KISS fans are celebrating the long-awaited release of ”Mistake.” The 50-year-old song, written by founding member Paul Stanley, is included on the band’s newly released Dressed to Kill 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Box set, which is available on the official KISS website and streaming platforms such as Spotify.
The previously unreleased studio demo sounds very different from the music that Stanley and bandmates Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss were making in the mid-1970s. “Mistake” is more in tune with the country genre, and it even ends with a rockabilly guitar jam.
The demo song was recorded more than 50 years ago, but was not included on the original Dressed to Kill album that was released on March 19, 1975.
In January, a post on the KISS Facebook page read, “Fifty Years Ago Today – Jan. 24, 1975 – KISS entered Larrabee Sound Studios in Los Angeles, CA, taking their first steps towards the next album. The band recorded four demo tracks – 1. ‘Burnin’ Up With Fever’ 2. ‘Anything For My Baby’ 3. ‘Rock And Roll All Nite’ 4. ‘Mistake’ – during the sessions. Both ‘Anything For My Baby’ & ‘Rock And Roll All Nite’ were included on the Dressed To Kill album, recorded just a few weeks later at Electric Lady Studios in New York City.”
The omission of “Mistake” on KISS’s third studio album came amid a rush job to get the record out. According to Ultimate Classic Rock, Casablanca Records president Neil Bogart talked KISS back into the studio earlier than expected in 1975. Dressed to Kill was released less than six months after the band’s second album, Hotter Than Hell, and barely one year after their debut album. The third album’s run time was also super short, at just 30 minutes and 7 seconds.
Fans had a big reaction to “Mistake” after the track was posted on KISS’ YouTube page by Universal Music Group in honor of its 2025 release.
“Waiting for years to hear an official release of this, one fan wrote in the comment section.
“One of their best songs ever finally coming to light,” another agreed.
“I love this song, KISS goes country,” another wrote. “It’s the cleanest version of this song I’ve heard.”
“Could you just imagine this being a crossover hit to the country charts?” another wanted to know.
“Kiss should be a country band,” another chimed in.
Other fans noted similarities to the Rolling Stones in the song, while others marked the release as “bittersweet” given the recent death of KISS founding member Ace Frehley.
Stanley, who has also delved into the R&B and soul genres, once told Ultimate Classic Rockthat he was open to all types of music. “I’ve always considered myself, not a rock singer, but a singer who sings rock,” the singer and guitarist said in 2021. “When somebody says, ‘Stay in your lane,’ well, it’s called the freeway and I don’t stay in any lane, nor do I want to.”
The newly released studio demo is not the first time that diehard KISS fans have heard “Mistake.” During the KISS Kruise V in November 2015, Stanley played an acoustic version of the song for cruise attendees.
This story was originally reported by Parade on Oct 25, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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