One Night in Bangkok
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| “One Night in Bangkok” | ||
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| Single by Murray Head from the album Chess OST |
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| B-side | "Merano" | |
| Released | 1984 | |
| Format | 7" single 12" maxi |
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| Genre | Pop/Dance | |
| Length | 3:51 | |
| Label | RCA | |
| Writer(s) | Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson (composers) Tim Rice (lyricist) |
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| Certification | Gold (France, 1985) | |
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"One Night in Bangkok" is a song originally released in 1984 by Murray Head. The original version was one of the main tracks in the 1984 concept album for the musical Chess, and its music was composed by former ABBA members Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, with lyrics written by Tim Rice. The release was a million-selling smash across the globe, topping the charts in many countries, including West Germany, Switzerland and Australia.
The song went on to become one of the biggest sellers of 1985 in the United States, where it peaked at #3 in May of that year. In the context of its worldwide popularity, the song was a relatively minor hit in Murray Head's native UK, where it peaked at #12.
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[edit] Lyrics and music
The song is mainly a pop song, though at the time it could also have been classed as belonging to the dance music genre. The choruses (variations on the phrase "One night in Bangkok...") were sung by Swedish artist Anders Glenmark. The verses could be described as a spoken rap by Head, a sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek denunciation of the city's moral corruption and comparative glorification of the intellectual purity of chess; e.g., Head remarks, "the queens we use would not excite you."
The song's lyrics contain a number of Bangkok-related references, among them "reclining Buddha" (the Wat Pho statue) and Yul Brynner (famously remembered for playing the King of Siam in The King and I).
[edit] Track listings
- 7" single
- "One Night in Bangkok" (3:54)
- "Merano" by The London Symphony Orchestra, The & Ambrosian Singers (7:08)
- 12" maxi
- "One Night in Bangkok" (5:38)
- "Merano" by The London Symphony Orchestra, The & Ambrosian Singers (7:08)
[edit] Credits
- Arranged by Anders Eljas and Benny Andersson
- Conductor : Anders Eljas
- Engineer : Michael B. Tretow
- Choruses sung by Anders Glenmark
- Producer : Benny Andersson , Björn Ulvaeus , Tim Rice
[edit] Charts
| Chart (1984-1985)[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 2 |
| French Singles Chart | 2 |
| German Singles Chart | 1 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 7 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 3 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 3 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart | 12 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 3 |
| US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play | 5 |
| US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 89 |
[edit] Louise Robey version
A dance version of the song was recorded by Robey in 1984, which peaked at #5 on the US Billboard Dance Chart later that year.
[edit] Vinylshakerz version
| “One Night in Bangkok” | ||
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| Single by Vinylshakerz | ||
| Released | 2005 | |
| Format | CD single, 7" | |
| Genre | Dance | |
| Length | 3:21 | |
In 2005, the track gained new popularity in Europe, thanks to a remix by the dance act Vinylshakerz. The producers sampled the chorus of the song and turned it into a modern dance track. The remix became a success in several European countries, and found its way into clubs throughout the spring of 2005.
[edit] Other cover versions
- Norwegian singer Jan Werner Danielsen covered the song on his 1998 album Music Of The Night.
- Swedish pop group A*Teens recorded a cover of the song for their 2003 album New Arrival.
- American indie band Spooncat! covered the song for their 2003 live album Live Animals.
- Danish boy band C21 released a cover of the song as a single.
- The song has also been covered and modified/sampled by other artists due to its popularity, including Erazor, T'NT Party Zone, Javier Martinez Maya, and Steve Vai.
[edit] References
- ^ "One Night in Bangkok", in various Singles Chart Lescharts.com (Retrieved April 7, 2008)
- ^ German Singles Chart Charts-surfer.de (Retrieved April 7, 2008)
- ^ Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved April 7, 2008)
- ^ UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved April 7, 2008)
- ^ Billboard Billboard.com (Retrieved April 7, 2008)
[edit] External links
| Preceded by "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid |
German number one single January 18, 1985 - January 25, 1985 |
Succeeded by "Shout" by Tears for Fears |
| Preceded by "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid |
Swiss number one single January 20, 1985 - February 17, 1985 |
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| Preceded by "I Want to Know What Love Is" by Foreigner |
Australian (ARIA) number one single March 18, 1985 |
