This August will mark 50 years since KISS released its highest-charting U.S. single, "Beth," in 1976. The song has long been the signature tune of drummer Peter Criss, who sang lead vocals on the recording and is credited as a co-writer with former Chelsea bandmate Stan Penridge and producer Bob Ezrin.

But Criss's writing credit on "Beth" has long been questioned by bandmates Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons. Simmons reiterated doubts about the song in a recent interview with 'Professor of Rock.'

Simmons agreed to tell the truth about "Beth" in the interview, recalling that it began when Criss began to hum the melody during a long drive.

"So, in the limo, Peter starts humming [the beginning of 'Beth']. I'm like, 'What is that? That's a nice melody. What is that?' He goes, 'Oh, it's a song I wrote called 'Beck.' ...I said to him, because we had started working with Bob Ezrin, 'Why don't you bring up that song? By the way, what are the chords to that?' He goes, 'I don't know.' I thought that was peculiar."

Simmons insists that he wasn't telling the story with any malice towards Criss, "But it's time for the truth."

"Peter does not write songs," Gene said bluntly. "He doesn't play a musical instrument."

He added that it was, in fact, Penridge who wrote "Beth," while Ezrin worked out the arrangement. Simmons says Criss apparently offered to record "Beth" (and later "Baby Driver") with Kiss in exchange for a share of the songwriting credit. Penridge agreed because he felt he would earn more money by co-writing songs on Kiss records than by releasing them himself in relative obscurity.

"So, the mythology of 'Beth' is exactly that: mythology," Simmons concluded. "The real story is Peter was lucky enough to be in the same place at the same time as a guy who wrote a song called 'Beth,' and then Bob Ezrin, when he heard the song, went home before it was recorded, and then Bob added the middle section of the piano ... I believe it was a Mozart piano concerto. And that is the story behind 'Beth.'"

Penridge's own comments about the genesis of the song, support Simmons' account.

He said that one of their former Chelsea bandmates would often take phone calls from his wife, while the band was rehearsing. The original lyrics for "Beth" were essentially a transcript of their bandmates's replied.

"If you look at the lyrics and view them as a hen-pecked hubby's remarks to his nagging wife, you'll see what I mean," Penridge said in a 2000 interview. "Just pause after every sentence and pretend there's a b---- at the other end of the line. You'll catch it — I'm sure."

He added: "[Peter was] absolutely not responsible [for the song] at all."

Clint August