A live version of the song was included on Alive II, released in 1977. Since then, "Calling Dr. Love" has appeared on numerous Kiss compilation albums. In 2003, it appeared on Kiss's fifth live album, Kiss Symphony: Alive IV. "Calling Dr. Love" was also featured in the setlist of the Alive 35 World Tour in 2008.
The Canadian 8-track tape version of the song is extended by about 55 seconds, with a smoothly edited-in repeat of the guitar solo.
Cash Box said that "a hard-driving rhythm line and straightforward vocals combine with Simmons' distinct style to make a top 40 and FM playlist addition."[3]Record World called it a " rocker...in a Humble Pie vein."[4]
Chartsedit
The song was the second single released from the album, and the band's fourth US Top 20 single, reaching #16 in Billboard. In Canada, the song reached number two,[5] and is ranked as the 54th biggest Canadian hit of 1977.
In 1996, the industrial rock band The Electric Hellfire Club covered the song on their album Calling Dr. Luv, renaming the album and song to reflect the name of their keyboardist The Rev. Dr. Luv who had recently died, which the album was dedicated to.
In the film Detroit Rock City, which revolves around Kiss fans, once a character is asked his name after foiling a robbery, he replies "They call me Dr. Love". The song is also played in the film itself.
The song was used in a 2009 commercial for the cherry-flavored Dr. Pepper. It features Gene Simmons, referred to as "Dr. Love," on a couch with several women, in front of a large electric Kiss logo which flashes while he says that the new product has a "kiss of cherry." His son Nick enters and scolds him for over-emphasizing the word "kiss." The ad ends with Simmons saying "trust me, I'm a doctor!" A variant of this ad aired during Super Bowl XLIV.[11][12]
"Calling Dr. Love" was featured in the film Magic Mike.
Referencesedit
^Prato, Greg. "Rock and Roll Over - Kiss | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
^Dick, Jonathan (October 2, 2014). "The 10 Best KISS Songs". Stereogum. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
^"CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. March 12, 1977. p. 34. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
^"Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. March 19, 1977. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
^"Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2016.