Peter Criss Fires Back At Gene Simmons Over ‘Beth’ Writing Credit Claims

The long simmering KISS civil war has flared up again, with Peter Criss publicly firing back at Gene Simmons over claims that the drummer had “nothing to do” with writing the band’s 1976 hit ‘Beth’.

In a new interview with Billboard, Criss called Simmons’ recent comments “ridiculous and very uncalled for”, pushing back hard against the narrative that he was merely a singer handed someone else’s song.

‘Beth’ remains KISS’ highest charting US single, peaking at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976, the song originated during Criss’ time in Chelsea, co written with the late Stan Penridge, and was originally titled ‘Beck’, named after a bandmate’s wife who frequently interrupted rehearsals with phone calls.

The track was later reshaped for ‘Destroyer’, with producer Bob Ezrin adding orchestration that turned it into an unlikely rock ballad classic, official credits list Criss, Penridge, and Ezrin as songwriters.

Gene Simmons’ version of events

Speaking recently to Professor Of Rock, Simmons dismissed Criss’ contribution entirely, claiming drummers can’t write songs and stating flatly that “Peter had nothing to do with that song — nothing. He sang it.” Simmons also credited Penridge as the sole writer and Ezrin as the architect behind the song’s defining elements.

Criss wasn’t having it

“Gene wouldn’t know how the song was originally written because Gene wasn’t there from the conception of the song in the late ’60s and he wasn’t there for the completion of the song with Bob Ezrin,” Criss told Billboard.

“Gene’s statements are ridiculous and very uncalled for; he talks about things that he doesn’t know about.”

Criss explained that while Penridge contributed verses and chorus, the melody and phrasing came from him, carried over from the original ‘Beck’ demo.

“What Gene’s getting wrong is that as the singing songwriter, I wrote the melody and creating the phrasing for the song… my core melody remains on the reworked composition.”

He also clarified that Bob Ezrin, not Simmons, renamed the song and reworked its structure.

A feud that won’t die

Paul Stanley has previously echoed Simmons’ stance, with Criss responding in the past by calling Stanley “so full of f*king sht”, even Penridge himself later claimed Criss wasn’t responsible for the song’s writing.

Nearly 50 years on, ‘Beth’ is still a lightning rod inside the KISS camp, proving that no amount of makeup, money, or mythology ever truly buries old band grudges.