Shandi (song)

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“Shandi”
Single by Kiss
from the album Unmasked
Released 1980 (US)
Format 7"
Recorded The Record Plant,
New York City: 1980
Genre Hard rock
Length 3 min 33 sec
Label Casablanca NB-2282 AS (US)
Kiss singles chronology
"Sure Know Something" / "Dirty Livin'"
(1979)
"Shandi" / "She's So European"
(1980)
"Tomorrow" / "Naked City"
(1980)

"Shandi" is a hard rock song by the American hard rock band Kiss. Released on their 1980 album Unmasked, the song would prove to be a big hit in Australia where it reached #10 on the Australian charts.[1][2] (number 5 on the Kent Music Report charts in Australia) The song would prove to be a hit in other countries as well, making the Top Ten in three other countries.

Written by vocalist/guitarist Paul Stanley and producer Vini Poncia, the song title was inspired by the Bruce Springsteen song "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)".[3]

A promotional video was made for the song, which proved to be the final appearance of Peter Criss with the band before he left to begin a solo career in 1980.

Although all four members of the band appear in the video, Stanley is the only member of the band to have actually played on the track. Session drummer Anton Fig plays drums, Kiss roadie Tom Harper plays bass and professional songwriter Holly Knight plays keyboards, while Stanley sings lead and plays all guitars. Vini Poncia provided backing vocals to the track.

"Shandi" was the only song from the band's '80s output to be performed live during Kiss' reunion tour in 1996. It was performed solo by Paul Stanley on guitar while the band was touring in Australia and New Zealand. The song was also played by Kiss with the Melbourne Symphony Ensemble for the Kiss Symphony: Alive IV performance and subsequent album in 2003.

[edit] References

  1. ^ International Chart History
  2. ^ KISS singles
  3. ^ Leaf, David and Ken Sharp. KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography, Warner Books, 2003. ISBN 0-446-53073-5