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KISS - Lick It Up

Music Video
ArtistKISS
SongLick It Up
DirectorMartin Kahan
IntroNo
OutroNo
Sound MixStereo
Technical Specificationscolour - format unknown

Wiki

Synopsis

KISS stride through a bleak, post-apocalyptic landscape populated by women in ragged clothing. The band members appear without their trademark makeup, initially shown from the knees down before their faces are revealed. After mingling with the survivors over food and drinks, KISS takes the stage amid fires and urban ruins, turning the desolate setting into a makeshift rock concert. The video closes on a surreal image of a smiling woman beside a skull, matching the song's unapologetic message about pleasure, freedom, and enjoying life.

Factoids & Trivia

  • The video was the first KISS music clip to show the band without its trademark makeup. The reveal was a major part of the promotional campaign for the 1983 album *Lick It Up*.
  • MTV premiered the video on September 18, 1983, during a half-hour special hosted by J.J. Jackson. The broadcast also featured KISS making its first official public appearance without makeup.
  • The song was written by Paul Stanley and Vinnie Vincent. Vincent was appearing as KISS' new lead guitarist after Ace Frehley's departure, while Eric Carr remained behind the drum kit.
  • The visual concept places KISS in a ruined, vaguely post-apocalyptic world, but it does not establish a detailed story or explanation. Its imagery functions mainly as a flamboyant backdrop for the band's unmasking and performance.
  • The clip's party scenes, improvised food, street fires, and ragged costumes give it a deliberately rough early-1980s hard-rock atmosphere. The unexplained imagery has also made the video memorable for its surreal, loosely connected plot.
  • Gene Simmons' tongue remains part of the presentation even though the Demon makeup is absent, linking the new unmasked image to one of KISS' most recognizable visual trademarks.

Lyrics

Don't wanna wait 'til you know me better
Let' just be glad for the time together
Life's such a treat and it's time you taste it
There ain't a reason on earth to waste it
It ain't a crime to be good to yourself

[Chorus:]
Lick it up, lick it up, it's only right now
Lick it up, lick it up, ooh yeah
Lick it up, lick it up, come on, come on
Lick it up, lick it up

Don't need to wait for an invitation
...
© KISS - Lick It Up. This is an excerpt, provided as citation under fair-use.
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