‘Christine Sixteen’: the disgusting song by Kiss that has aged terribly
During the mid-1970s, New York City nurtured a rich punk underground scene featuring artists such as Television, Patti Smith and the Ramones. Then there was Kiss, a group who ramped up the captivating performance element of punk and glam rock to levels never seen before, donning distinctive makeup and theatrical outfits. The New York rockers specialised in their own brand of shock rock, with their electrifying performances as intrinsic to their identity as their hard rock songs.
Kiss shocked audiences through pyrotechnic displays, fire-breathing and levitating equipment – and still do to this day. However, Kiss are also notorious for their startling lyrics, which often range from uncomfortable to downright offensive. During a live Q&A in 2014, Kiss’ Gene Simmons was confronted by the garage rockers The Black Lips via a video stream. They said: “Mr Simmons, we’re here to tell you that the day of misogynistic, sexist rock and roll is over. We call for the complete and utter surrender of the Kiss army. Lay down your guitars. Do you accept our terms of surrender?”
In response, Simmons made snarky comments about the room in which the members of The Black Lips were sat, stating: “I wanted to compliment your mum for the wonderful way she designed the decoration of the basement that she lets you live in”. The band’s comments stem from a string of blatantly sexist tracks released by Kiss, with the worst being ‘Christine Sixteen’.
Released in 1977, ‘Christine Sixteen’ appeared on Love Gun, Kiss’ sixth studio album. The album became their highest-charting at the time, peaking at number four on the US Billboard 200. Evidently, listeners didn’t seem to mind Simmons’ declarations of infatuation with a 16-year-old girl. Although it is technically legal for a grown man to be with a 16-year-old teenager in certain parts of the world – the reality is that it’s downright disgusting, yet Simmons, who was 27 at the time, sings the gross lyrics without shame.
Sadly, ‘Christine Sixteen’ is just one of many creepy tracks performed by adult men who obsess about younger girls that surfaced during the classic rock days. From ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’ by Chuck Berry to ‘My Sharona’ by The Knack, many musicians have seen nothing wrong with singing about the desire for girls that have not yet reached adulthood.
On Kiss’ track, Simmons sings: “She drives me crazy/ I want to give her what I’ve got/ And she’s hot every day and night/ There is no doubt about it,” before segueing into the disgusting lines: “I don’t usually say things like this to girls your age/ But when I saw you coming out of school that day/That day I knew, I knew/ I’ve got to have you, I’ve got to have you.”
Not only is the girls’ young age concerning, but Simmons’ possessive lyricism makes the song even creepier. He continues: “She’s been around, but she’s young and clean”. Due to the nature of the song’s lyrics, certain radio stations refused to play it; however, it still became popular enough to chart at number 25 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
