Kiss - Heaven's On Fire

What this video is

Released in 1984 at the height of MTV's gatekeeping power over rock music, 'Heaven's On Fire' represents Kiss's second year performing without their signature theatrical makeup, a calculated reinvention strategy begun with 1983's Lick It Up. The Animalize album and its lead single marked a deliberate pivot toward the glossy glam metal sound of contemporaries like Def Leppard and Bon Jovi, as noted by AllMusic. Paul…

Why it matters

A defining artifact of mid-1980s arena hard rock and glam metal crossover, this video documents Kiss's successful stylistic adaptation to the MTV era without makeup, bridging their classic 1970s arena rock identity with the pop-metal commercial mainstream. Its chart success at #11 Billboard Hot…

The director

David Lewis is a director whose documented 1984 credits include this Kiss music video and the Linda Ronstadt television concert specials 'Linda Ronstadt in Concert: What's New' and 'Linda Ronstadt in Concert with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra,' both released…