When you think of Gene Simmons the fire-breathing, tongue-wagging demon of KISS “sentimental” might not be the first word that comes to mind. But dig beneath the platform boots and black leather, and you’ll find a musician who holds deep reverence for the bands that paved the way.
And at the top of that list? The Beatles.
“They’re the Mount Olympus of rock. Every musician you love wouldn’t exist without them,” Simmons said in a recent interview. “Some of their songs are so good, so complete, so perfect, you can’t improve on them.”
So, which Beatles tracks earn the KISS legend’s stamp of perfection? Here’s the breakdown — Gene’s Fab Four favorites.
1. A Day in the Life
“That ending? Pure genius. Nobody had ever done anything like it.”
Simmons has long praised Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band as a revolutionary album, but it’s the haunting final track that gets his vote as the Beatles’ ultimate masterpiece.
With its orchestral crescendo, dual vocals from Lennon and McCartney, and surreal lyrics, “A Day in the Life” is a song that feels like it exists outside of time. Simmons calls it “rock’s first brush with high art.”
2. While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
“That’s George Harrison at his finest and Clapton on lead? Forget it. That’s sacred.”
Simmons rarely gushes over guitar solos — unless they’re face-melting. But the emotional weight of Harrison’s lament, paired with Eric Clapton’s mournful lead guitar, made this a standout even in the vast Beatles catalog.
He also admires the song’s structure: “It’s not flashy. It’s heartbreak with six strings. That’s hard to do.”
3. Yesterday
“Paul wrote that in a dream. A damn dream! That’s not songwriting, that’s divine intervention.”
Simmons has often expressed awe at Paul McCartney’s melodic instincts, and “Yesterday” stands out as a track he believes is “untouchable.”
“I’m not even a ballad guy,” Gene laughs. “But that one? That’s a hymn. That’s forever.”
4. Come Together
“It’s sinister, sexy, weird it’s perfect rock and roll.”
The opening track to Abbey Road has long been a fan favorite, but Simmons points to it as a blueprint for swaggering, stripped-down rock attitude.
From the slinky bassline to Lennon’s cryptic lyrics, Simmons calls it “a dark cousin to everything we later did with KISS mysterious, rhythmic, primal.”
5. Eleanor Rigby
“Pop music with a brain and a broken heart. I still get chills.”
A song that rarely uses traditional rock instruments, “Eleanor Rigby” blends strings with stark storytelling something Simmons believes changed what rock lyrics could be.
“That’s when the Beatles weren’t just a band anymore,” he said. “They were poets.”
Final Thoughts
While KISS and The Beatles may seem like musical opposites glam spectacle vs. British precision Simmons insists that his band wouldn’t exist without the Fab Four.
“We all owe them. They did it first, and in many ways, they did it best.”
So next time you see Gene Simmons breathe fire on stage, remember: even rock gods bow to The Beatles.
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