God Gave Rock and Roll to You

"God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II"
Single by Kiss
from the album Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey: Music from the Motion Picture and Revenge
Released	22 August 1991 (1991-08-22)
Format	CD single, 7-inch
Recorded	1991
Genre	Hard rock, heavy metal
Length	5:18
Label	Interscope
Songwriter(s)	Russ Ballard Paul Stanley Gene Simmons Bob Ezrin
Producer(s)	Bob Ezrin
Kiss singles chronology
"Rise to It" / "Silver Spoon" (1990) "God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II" / "Junior's Gone Wild" (1991) "Unholy" / "God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II" (1992)

God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II was covered by the American hard rock band Kiss, with the track being released as a single in 1991 from the soundtrack to the movie Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. It was later included on Kiss' 1992 album Revenge.

Though the power ballad[6] covered the original Argent 1973 version "God Gave Rock and Roll to You", it had substantially modified lyrics in the verses, thus the reason behind the slight change in the name of the song. It is one of the few songs from Kiss' 'non-makeup era' to be played live since the band returned to wearing their trademark makeup in 1996.

It was the last Kiss song to feature longtime drummer Eric Carr before his death three months later after it was released as a single. Although he was too ill to play drums on the track, he is featured on backing vocals during the a cappella break, singing the repeated line "...to everyone, he gave a song to be sung", as well as performing drums during the video for the song. The drum tracks were recorded by Eric Singer, who would become Kiss' full-time drummer following Carr's death.

The single was also the first to feature Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley sharing lead vocals since "I" from 1981's Music from "The Elder".

The video was filmed on 16mm film negative Van Nuys Airport, Van Nuys, California, on July 23 and 24, 1991 and was directed by Mark Rezyka for Mark Freedman Productions. The director of photography was Bernard Auroux. The video was produced by Joseph Sassone; production manager Jack Edward Sawyers; and edited by Scott C. Wilson. It features the band playing in an open space in an airplane hangar with flashbacks of Simmons and Stanley and their old bandmates Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Eric Carr and Vinnie Vincent during the make-up era of Kiss's heyday. There were no prominent clips of Carr or Vincent during the make-up years featured in the video, only a few group clips even though Carr was a part of that era for three-and-a-half-years and Vincent for the entire Creatures of the Night tour. Even though future member Eric Singer plays on the track, Carr appears in the video which would prove to be his last official appearance with the band. During the Kissology Volume Two: 1978-1991 special aired on VH1 classic, Gene Simmons has stated that, "It's not just a cover song for a soundtrack, but a testament to Eric Carr, and I think a lot of people don't realize that."

The song proved to be a big hit for the band in many parts of the world, including making the Top Ten in the United Kingdom and Germany.[7] It reached number 21[8] on Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the US, as well as its video receiving heavy rotation on music television channels.

The version released as a single and on the soundtrack to Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey differs slightly from that played in the film. In the film, a 40-second guitar solo is played by Steve Vai.[9][10] It was later included on Steve Vai's album The Elusive Light and Sound, Vol. 1 under the title "Final Solo".

"God Gave Rock & Roll to You II" would also be included on the Kiss album Alive III, which was released in 1993.[11]

• Paul Stanley – rhythm and lead guitar, lead vocals
• Gene Simmons – bass, lead vocals
• Bruce Kulick – lead guitar, background vocals
• Eric Singer – drums, background vocals
• Eric Carr – background vocals