KISS Songs Explained

A Brief Editorial Comment

For those who weren’t around the first time we looked at this album:

Music From “The Elder” has been a flashpoint for controversy since its release in November 1981. The commercial nadir of the group, it alienated many longtime fans who saw the record as a misguided bid for artistic credibility. That being said, it is undeniable that the album holds a unique¹ place in KISS’s recorded history and demands to be addressed on its own terms. Therefore, I will approach it differently than the preceding albums, or the albums to follow.

Much of the confusion wrought by MFTE has centered on trying to make sense of the storyline intended to run throughout the album. This was not helped by the record company pulling several tracks (The Oath, Dark Light, Odyssey) out of sequence for the US and European release (I will present them in their intended order.) But I feel the storyline is secondary to the true genius of KISS with regard to MFTE. Upon closer inspection, it becomes apparent that they were in fact producing quatrains that eerily predict the trials and tribulations that the band would endure throughout the 1980s, a decade marked by four lead guitarists, tiger-striped spandex, and Paul’s obsession with Body Glove.^TM

¹ For one, no song on the album celebrates (or even alludes to) Gene’s penis.