Goin' Blind

Goin' Blind

"Goin' Blind" is a song by Kiss written by Gene Simmons and Stephen Coronel, sometimes referred to as "Going Blind". The song originally appeared on the band's second album, 1974's Hotter Than Hell . The original working title for the song was "Little Lady".

It was rarely performed live by Kiss until it appeared in acoustic form, on the Kiss Unplugged MTV performance, appearing on the subsequent live album from the show. It next appeared on Kiss Symphony: Alive IV, again in acoustic form although this time the song was performed with the Melbourne Symphony Ensemble.

In December 2005, the band released Rock the Nation, a double-DVD documentary of the 2004 tour. It included, as a bonus track, the first commercially released live electric version of "Goin' Blind".

The Melvins recorded the song in 1993 for their Houdini album and again in 2005 for their A Live History of Gluttony and Lust live album. Dinosaur Jr recorded the song in 1994 for the Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved tribute album. The Melvins version was also submitted for the CD, but Gene Simmons went with the Dinosaur Jr version. An acoustic version of the song was released by Dramarama on their 1996 "Best of Dramarama: 18 Big Ones" greatest hits album.

A neo-baroque version appeared on the String Quartet Tribute to Kiss album.

Canadian progressive rock band Rush poked fun at this song in their song "I Think I'm Going Bald" off their 1975 album Caress of Steel. Geddy Lee explains on page 32 of "Contents Under Pressure" : "We were touring a lot with Kiss in those days and they had a song called "I Think I'm Going Blind". So we were kind of taking the piss out of that title by just coming up with this." Lee goes on to explain that the title originated with drummer Neil Peart, who was making light of the fact that Alex Lifeson was constantly worried about the future possibility of going bald, often employing "all kinds of ingredients to put on his scalp. And I think it just got Neil thinking about aging..."

Gene Simmons: "Goin' Blind" dates back to 1970. At that point I was listening a lot to Cream and Mountain. "Goin' Blind" happens to be one of my favorite songs. Even something about the recording of it seemed to work for me, the compression on the drums. This surprisingly moody slab of heavy rock provided Hotter Than Hell with one of its most enduring high points. "Goin' Blind" is a reworked version of a pre-Kiss song originally entitled "Little Lady" whose lyrics deal with the doomed relationship between an old man and a very young girl: "And I know how it should be/There is nothing more for you and I/Some are young and some are free/But I think I'm goin' blind." Although these lyrics later work in a goofy punch line of "I'm 93, you're 16," the overall feel is one of doomed romanticism. The music matches the emotional heaviness of the lyrics with an intense melody built on yearning, minor-key verses and a cathartic chorus whose ornate twists give it an almost Japanese feel. Kiss' recording of "Goin' Blind" is mournful yet heavy: Gene Simmons unleashes the lyrics with an anguished howl over a sludgy backing driven by guitar riffs heavy enough for a Black Sabbath record and half-speed drumming. Ace Frehley tops the song off with one of his finest guitar solos, a searing blast of quicksilver riffing that perfectly capture the song's pained mood in instrumental form. "Goin' Blind" was never issued as a single but quickly became a favorite with Kiss fans and has been faithfully covered by such bands as Dramarama and Dinosaur Jr.