For nearly five decades, “Beth” has stood as one of KISS’ most unexpected and enduring hits — a tender piano ballad that cut through the band’s face-painted, fire-breathing image and became a global smash in 1976. But now, the story behind who actually created the song has exploded into a fresh public feud between Peter Criss and Gene Simmons.
In a new interview with Billboard, Criss has forcefully rejected Simmons’ recent claim that the drummer had “nothing to do” with writing the song, calling Gene’s comments “ridiculous and very uncalled for.”
“Gene talks about things that he doesn’t know about,” Criss said, clearly frustrated that the narrative around KISS’ biggest ballad is being rewritten.
The dispute reignited after Simmons appeared on Professor of Rock, where he made a blunt statement about the origins of “Beth.”
“Peter does not write songs… Peter had nothing to do with that song, nothing. He sang it,” Simmons said.
It was a stunning dismissal of Criss’ role in the track, especially given how closely “Beth” has been associated with his voice and emotional delivery since it became a Top 10 hit and a cultural landmark for the band.
Criss says Simmons’ account is simply wrong — and that Gene wasn’t even around when the song came to life.
According to Criss, the song started as an earlier composition called “Beck,” which he co-wrote with Stan Penridge, a longtime collaborator from his pre-KISS days.
“As the singing songwriter, I wrote the melody and created the phrasing for the song that’s on the original demo ‘Beck’ with Stan Penridge,” Criss explained.
That demo existed well before KISS recorded the final version that appeared on Destroyer. Criss insists the heart of the song — its melody, its vocal shape, and its emotional tone — all came from him and Penridge, not Simmons.
Criss also addressed one of the most common misconceptions about “Beth”: the origin of its title.
“Bob Ezrin changed the title from ‘Beck’ to ‘Beth,’ not Gene or anybody else,” Criss said.
Ezrin, who produced Destroyer, reworked the song for the album, polishing it with orchestration and giving it the softer title that would become famous. But Criss maintains that this was an evolution of a song that already existed — not something that Simmons created.
In Criss’ telling, Gene had no involvement in either the writing or the shaping of the song.
“Beth” was a turning point for KISS. It became their first Top 10 single in the United States, proving the band could reach far beyond hard rock and theatrics into mainstream radio and emotional songwriting.
It also became Peter Criss’ signature moment within KISS — the one song where his voice, not Paul Stanley’s or Gene Simmons’, carried the band into the hearts of millions.
For Criss, Simmons’ comments don’t just rewrite history — they erase one of the most important contributions he ever made to the band.
And judging by his words, he isn’t willing to let that happen quietly.
KISS have been arguing about songwriting credit and creative control for decades, but “Beth” hits differently. It’s not just another deep cut — it’s one of the band’s defining songs.
Now, nearly 50 years after it topped charts around the world, the battle over who truly wrote it has resurfaced, proving that even after farewell tours and final bows, KISS’ internal wars are far from over.
And for Peter Criss, this one is personal.
