"Christine Sixteen" is a song by American hard rock band

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

. It originally appeared on their 1977 album '' Love Gun''. Released as a single in the US in 1977, the song peaked at number 25 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart that year, and did well in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, peaking at number 22. Written and sung by bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons, the song is about an older man who is infatuated with a 16-year-old girl named Christine. The song's subject and lyrics were controversial and made some hit radio stations reluctant to put it on their playlists, while others (including WABC in the band's home town of New York, and WKBW in Buffalo) only played it after 7 PM as an album cut. The song's title was originated by bandmate

Paul Stanley Paul Stanley (born Stanley Bert Eisen; January 20, 1952) is an American musician who is the co-founder, frontman, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's most popula ...

who was planning to write a song under the title, until Simmons beat him to it.Leaf, David and Ken Sharp. ''KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography'', Warner Books, 2003. Two different time lengths are printed on the single; one at 3:13, and another at 2:52. Both versions run 3:10. According to interviews in '' Guitar World'', both

Eddie Eddie or Eddy may refer to: Science and technology *Eddy (fluid dynamics), the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current created when the fluid flows past an obstacle * Eddie (text editor), a text editor originally for BeOS and now ported to Lin ...

and

Alex Van Halen Alexander Arthur Van Halen (; born May 8, 1953) is an American musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the rock band Van Halen. The band was formed in 1972 by Alex Van Halen, his younger brother Eddie, David Lee Roth, and Mark S ...

played on the original demos. When Kiss recorded their version of the song, Simmons said that he made Frehley copy Eddie's solo from the demo. '' Cash Box'' said that "it's a tale of teenage lust, put to a bump and grind rock accompaniment that utilizes channel-hopping vocals." The song was sampled by Tone Lōc in his 1989 song "

Funky Cold Medina "Funky Cold Medina" is a hip hop song written by Young MC, Matt Dike and Michael Ross, and first performed by American rapper, actor and producer Tone Lōc. It was the second single from Lōc's debut album, '' Lōc-ed After Dark'' (1989). The ...

". The song was covered by the

Gin Blossoms Gin Blossoms is an American alternative rock band formed in 1987 in Tempe, Arizona. They rose to prominence following the 1992 release of their first major label album, ''New Miserable Experience'', and the first single released from that albu ...

on the 1994 Kiss

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

'' Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved'' and by All on '' Hard to Believe: Kiss Covers Compilation''. The song was also covered by punk/goth band The Nuns on their 2003 album ''New York Vampires''.

Credited personnel

On ''Love Gun''; * Gene Simmons – lead vocals, bass guitar *

Ace Frehley Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley (; born April 27, 1951) is an American musician, best known as the original lead guitarist and co-founding member of the hard rock band Kiss. He invented the persona of The Spaceman (a.k.a. Space Ace) and played wit ...

– lead guitar, backing vocals *

– rhythm guitar, backing vocals *

Peter Criss George Peter John Criscuola (born December 20, 1945), better known by his stage name Peter Criss, is a retired American musician, best known as a co-founder, original drummer, and vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss. Criss established The Ca ...

– drums, percussion, backing vocals *

Eddie Kramer Edwin H. Kramer (born 19 April 1942) is a British recording producer and engineer. He has collaborated with several artists now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, including Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin ...

– piano

Uncredited personnel

*Gene Simmons – rhythm guitar On ''Sonic Boom''; * Gene Simmons – lead vocals, bass guitar *

Tommy Thayer Thomas Cunningham Thayer (born November 7, 1960) is an American musician and songwriter. He is the lead guitarist and vocalist for the American hard rock band Kiss. He was also lead guitarist for the band Black 'n Blue. Early life Thomas Cu ...

– lead guitar, backing vocals *

– rhythm guitar *

Eric Singer Eric Singer (born Eric Doyle Mensinger; May 12, 1958) is an American drummer. Associated with the hard rock band Kiss since 1991, he has also performed with artists such as Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Lita Ford, Badlands, Brian May and Gary ...

– drums, backing vocals

Uncredited personnel

* Brian Whelan – piano

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control Kiss (band) songs 1977 singles Casablanca Records singles Songs written by Gene Simmons 1977 songs Obscenity controversies in music Sexuality and age in fiction