Wes, is "God Gave Rock and Roll to You II" really your favorite KISS song? And is the Elder really your favorite KISS album?
I don't know if I'd say favorite, and I'd definitely not say their best song. It can't be, after all, since it doesn't have Ace on it. But I do think it's the
most KISS song, if that makes any sense. It kind of encapsulates everything enjoyable about KISS, from the way you can tell they really love straight ahead old-time rock music to the awesome, majestic goofiness that is the band's true legacy.
But anyway, it's got everything you could ever want in a KISS song that doesn't involve Ace getting electrocuted or Peter drowning: outsized guitars, Paul singing like Paul, Gene getting a token line, lyrics about the magical powers of rock 'n roll and that bit where it gets really quiet and Paul starts whispering the chorus of the song like rock has been destroyed, but then the whole band comes back in and the universe is saved by the mystical magic of KISS music, as used to best effect in the end credits of Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey.
And my god, that spoken word section at the end, where Paul says "I KNOOOOW sometimes life can get tough! And I KNOW life can sometimes be a draaaag! But we have been given a GIFT, we have been given a ROAD, and that road is...RooooOOOOOOoooock and RooooooOOOOOOOOooooooOOOOOLLLL!" If that's not the most defining KISS moment, I don't know what is.