Reason to Live
| "Reason To Live" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Kiss | ||||
| from the album Crazy Nights | ||||
| Released | November 12, 1987 (US) | |||
| Recorded | 1987: One on One Recording Studios, Canoga Park, California | |||
| Genre | Pop metal[1] | |||
| Length | 4:00 | |||
| Label | Mercury 870 022-7 (US) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Paul Stanley, Desmond Child | |||
| Producer(s) | Ron Nevison | |||
| Kiss singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Reason to Live" on YouTube | ||||
"Reason to Live" is a song by the American hard rock band Kiss. It is featured on the group's 1987 studio album Crazy Nights.
Background
Written by singer/guitarist Paul Stanley and professional songwriter Desmond Child, "Reason to Live" is a power ballad, heavy on keyboards and production. The B-side is the Gene Simmons-helmed album track "Thief in the Night".
Music video
The song's official music video was directed by Marty Callner and produced by Callner, Doug Major and Bill Brigode.[2] It received airplay on MTV.
The video shows the band playing the song live on a large, well-lit stage, interspersed with shots of a young blonde woman (portrayed by Playboy Playmate and model Eloise Broady), who is visibly distressed over relationship troubles with Stanley. She vents her frustrations by throwing a wine bottle at a picture of the two of them and then burning it at the end of the video. When Stanley visits her house, she comes out of hiding and douses his Porsche 928 with gasoline before setting it on fire. It is implied that Stanley ended the relationship with the woman due to her unstable behavior.
The live portion of the video (band performing the song) was filmed in the Orange Pavilion in San Bernardino, California, while the scenes of the woman as well as her house were shot in Hollywood, California. The Porsche in the video was a gift from Simmons to Stanley, in appreciation of the latter's dedication to the band. Simmons' bass bears an image of him in his classic "Demon" makeup.
Chart performance
Released as a single in 1987, the song would prove to be a minor hit for the band. It made the Top 40 charts in the United Kingdom,[3] and reached number 34 on Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks[4] It also peaked at the 64 position on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States in early 1988.[4]
Charts
| Chart (1987–88) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report) | 85 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[5] | 89 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[6] | 33 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[4] | 64 |
| US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[4] | 34 |
References
- ^ "Ghost: Can They Save the Musical Instrument Industry?". Loudwire. June 15, 2018. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
At worst, keyboards were viewed as an essential component of pop-metal power ballads: think of the KISS song "Reason to Live," or Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again."
- ^ KISS Video Information
- ^ International Chart History
- ^ a b c d "Billboard singles chart history-Kiss". Retrieved February 18, 2009.
- ^ "KISS – Reason to Live". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch).
- ^ "REASON TO LIVE by KISS". Official Charts Company.
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