At the end of 1974, Kiss were in trouble. Their self-titled debut album had shifted just 75,000 copies. The follow-up, Hotter Than Hell, had stalled at No.100 on the US chart. Kiss needed a hit, and they needed one fast.
Their label boss, Casablanca Records owner, Neil Bogart told frontman Paul Stanley, in precise detail, what kind of hit this should be, using Sly & the Family Stone's euphoric I Want to Take You Higher" as a model. “He said, ‘You need something that your fans can rally behind – a song that embodies what you’re about,’” recalled Stanley.
