"Beth" is a ballad by American rock band Kiss, originally released on their fourth studio album Destroyer (1976). The song was composed by producer Bob Ezrin, who reworked a demo called "Beck", which was written by drummer Peter Criss and his friend Stan Penridge.

Released as an A-side single by Casablanca Records in August 1976, due to its growing popularity after having been released the previous month as the B-side to "Detroit Rock City", "Beth" is Kiss's biggest commercial hit in the United States, reaching No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song received a gold record certification from the RIAA, and won the 1977 People's Choice Award for "Favorite Song".

The demo, "Beck", was written by Criss and Penridge during their time with the band Chelsea and later recorded as a demo when the pair were in a band called Lips. During the recording of Destroyer, Criss showed it to Ezrin, who made several changes to it and recommended changing its title to "Beth". Due to its positive commercial reception, the song appeared in many of Kiss' concerts, where Criss usually sang it over an instrumental track. "Beth" has appeared on most Kiss compilations and live albums, including Kiss Unplugged (1996), where the band performed it acoustically.

During drummer Peter Criss's time in the band Chelsea, he and the group's guitarist Stan Penridge decided to write a song that mocked a woman named Becky, the wife of their bandmate Mike Brand. According to Criss, she regularly called the group during rehearsals to ask when her husband would come home, and this gave them the idea of composing the first verse of the song: "Beck, I hear you callin', but I can't come home right now. Me and the boys are playin', and we just can't find the sound". Criss has also said over the years that he composed the song for his first wife, Lydia.

By 1975, Kiss had released three studio albums, in which Criss's compositional contributions were minimal; the only track on which he appeared credited was the instrumental track "Love Theme from Kiss", written by the four members of the band and included on their self-titled debut. Criss assumed the role of vocalist in other songs created by his bandmates; however, for Destroyer, Criss set himself the goal of adding one of his own compositions. During a limousine ride, Criss sang an uptempo version of "Beck" for Simmons and Stanley, assuming they would not be interested in including a sentimental ballad on the album. Simmons and Stanley suggested that he sing it to producer Bob Ezrin, who agreed to record it and assured him that it would be a success. Ezrin's decision was motivated by the fact that the band's other songs were primarily about sex, and he believed that "Beck" was a love song that "everyone would relate to".

Ezrin made several arrangements of the song's melody and wrote part of the lyrics. Gene Simmons suggested changing the name to "Beth" because it would be easier to sing and to avoid confusion with Jeff Beck. However, Lydia Criss later claimed credit for proposing the change for the same reason, and because the original Becky had a twin sister named Beth. Guitarist Ace Frehley attributed the modification to Ezrin, allegedly to make the name less androgynous.

As explained by Criss: "I wrote the melody and creating the phrasing for the song that's on the original demo "Beck" with Stan Penridge. Out of Stan's little black book what remained on the reworked version of "Beth" is Stan's original verse and chorus, and my core melody remains on the reworked composition. The core melody was expanded with Bob's orchestration symphony and musical genius. Bob and I sat at the piano at the Record Plant studio working out the song. Bob Ezrin changed the tempo and made it slower, and I worked on changing some of the second verse and the phrasing with the slower tempo". In his autobiography, Simmons recounted that "I have never seen [Criss] compose a single song. Peter might have contributed a line or two of the lyrics, but after listening to Penridge's original demo, it's clear who made the original song". In a 2014 interview for Rolling Stone, Paul Stanley agreed with Simmons's assessment that Penridge was the main writer, and he commented that Criss had nothing to do with the composition of "Beth", adding that "if you write one hit, you should be able to write two". Criss, in his defense, asserted that Stanley was jealous because "he is the main vocalist of a group in which he did not write the greatest success. That's his problem. They hate the fact that I was the songwriter of a hit and won the People's Choice". In a 2026 interview, Peter Criss described the songwriting process of "Beth" in a more detailed way, revealing that he composed the core melody of the song and addressing the changes that Ezrin made.

For the song's recording, Ezrin brought the New York Philharmonic orchestra and musician Dick Wagner into the A&R studio as a substitute for Frehley, making Beth a dramatic departure from the band's typical hard rock sound. According to Criss and Simmons, Frehley did not participate in the recording because he was engaged in playing cards with friends. Once the orchestra arrived at the studio, Ezrin suggested that all 25 members wear fake tuxedos and that Criss appear in the studio in his trademark makeup so he could take some pictures. For his part, Ezrin put on a top hat and played the grand piano. Finally, Criss recorded the vocals at the Record Plant studio.