"Nothin' to Lose" 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, ...

, released on their self-titled debut album in 1974. It is the first single the band had ever released and the first single off the album, with "Love Theme from KISS" as the B-side. Although the song failed to chart, it has remained a concert staple during the 1970s and was featured on many live albums and compilations.

Background

Gene Simmons, the sole writer of the song, admitted that the song's lyrics chronicled the singer coercing his girlfriend into trying anal sex, and her subsequent enjoyment of it. Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, and

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 ...

share the lead vocals on the song. The song was the first Kiss song to feature an extra player, as Bruce Foster played piano on the track. His contribution was noted on the sleeve of the album. "Nothin' to Lose" was one of the first songs Kiss performed on their first national appearances, on ABC's '' In Concert'' on February 19 (the show aired on March 29). Other songs performed on the show were "

Firehouse __NOTOC__ A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equipment, fire h ...

" and " Black Diamond".

Reception

'' Cash Box'' said that "one of the finest, new heavy metal bands to come out of New York City in some time debuts here (with Kerner-Wise at the controls) with a very heavy, very tasty rocker reminiscent of Deep Purple, yet able to stand freely alone on its own merits." '' Record World'' called it a "hard rocker par excellence" with "big gutsy vocals and heavy instrumentals."

Live performances

"Nothin' to Lose" was played often during the 1970s, but largely ignored during the 1980s. In the 1990s, the band performed the song at the Kiss Convention (one time with

) and ''

MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV showcasing musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 and less frequently from 2000 to 2009, when it was usually billed as ''MTV Un ...

'', and during the Psycho Circus show in Los Angeles.

Appearances

"Nothin' to Lose" has appeared on the following Kiss albums: *''

'' - studio version *'' Alive!'' - live version *'' The Originals'' - studio version *''

Kiss Unplugged ''Kiss Unplugged'' is a live album by the American rock band Kiss, released in 1996. It was recorded in studio for the television program ''MTV Unplugged'' and released as part of a series of live and video albums. It is the first Kiss live a ...

'' - live version *'' The Box Set'' - studio version and the Unplugged version *''

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

'' - studio version *'' Kiss Chronicles: 3 Classic Albums'' - studio version *''

Kiss Alive! 1975–2000 ''Kiss Alive! 1975–2000'' is a collection of live recordings from American hard rock band Kiss, released by Universal Music on November 21, 2006. This box set marks the debut appearance of Kiss' Millennium Concert performance, recorded on Dec ...

'' - Alive! version *''

Kiss Alive 35 ''Kiss Alive 35'' is a series of 2 CD live albums, each containing a recording of the complete set from a European show on the KISS Alive/35 World Tour from 2008. The second set of recordings from the North American leg of this tour was release ...

'' - live version Other appearances: * B-side of the " Kissin' Time" single *B-side of the " Shout It Out Loud" live single

Track listing

A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

- "Nothin' to Lose" * B-side - "Love Theme from KISS"

Personnel

;Kiss * Gene Simmons – bass, lead vocals *

– drums, lead vocals *

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 ...

– rhythm guitar, lead vocals *

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 ;Additional personnel * Bruce Foster –

acoustic piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

, additional guitar

References

{{authority control Kiss (band) songs 1974 debut singles Songs written by Gene Simmons 1974 songs Casablanca Records singles Warner Records singles Anal eroticism