Detroit Rock City

as performed by KISS
written by P. Stanley an B. Ezrin
from the album SMASHES, THRASHES, & HITS
transcribed by B. Priddle


Here is a classic by one of the greatest rock bands ever.  Gene Simmons plays a great riff in this song.  It's a must for any bass player!!

I have presented all of the riffs in this song up front.  The structure is given later on with the words, so if you want to know which riff is which, you should look at the word section first!  Also, to play along with the recording, you must downtune your bass to Eb, Ab, Db, and Gb.


Intro Riff:

---------------------------------------6-6-6-6-6-6-6------------
----------------------------------------------------------------
-4-2-4-2-4-2-4-2-4-2-4-2-4-2-4-2-4-2-4--------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------0-5---0-7--


Repeat this doing the 4-2 thing on the second string 12 times instead of 10 times as shown above.

Riff 1:
                            p
-------------------|-------6-4--------|
---------P---------|-----------6-2----|
--4-2---4-2---2-4--|--4-2----------4--|
------------4------|------------------|


Riff 2:

---------|---------|
---------|---------|
---------|---------|
--0-5----|--0-7----|

Riff 3:

-----------------|--------------|------------|
-----------------|--------2-----|-------2----|
--4--4-2---2--4--|--4-2-4----4--|---------4--|
---------4-------|--------------|--2-4-------|

Riff 4:

----6-6-6-4----|
------------6--|
---------------|
---------------|

Riff 5:
-----------------|----------------------|----------------------|
-----------------|--------4--------4----|--------4--------2----|
--6--6-4---4--6--|--6-4-6----6-------6--|--6-4-6----6-------4--|
---------6-------|-------------4-6------|-------------2-4------|


Riff 6:

------------|---------|
------------|---------|
-------12\--|---------|
--0-5-------|--0-7----|


Riff 7:

---------|---------|---------|
---------|---------|---------|
---------|---------|----4----|
--0-5----|--0-7----|--4------|

Riff 8:

---6-6-6-6-6-6-6--|
------------------|
------------------|
------------------|


Here are the lyrics and the structure:


[Intro riff]

[Riff 1 (till chorus)]
I feel uptight on a Saturday night
Nine o'clock and the radio's the only light
I hear my song and it pulls me through
Comes on strong, tells me what I got to do
I got to...

CHORUS:
[Riff 2]
Get up
Everybody's gonna move their feet
Get down
Everybody's gonna leave their seat

[Riff 3]
You gotta lose your mind in Detroit Rock City

CHORUS

[Riff 1 (till chorus)]
Getting late, I just can't wait
Ten o'clock and I know I gotta hit the road
First I drink, then I smoke
Start the car and I try to make the midnight show

CHORUS
[Riff 3 (X4) -- first, third times as is, second time, 				 	 replace last bar with Riff 4, fourth exclude
			 last bar]
[Riff 5]

[Riff 6]

[Riff 1 (till chorus)]
Moving fast doing ninety-five
Hit top speed but I'm still moving much too slow
I feel so good, I'm so alive
I hear my song playing on the radio
It goes...

CHORUS [with Riff 7]

GUITAR SOLO

[Riff 8]

[Riff 7]

[Riff 3]

[Riff 2]

[Riff 1 (till chorus)]
Twelve o'clock I gotta rock
There's a truck ahead. lights staring at my eyes
Oh my God! No time to turn
I got to laugh 'cause I know I'm gonna die
Why?

CHORUS (X2) [with Riff 7 twice]

Note: the slide between the two choruses starts on the twelfth fret on the E string.


If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please send them to bpriddle@plato.ucs.mun.ca


Submitted by:  Blaine Priddle (blainep@riemann.math.mun.ca)