Psycho Circus (song)
{{Infobox song
| name = Psycho Circus
| cover = Us promo psycho98 paul.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Kiss
| album = Psycho Circus
| released = August 1998
| recorded = 1998
| studio = A&M Studios & One on One Studios, Los Angeles
| venue =
| genre = Heavy metal
| length = 5:30
| label = Mercury/PolyGram MECP-449 (US)
| writer = Paul Stanley, Curt Cuomo
| producer = Bruce Fairbairn
| prev_title = "Jungle" (radio edit) / "Jungle" (full version)
| prev_year = 1997
| next_title = We Are One" / "Psycho Circus
| next_year = 1998
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|BWIW6Ti0PbE|"Psycho Circus"}}}}
}}
"Psycho Circus" is a song by the American hard rock band Kiss. It is the title track from the 1998 album Psycho Circus. The single charted highly, hitting number 1 on Billboard{{'s}} Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Even though MTV hardly played the song's music video, the VHS home video proved a big seller, eventually going Platinum in the US.
Song information
"Psycho Circus" was written by guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley and Curt Cuomo{{cite web|url={{AllMusic
| class = album
| id = r373577
| pure_url = yes}}
| title = Overview Psycho Circus
| publisher = AllMusic
| access-date = 27 November 2009}} specifically to fit the theme of the Psycho Circus Tour and album. According to producer Bruce Fairbairn, "We didn't have an opener for the record. We didn't have anything that was going to start things off. And [Paul] just looked at me and said, 'check this. This is it...' We both sat there and looked at each other and started to laugh. Because that was it" KISS Online w/ Bruce Fairbairn
Image:Us promo psycho98 peter.jpg
As a single, the song became the band's first number one hit on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart,{{cite web
| title = Billboard singles chart history-Kiss
| url = {{BillboardURLbyName
| artist = kiss
| chart = all}}
| access-date = February 18, 2009}} while also proving to be a Top Ten hit in other countries in the world, including Sweden, Canada and Norway.[http://www.kissfaq.com/charts/scharts.html International Chart Info]
The song would open sets for the band on the Psycho Circus Tour to support the album, and was performed on Kiss's live album Kiss Symphony: Alive IV in 2003. "Psycho Circus" returned to setlist during the 2010s, on both the Monster World Tour and The KISS 40th Anniversary World Tour.
"Psycho Circus" was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1999 for Best Hard Rock Performance, losing out to Jimmy Page and Robert Plant's "Most High".
Video
A music video was made to promote the single, which was made in the same 3-D theme as the album and tour, and was directed by James J. Hurlburt and produced by Doc McGhee and Eddie Vasker.[http://www.kissfaq.com/video/concept.html KISSfaq Video information] Although the video was generally ignored by MTV, it won a 1998 Metal Edge Readers' Choice Award for Video of the Year.Metal Edge, August 1999
To compensate for the lack of MTV airplay the band released the video on VHS complete with 3-D glasses. In addition to "Psycho Circus" the included CD single features Ace Frehley's "In Your Face", a song not available elsewhere in North America.{{cite web
| last = Prato
| first = Greg
| title = Psycho Circus (Video)
| url = {{AllMusic
| class = album
| id = r419492
| pure_url = yes}}
| date =
| work = allmusic
| publisher =
| access-date = 30 July 2009}}
The video was certified Platinum in the US.{{cite certification
| region = United States
| artist = Kiss
| type = video
| title = Psycho Circus}}
Personnel
- Paul Stanley - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Tommy Thayer - lead guitar
- Bruce Kulick - bass guitar, backing vocals
- Kevin Valentine - drums
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (1998) !Peak |
| {{single chart|Australia|22|artist=Kiss|song=Psycho Circus|rowheader=true|access-date=February 20, 2024}} |
| {{single chart|Canadatopsingles|10|chartid=6996|rowheader=true|access-date=February 20, 2024}} |
| {{single chart|Dutch100|98|artist=Kiss|song=Psycho Circus|rowheader=true|access-date=February 20, 2024}} |
| {{single chart|Norway|8|artist=Kiss|song=Psycho Circus|rowheader=true|access-date=February 20, 2024}} |
| {{single chart|Sweden|4|artist=Kiss|song=Psycho Circus|rowheader=true|access-date=February 20, 2024}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardmainstreamrock|1|artist=Kiss|rowheader=true|access-date=February 20, 2024}} |
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Sweden|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=1998|certyear=1998|access-date=March 30, 2025}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Kiss}}
{{Kiss singles}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Songs written by Paul Stanley
Category:Songs written by Curtis Cuomo
Category:Song recordings produced by Bruce Fairbairn