Calling Dr. Love – Kiss | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#16); 1977
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
Calling all Three Stooges’ fans! Here’s a song just for you. The Dr. Love saga began in 1934 when the Three Stooges released their third short for Columbia Pictures.
“Inspired” by that year’s Men In White, in which Clark Gable starred as a dedicated young doctor, Men In Black placed our hapless heroes in Los Arms Hospital. Mayhem ensued as the trio – who graduated from med school with the highest temperatures in their class – raced from room to room while a PA announcer bellowed “Calling Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard.”
To Larry, Moe, and Curly, giving a patient anesthetic meant applying a mallet to his head. Picking up where the Stooges left off, Gene Simmons came up with some sleazy lyrics about Dr.
Love’s special injection technique for female patients, and mated them to an unrecorded song called Bad Bad Lovin’. Kiss’ single ran all of three minutes plus and rose to #16, while the Stooges’ short timed out at 19 minutes and was nominated for an Oscar.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Eddie Kramer
Lyrics Written by:
- Gene Simmons
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).