"Shout It Out Loud" is a song by the American hard rock group Kiss, originally released on their 1976 album, Destroyer. It was released as the lead single off the album, and it proved to be successful, becoming the band's second single to break the Top 40, after "Rock and Roll All Nite". It was also the band's first single to top the charts, as it reached number 1 hit in Canada on May 22, 1976.[1]
Overview
The title of the song was taken from British beat group The Hollies' song "We Want to Shout It Out Loud",[2] which Wicked Lester (pre-Kiss) recorded for their only unreleased album.
The song was edited several times for singles and compilation albums. The live version of the song is 12 seconds shorter than the studio due to the last "Shout it, shout it, shout it out loud" line being excluded.[3] The Alive II single, which was described by Billboard magazine as a "raucous rocker" that "catches the excitement and energy of the live show,"[4] is 23 seconds shorter than the album song due to the removal of audience chant "We want Kiss".[5] The Killers version is the shortest with the duration of 2:35 as a result of the fade-out of the song starting during the first repetition of the "Shout it, shout it, shout it out loud" lyric following Gene Simmons' "Oh yeah".[6] The version found on Smashes, Thrashes & Hits is 16 seconds longer, as the chorus repeats and the song ends with "Shout it!".[7]
The studio version was released as a single in 1976, as the band and their record company, Casablanca Records, were trying to cash in on the success of their previous single, the live version of "Rock and Roll All Nite", by releasing another anthem. While the song would break into the American Billboard Top 40, peaking at #31, it would prove to not be as successful as its predecessor was but would remain in the band's concert set lists for almost every tour from that point on. In Canada, the single was far more successful, reaching #1 on the RPM national singles chart on May 22, 1976.[1] The song is also one of few to be sung by both Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. A music video was made for the live version of the song from the 1996 concert in Tiger Stadium, from the Alive/Worldwide Tour. It was directed by Wayne Isham.
Cash Box said that the studio version is "straight ahead rock, complete with power riffs" and that "the vocals are clean and strong."[8] It called the live single version a "show-stopping concert [number], complete with explosion and crazed crowds."[9]Record World said that the studio version "shows the group becoming more musical without losing any of the raw edge that has become their trademark."[10]Record World said of the live version that "The excitement is contagious."[11]
Legacy
"Shout It Out Loud" is widely regarded as one of the band's best songs. In 2014, Paste ranked the song number five on their list of the 20 greatest Kiss songs,[12] and in 2019, Louder Sound ranked the song number 11 on their list of the 40 greatest Kiss songs.[13] It was listed as the 27th single of '76 in Canada.[14]
A 2007 re-recording of the song by the band is featured on the music/rhythm video game Guitar Hero 5. The song is featured in the movie Detroit Rock City and appears on the soundtrack for the movie.[15] The cast of Glee covered the song in the episode "Theatricality". The male part of the group (excluding Kurt Hummel) were also dressed as Kiss members.[16] The song was also featured in a What's New, Scooby-Doo? episode "A Scooby-Doo Halloween".[17] The song was featured in the trailer for the sixth season of the Netflix TV series Cobra Kai.
