China Girl (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the song. For the film, see China Girl (film).
| “China Girl” | |||||
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| Single by David Bowie from the album Let's Dance |
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| B-side | Shake It | ||||
| Released | May 1983 | ||||
| Format | 7"/12” single | ||||
| Recorded | Power Station, New York, December 1982 | ||||
| Genre | Rock/Pop/Dance | ||||
| Length | 4:14 | ||||
| Label | EMI America Records EA157 |
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| Producer | Nile Rodgers | ||||
| David Bowie singles chronology | |||||
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| Let's Dance track listing | |||||
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"China Girl" is a song which was co-written by Iggy Pop and David Bowie during their years in Berlin, first appearing on Pop's album The Idiot. However, it was not popularized until it was released by Bowie on his album Let's Dance. Bowie decided to put the song on his album when Pop, his old friend and musical collaborator, was in financial straits and was close to facing bankruptcy. Bowie decided to release the song on Let's Dance so that Pop could collect half the royalties (as co-writer of the track) and get back on his feet financially.
An edit of David Bowie's 1983 version was also released as a single.
Under the auspices of Nile Rodgers, the song was given a much more commercial sheen than the sinister Iggy Pop version.
It continues the theme established in the video for "Let's Dance". The song was again edited for single release, but attracted more attention for its striking video. David Mallet’s clip, shot mainly in the Chinatown district of Melbourne, and on a houseboat on Sydney Harbour, Australia, and featured Geeling Ng lying naked in the surf with Bowie (a visual reference to the film From Here to Eternity). The latter’s bared buttocks saw the video generate some lurid tabloid headlines, though the clip as it is went on to win an MTV award. Versions of the clip included on subsequent video and DVD compilations are slightly censored.
The UK single release reached #2 in the charts, and the US release reached #10.
The song was a regular for Bowie’s live shows for the rest of the 1980s and was even rehearsed for his appearance at the 1985 London Live Aid concert but along with the songs Fascination and Five Years was eventually dropped due to time constraints. The song later resurfaced as a concert favr from 1999 onwards
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
[edit] 7": EMI America / EA 157 (UK)
- "China Girl [Edit]" (Bowie, Pop) – 4:14
- "Shake It" (Bowie) – 3:49
[edit] 12": EMI America / 12EA 157 (UK)
- "China Girl" (Bowie, Pop) – 5:32
- "Shake It [Remix]" (Bowie) – 5:07
[edit] Production credits
- Musicians:
- David Bowie: Vocals
- Stevie Ray Vaughan: Guitar
- Nile Rodgers: Guitar
- Carmine Rojas: Bass
- Omar Hakim, Tony Thompson: Drums
- Rob Sabino: Keyboards
- Mac Gollehon: Trumpet
- Robert Aaron, Stan Harrison, Steve Elson: Saxophone
- Sam Figueroa: Percussion
[edit] Other releases
- It appeared on the following compilations:
- Changesbowie (1990)
- Bowie: The Singles 1969-1993 (1993)
- The Singles Collection (1993)
- The soundtrack for the film The Wedding Singer featured "China Girl".
[edit] Cover versions
- Nick Cave - Live recording in Melbourne, 1978.
- James - Single (1998)
- Kari Polo - Sikta mot Stjärnorna, Vol. 3
- Ziggy Stardust - Ashes to Ashes: A Tribute to David Bowie (1998)
- The Rockridge Synthesiser Orchestra - Plays David Bowie Classic Trax
- Trance to the Sun - Goth Oddity: A Tribute to David Bowie (1999)
- An uncredited version on the album Discotastic - The Ultimate Dance Beat Collection Cover Versions (1998)
- Anna Ternheim - Shoreline EP (2005)
- Voltaire - Zombie Prostitute... (2006), and on .2 Contamination: A Tribute to David Bowie (2006)
- Pete Yorn - Musicforthemorningafter (Bonus CD) (2001)
- System of a Down - Live
- The White Stripes - Live
- Rhonda Harris - BowieMania: Mania, une collection obsessionelle de Beatrice Ardisson (2007)
[edit] References
Pegg, Nicholas, The Complete David Bowie, Reynolds & Hearn Ltd, 2000, ISBN 1-903111-14-5 The wedding singer
