China (Red Rockers song)

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"China"
China 12-inch single.jpg
Single by Red Rockers
from the album Good as Gold
Released1983
GenreNew wave
Length3:57
LabelColumbia/415
Songwriter(s)Hill/Griffith/Singletary/Kahne
Producer(s)David Kahne
Red Rockers singles chronology
"China"
(1983) 		"Good as Gold"
(1983)
Also found on numerous compilations.

"China" is a song by Red Rockers, released in 1983. It was a hit single, peaking at No. 53 on the Billboard Hot 100[1] and No. 19 on the Mainstream Rock chart.[2]

The recordings[]

7" track listing[]

  1. "China"
  2. "Voice of America"

12" track listing[]

  1. "China"
  2. "China" (Dance Mix)
  3. "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World is Today)"

History[]

"China" was originally one of the ten songs on Red Rockers' second full-length album, Good as Gold. The single was released on the joint label Columbia/415.[3] In the wake of 415's deal with Columbia, "Voice of America" was relegated to the B-side of the single, and "China" became the breakout single for the band.[4] Although the song did not reach the Billboard Top 10, it has had an enduring lifespan. The song's popularity was enhanced by its colorful music video, which was a regular selection on MTV during its early years. The video was filmed in New Orleans, the band's hometown.[5]

Legacy[]

"China" was described by rock critic Ira Robbins as "a startlingly pretty pop song", and it represented a major change in the sound and style of Red Rockers: "Gone was the raging rhetoric, replaced by ... articulate, ringing guitars and John Griffith's newly smoothed-up vocals."[6]

"China" was included on Rhino Records' new wave compilation album series, Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the 80's.[7] In 2000, John Thomas Griffith re-recorded the song with his band Cowboy Mouth for their studio album Easy.

In spite of – or perhaps because of – its amorphous qualities, the song remains an accessible touchstone for American pop cultural references to China decades after its release.[8]

References[]

  1. ^ "Red Rockers China Chart History". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on January 19, 2019.
  2. ^ "Red Rockers Mainstream Rock Chart History". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on January 19, 2019.
  3. ^ "AMG Good As Gold overview". Retrieved 2010-10-23.
  4. ^ "The Red Rockers – Voice of America". LittleHits.com. 2005. Retrieved 2010-10-23.
  5. ^ "China - Music Video Database". Retrieved 2010-10-23.
  6. ^ Robbins, Ira, ed. (1985). The New Trouser Press Record Guide (3 ed.). New York: Collier/Macmillan. pp. 455–456. ISBN 0-02-036370-2.
  7. ^ Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the '80s, Vol. 10 at AllMusic
  8. ^ "China: Red Rocker Video for a Mayor Out of Quarantine". HuffingtonPost.com. 10 June 2009. Retrieved 2010-10-23.

External links[]

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