We are now in the heart of the 80s, the woeful year of 1985 with the non-single video for "Uh! All Night" from the album "Asylum." The song was cowritten by Paul with regular hair metal contributor Desmond Child and Steve Van Zandt and Ramones contributor Jean Beauvoir.
Lyrics: Work is a drag, baby! But boning after work should make you feel better. Maybe if you weren't up all night fucking and got a good night's sleep, work wouldn't be so rough. And what the fuck is this verse?
Is he saying he's a prostitute but he'd rather be with this girl instead? Or she's the prostitute? I don't get it at all. But it's par for the course for a KISS rocker, lyrically speaking.Take me to the jungle, honey
We're livin' in a human zoo
Getcha turnin' tricks for money
I'd rather roll around with you
Music: The riff is a winner, very reminiscent of ACDC with a nice little lead riff to end each section. Paul's vocals are dead. He's doing a Street Fighting Man (Or Dancing in the Street?) homage but sounds bored as hell. The prechorus fairs better with some nice harmonies, but still not exactly memorable. The chorus is that weird non-catchy anthem that you heard from time to time. It doesn't get stuck in your head because it's not very melodic, but it is still very sing alongy? I don't know, it's weird and falls flat for me. Give me more hooks! That being said, the "uh!" is fun, particularly prior to the solo. Glad they knew enough to put it in the song title. It's the best part of the song.
Video: A mysterious stranger wanders down a spotlighted stairway. Then the trench coat comes off to reveal a bedazzled man letting his hair down. Oh shit it's Paul! This is the best shot I got of just how dandy he looks in this reveal:
This was their color phase before they want back to black at the end of the decade. Paul loves that sailor cap or whatever. Jimmy Page looked kinda cool in it in the 70s, but Paul doesn't get the same effect. Two girls (twins?) are hanging out in their bedroom and the band peak through blinds and comically large key hole to spy on them. Consent wasn't big in those days. Oh now there are like twenty of these girls rolling out their beds with red lights on them. What's going to happen? Oh just more synchronized bed dancing. The top angle is a nice trick and shows they put a lot more thought into this video than the others, but that doesn't say that much. The band is also in higher spirits than the other studio set videos I've been watching. So all in all, not so bad.
Song grade: C+ Verses are dead on arrival and not particularly redeemed by the non catchy sing along chorus. It gets a "+" for effective use of the "uh!" though.
Video grade: B I'm feeling generous. There is kind of a theme and the band seems to be having fun. There are fireworks and smoke and giant amps. The standards are lower than shit, but this was alright.
Next week: Wikipedia says "Who Wants To Be Lonely" is next on my list. I'm hoping it's a monster ballad based on the title. If not, hopefully the video is as fun as this one.
