"Kiss Me Deadly" is Lita Ford's signature song, and her biggest hit on her own. Ford made music history with The Runaways, who were the first all-female rock band - their first album was released in 1976, when Ford was just 17. In the early '80s, her bandmate Joan Jett peppered the pop charts with hits, but Lita's rise to solo stardom came with the ascent of hair metal later in the decade. "Kiss Me Deadly" fit in on radio playlists alongside tracks by Poison, White Lion and Def Leppard. Notwithstanding Vixen, their female counterparts were established rockers who adapted their sound (and look) for the times. Along with Lita, other popular estrogen-enabled rockers of the era were Heart and the Bangles, who also scored using slick productions and outside songwriters.
This was one of just two songs on the Lita album that she didn't co-write. Some performers resent it when a song they didn't write becomes their biggest hit, but Lita has a cozy relationship with this song. "'Kiss Me Deadly' being from another writer, we weren't sure about it, so we gave it a shot and it kicked ass.
"To me, a good song is a good song. Good songs are really hard to find, and it doesn't necessarily matter if you wrote it or not. Do the royalties go in your pocket? No. The royalties will go in Mick Smiley's pocket, but there's other mechanical and other royalties that go along with it, like airplay. You always reap the benefits somehow in some way or shape or form."
Lyrics
I went to a party last Saturday night I didn't get laid, I got in a fight, Uh, huh It ain't no big thing Late for my job and the traffic was bad Had to borrow ten bucks from my old man, Uh, huh It ain't no big thing I went to a party last Saturday night I told you that story, I'd be alright Uh, huh It ain't no big thing But I know what I like I know I like dancin' with you And I know what you like I know you like dancin' with me Yeah, yeah Kiss me once Kiss me twice C'mon pretty baby, kiss me deadly Had a few beers, gettin' high Sittin', watchin' the time go by, Uh, huh It ain't no big thing Nothin' to eat and no TV Lookin' in the mirror don't get it for me Uh, huh It ain't no big thing But I know what I like I know I like dancin' with you And I know what you like I know you like dancin' with me Oh, yeah Kiss me once Kiss me twice C'mon pretty baby, kiss me deadly Kiss me once Kiss me twice C'mon pretty baby, kiss me deadly You know I like dancin' with you Dancin' with you C'mon Kiss me once Kiss me twice C'mon pretty baby, kiss me deadly Kiss me once Kiss me twice C'mon pretty baby, kiss me C'mon pretty baby, kiss me C'mon pretty baby, kiss me deadly
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