10 Rock Songs With Horrible Backstories

Nothing that KISS ever did could ever be called subtle. Since these are guys that wear horrifying makeup every time they took to the stage, everything that they sang about regarding the rock and roll lifestyle had to be larger than life. Even if it meant detailing the death of one of their fans.

So before we get into this...a little bit of backstory. When KISS hooked up with producer Bob Ezrin to create Destroyer, Ezrin suggested expanding their songwriting style to something other than sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Instead of just writing the typical anthemic song he was known for, Paul Stanley penned Detroit Rock City as the real life account of a fan who died in the process of getting to a rock concert. Opening with the sound of keys and the slamming of a car door, the entire song plays out like a movie in your head, as this man speeds down the highway to see his favorite band play.

Being drunk off his ass and swerving in and out of lanes, the entire song climaxes with our protagonist slamming into a truck head on and being thrown from the car. If you were just listening to the song on its own though, you would have thought this was a celebration of the care free lifestyle that comes with rock and roll. Once you hear the tires skidding, you really sober up and see what a life in rock and roll can really do to you.