels Like the First Time” by Foreigner and “Got 2 Luv U” by Sean Paul, “Calling Dr. Love” by Kiss also appears on the Magic Mike soundtrack.
“Rock And Roll All Nite” In The Nice Guys
Shane Black’s neo-noir comedy thriller The Nice Guys is one of the most underappreciated movies of the 2010s. Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe’s chemistry as mismatched private eyes should have been strong enough to launch a lucrative hard-R buddy cop franchise.
In the scene set at the bowling alley, “Rock and Roll All Nite” can be heard in the background. The Kiss hit establishes the 1970s setting with one of the decade’s most prominent rock bands.
“Do You Remember Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio?” In School Of Rock
In Richard Linklater’s School of Rock, Jack Black plays a wannabe rock star, Dewey, and the movie’s screenwriter Mike White plays his roommate, Ned, who used to be a musician like Dewey but gave up the dream for a stabler career as a substitute teacher long ago.
After being kicked out of his own band, Dewey decides to form a new band and tries to recruit Ned. During this scene, “Do You Remember Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio?” by Kiss is playing in their apartment.
“Love Theme From Kiss” In Somewhere
Kiss' instrumental track “Love Theme from Kiss” evolved from a song called “Acrobat” that the band played in their early-‘70s club gigs.
Sofia Coppola used the song on the soundtrack of her 2010 movie Somewhere. It’s the first song that plays during the scene set at Johnny’s house.
“Detroit Rock City” In Paul Blart: Mall Cop
While it’s hardly a masterpiece, there are some great gags in the Kevin James action comedy Paul Blart: Mall Cop. Plot-wise, the movie is basically “Die Hard in a mall,” with an inept security guard atop a Segway taking on a band of terrorists that take over a shopping mall.
During the scene in which the thieves initially break into the mall to pull off their heist, Paul Blart is obliviously playing “Detroit Rock City” on Guitar Hero.
“God Gave Rock ‘N’ Roll To You II” In Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey
In the early '90s, Kiss covered the song “God Gave Rock and Roll to You” under the title “God Gave Rock ‘n’ Roll to You II.” Originally released as a single from the soundtrack of Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, the track later appeared on the Kiss album Revenge.
Kiss covered the song as a power ballad and significantly altered the lyrics. It was recorded during the band’s “no makeup” phase before they returned to their familiar glammed-up look in 1996.
“Love Gun” In Role Models
When Wheeler is first assigned to watch over Ronnie in the court-ordered Sturdy Wings program in Role Models, he takes him back to his apartment introduces him to his favorite band, Kiss.
He plays “Love Gun” and insists that the song is about Paul Stanley's anatomical... love gun.
“Rock And Roll All Nite” In Dazed And Confused
After Pickford’s parents catch on to his plans to throw a party at their house in Dazed and Confused, they cancel their trip and the party is called off. In its place, Wooderson arranges a beer bust out in the woods.
Kiss' “Rock and Roll All Nite” plays on the soundtrack as everybody heads to the party. The use of a Kiss song ties in with Pickford showing off the statues of the members of Kiss on the back of his car.