Beth (song)

"Beth" is a ballad by American rock band Kiss, originally released on their fourth studio album Destroyer (1976). The song was composed by producer Bob Ezrin, who reworked a demo called "Beck", which was written by drummer Peter Criss and his friend Stan Penridge. Released as an A-side single by Casablanca Records in August 1976, due to its growing popularity after having been released the previous month as the B-side to "Detroit Rock City", "Beth" is Kiss's biggest commercial hit in the United States, reaching No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song received a gold record certification from the RIAA, and won the 1977 People's Choice Award for "Favorite Song". The demo, "Beck", was written by Criss and Penridge during their time with the band Chelsea and later recorded as a demo when the pair were in a band called Lips. During the recording of Destroyer, Criss showed it to Ezrin, who made several changes to it and recommended changing its title to "Beth". Due to its positive commercial reception, the song appeared in many of Kiss' concerts, where Criss usually sang it over an instrumental track. "Beth" has appeared on most Kiss compilations and live albums, including Kiss Unplugged (1996), where the band performed it acoustically.