Bryan Adams Discusses Writing Songs for KISS: ‘I Asked, ‘Is This Really Happening?”

Alongside his own numerous global hits, Bryan Adams has also written many successful songs for other artists.

In the 1980s, the Canadian rock legend gained notable recognition as a songwriter, especially through his collaboration with fellow Canadian Jim Vallance. Together, they created a series of classic tracks for a variety of artists, including KISS, Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Johnny Hallyday, Bonnie Raitt, Rod Stewart, Bonnie Tyler, Loverboy, Carly Simon, Neil Diamond, and more.

In a recent interview on SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk,” Bryan Adams reflected on his experience co-writing several tracks for KISS’s 1982 album, “Creatures of the Night.”

Interestingly, during his initial meeting with KISS, Adams only worked with Gene Simmons indirectly. Although he didn’t write a song with Simmons, it was Simmons’ bassline that sparked the creation of “War Machine.” Adams shared (transcription via Blabbermouth):

“When I was 21, I had just released my album ‘You Want It, You Got It.’ I received a call from Michael James Jackson, a producer at the time, who told me he liked my record and was working with KISS. He asked if I’d be interested in writing some songs with or for them. I was surprised and asked, ‘Is this really happening?’ He confirmed it, and soon after, I was flown to Los Angeles to meet Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, and Eric Carr, the drummer at the time. I collaborated individually with each member, writing a song with Paul and another with Eric.”

“Although I didn’t write with Gene directly, he had a bassline that I recorded on my cassette player. Back in Vancouver, I played the bassline for my usual songwriting partner, Jim Vallance, and within an hour, we had written ‘War Machine’ around it. That’s how ‘War Machine’ came to be.”

Bryan Adams remembers that the song “Rock and Roll Hell” was originally written by Vallance for his own use but was later adapted to better fit KISS’s style:

“Jim had previously written a song called ‘Rock And Roll Hell,’ which hadn’t gone anywhere. I suggested we rework it for KISS to fit their image better. Jim agreed, so I came up with a verse idea, and together we developed the lyrics and completed the song. We sent it over, and it became the second KISS track. Gene Simmons later added a third verse to it as he wanted to include one more.”