If It Feels Good Do It

Most people have never even heard of the German metal band Dokken, let alone the song Kiss Of Death. That’s too bad.

This live version on youtube is over the top, even by 80s standards. It’s so over the top that it has Spanish subtitles.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTIC

This song features a coked up guitar riff written and played by Dokken lead guitarist George Lynch. It’s no ordinary coked up guitar riff, though. It’s not even merely a great guitar riff.

With Lynch’s guitar riff, he took the experience of snorting coke, having a mullet, being naked, all while riding a motorcycle around on Ventura Blvd after seeing “Rambo: First Blood” for the first time, and compacted it into five seconds of sound that can conveniently be repeated ad infinitum.

I’m not talking about the riff that Lynch plays at the beginning of the song. That one is alright, but I’m talking about the riff that starts almost exactly a minute into the live version above.

It is the ultimate coked up guitar riff.

Upon hearing this song you may ask yourself “Why haven’t I heard this song? Why didn’t I even know who George Lynch was?”

LYRICAL ANALYSIS

Let me answer that question with two words: the lyrics.

Here’s an excerpt.

“She promised paradise
As she lied upon her bed
Like a fallen angel
With the devils charm
She promised paradise
With the kiss of death

I tried to stop
As she held out her hand
But the fire was burning inside
She knew what I wanted
She gave it and more
But now I must pay the price
We were strangers
Passing in the night”

What’s wrong with those lyrics? Well, basically nothing. It’s just that they are so, say, German metal band from the 80s lyrics. In most people’s hearts, there is only room for one band with lyrics like that, and that band is known as The Scorpions.

MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM

But there is plenty of room in my heart. If you are like me, I recommend you check out Kiss Of Death, and other selections by Dokken.

Kiss of Death is definitely the highlight on Dokken’s 1987 release, Back For The Attack. Regarding the album, you might have heard Dream Warriors if you’ve seen Nightmare on Elm Street 3. So Many Tears is like a less good version of Kiss of Death. Lynch shows up with a coked up guitar riff yes, but it almost sounds like he was getting a blow job from a groupie at the same time, so he’s not fully there. Or, maybe it was a long studio recording session and he was saddened by his separation from said groupie, hence the title.

Other notable Dokken albums are Tooth and Nail and Under Lock And Key.

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