Reason to Live

This article is about the Kiss song. For the Lou Barlow album, see Reason to Live (album). For the Sixty Watt Shaman album, see Sixty Watt Shaman § Discography. For other uses, see A Reason to Live.

"Reason to Live" is a song by the American rock band Kiss. It is featured on the band's 1987 studio album Crazy Nights.

"Reason To Live"
Single by Kiss
from the album Crazy Nights
Released	November 12, 1987 (US)
Recorded	1987
Studio	One on One (Los Angeles)
Genre	Pop metal[1]
Length	4:00
Label	Mercury
Songwriter(s)	Paul Stanley, Desmond Child
Producer(s)	Ron Nevison
Kiss singles chronology
"Crazy Crazy Nights" / "No, No, No" (1987) "Reason to Live" / "Thief in the Night" (1987) "Turn On the Night" / "Hell or High Water" (1988)
Music video
"Reason to Live" on YouTube

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 band performance portion of the video 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 (1987-1988)	Peak position
Australian Singles (Kent Music Report)[5]	85
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[6]	89
UK Singles (OCC)[7]	33
US Billboard Hot 100[8]	64
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[9]	34

References

1. "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."
2. KISS Video Information
3. International Chart History
4. "Billboard singles chart history-Kiss". Retrieved February 18, 2009.
5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
6. "Kiss – Reason to Live" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
7. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
8. "Kiss Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
9. "Kiss Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved February 20, 2024.