"Strutter" is a song by the American rock band Kiss. It is originally from their self-titled debut album, released in 1974. It was the third and final single released from the album, and failed to chart. The song was featured in the video games Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Guitar Hero 2.
Composition and lyrics
"Strutter" is one of the few Kiss songs written by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley together. Stanley wrote new lyrics to "Stanley the Parrot," a song whose music was composed by Simmons.[5] It combines a Rolling Stones-styled groove with a glam rock style as it pairs syncopated, ascending verse melodies with a two-note chorus that ends in a shout of the song's title.[3] Stanley's lyrics, based on the well-dressed vixens the band saw in the streets of New York, display his Bob Dylan influence,[6]
Critical reception
"Strutter" is widely considered one of Kiss's best songs. Cash Box said that "this may be their most dynamic [rock 'n' roll song] to date" and has "lots of bass and guitar, along with those power driven vocals here, all making for a great single release."[7]Record World called it "pleasurably pompous rock in the best style and tradition of hard, boogie-gaited music."[8] In 2014, Paste ranked the song number two on their list of the 20 greatest Kiss songs,[9] and in 2019, Louder Sound ranked the song number five on their list of the 40 greatest Kiss songs.[10]
Double Platinum – re-recorded version titled "Strutter '78" ("I look back at that and think, 'Why?'" remarked Simmons in 1996. "The original version is the classic and the best."[11])
^Dolan, Joe; Martoccio, Angie; Sheffield, Rob (November 20, 2024). "The 74 Best Albums of 1974". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 30, 2024. ...within a decade, the glam metal [KISS] blueprinted on "Strutter" and "Deuce" would be more dominant than any other sound on this list.
