One Night in Bangkok

"One Night in Bangkok"
Single by Murray Head
from the album Chess OST
B-side "Merano"
Released October 1984
Format 7", 12"
Recorded 1984
Genre Pop, New Wave
Length 3:51
4:06 (US 7")
Label RCA
Writer(s) Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus (composers)
Tim Rice & Björn Ulvaeus (lyricist)
Producer Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Tim Rice
Murray Head singles chronology
"Maman"
(1982)
"One Night in Bangkok"
(1984)
"When You're in Love"
(1984)
Music sample
"Murray Head - One Night In Bangkok"

"One Night in Bangkok" is the title of a song originally sung by the British actor and pop-dance singer Murray Head on the 1984 concept album for the musical Chess. Its music was composed by former ABBA members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, with lyrics written by Tim Rice & Björn Ulvaeus.

The release topped the charts in many countries, including South Africa, West Germany, Switzerland and Australia. It peaked at number 3 in both Canada and the United States in May, 1985,[1] and at number 12 in Head's native United Kingdom.

Contents

Lyrics and music

The full version of the song begins with an orchestral intro, "Bangkok", which has oriental styling, but cannot be confused with Thai folk music. This serves as the introduction to Act 2 in the original musical album, and feeds into the first verse of "One Night in Bangkok" itself with an abrupt change in musical style.

The main song has a pop styling, whose lyrics sarcastically juxtapose the Thai capital city and its nightlife with the game of chess. In the original concept album for the musical, the choruses are sung by Swedish artist Anders Glenmark (and by a musical ensemble in the staged versions), while the verses are a rap originally performed by Murray Head as the American chess grandmaster (a character known as Frederick "Freddie" Trumper in the staged versions). Whereas the choruses extol Bangkok's reputation and exciting atmosphere, the American's verses denounce the city, including its red-light district, "muddy old river" and "reclining Buddha".

In the original London production of Chess, the setting for the song is an interview by Freddie, who is in Bangkok to serve as a TV analyst for a match involving his rival, world champion and Russian defector Anatoly Sergievsky. Freddie states a preference for what he sees as an intellectual purity in chess, in stark contrast to the seedier aspects of Bangkok's night life, e.g. "the queens we use would not excite you". His statements suggest a personal lack of interest for the exotic settings typically involved in international chess, preferring to focus on the game itself. In the original Broadway production of the musical, the song appears not at the start of Act 2 but in the middle of Act 1; in this version, the world championship of Freddie vs. Anatoly takes place in Bangkok.

The lyrics also mention actor Yul Brynner, who famously played the King of Siam in The King and I. The "Tyrolean spa" mentioned early in the song refers to Merano in Italy, the site of Act 1 of the musical.

Controversy

In 1985, Thailand's Mass Communications Organization banned One Night in Bangkok, saying its lyrics "cause misunderstanding about Thai society and show disrespect towards Buddhism."[2]

Track listings

7" single
  1. "One Night in Bangkok" — 3:54
  2. "Merano" by The London Symphony Orchestra & The Ambrosian Singers — 7:08
12" maxi
  1. "One Night in Bangkok" — 5:38
  2. "Merano" by The London Symphony Orchestra & The Ambrosian Singers — 7:08

Personnel

Charts and sales

Peak positions

Chart (1984/85) Peak
position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart[3] 1
Austrian Singles Chart[3] 2
Canadian Singles Chart[4] 3
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1
French SNEP Singles Chart[3] 2
German Singles Chart[5] 1
Irish Singles Chart[6] 7
New Zealand Singles Chart[3] 2
Norwegian Singles Chart[3] 3
Swedish Singles Chart[3] 3
Swiss Singles Chart[3] 1
UK Singles Chart[7] 12
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[8] 3
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[8] 5
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[8] 89

End of year charts

End of year chart (1985) Position
Austrian Singles Chart[9] 13
Canadian Singles Chart[10] 17
Dutch Top 40[11] 33
Swiss Singles Chart[12] 8

Certifications

Country Certification Date Sales certified Physical sales
Canada[13] Platinum 1 May 1985 100,000
France[14] Silver 1985 200,000 413,000
Germany[15] Gold 1985 250,000

Chart successions

Preceded by
"Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid
German number one single
18 January 1985 – 25 January 1985 (2 weeks)
Succeeded by
"Shout" by Tears for Fears
Preceded by
"Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid
Swiss number-one single
20 January 1985 – 17 February 1985 (5 weeks)
Succeeded by
"Shout" by Tears for Fears
Preceded by
"Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid
Eurochart Hot 100 number-one single
9 February 1985 – 2 March 1985 (4 weeks)
Succeeded by
"Shout" by Tears for Fears
Preceded by
"I Want to Know What Love Is" by Foreigner
Australian ARIA number-one single
18 March 1985 (1 week)
Succeeded by
"Shout" by Tears for Fears

Cover versions

Trivia

References

  1. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/hot-100?chartDate=1985-05-18
  2. ^ This week in religion history
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "One Night in Bangkok", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved 7 April 2008)
  4. ^ RPM Top 100 (20 April 1985)
  5. ^ German Singles Chart Charts-surfer.de (Retrieved 7 April 2008)
  6. ^ Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved 7 April 2008)
  7. ^ UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved 7 April 2008)
  8. ^ a b c Billboard Allmusic.com (Retrieved 4 September 2008)
  9. ^ 1985 Austrian Singles Chart Austriancharts.at (Retrieved 4 September 2008)
  10. ^ 1985 Canadian Singles Chart
  11. ^ "Single top 100 over 1985" (in Dutch) (pdf). Top40. http://www.top40.nl/pdf/Top%20100/top%20100%20-%201985.pdf. Retrieved 21 September 2010. 
  12. ^ 1985 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch (Retrieved 4 September 2008)
  13. ^ Canada certifications cria.ca (Retrieved 4 September 2008)
  14. ^ "Les certifications depuis 1973, database" (in French). Infodisc. http://www.infodisc.fr/Single_Certif.php. Retrieved 21 September 2010. 
  15. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('One+Night+in+Bangkok')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. http://www.musikindustrie.de/gold_platin_datenbank/?action=suche&strTitel=One%2BNight%2Bin%2BBangkok&strInterpret=&strTtArt=alle&strAwards=checked. Retrieved 4 September 2008. 
  16. ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/atlantic/20110521/en_atlantic/miketysonhangoversequelslowestpaidstar38006

External links