Like China

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"Like China"
Promotional single by Phil Collins
from the album Hello, I Must Be Going!
B-side	"I Cannot Believe It's True"
Released	1982
Recorded	1982
Genre	Rock R&B
Length	5:05
Label	Virgin Records (UK)
Songwriter(s)	Phil Collins
Producer(s)	Phil Collins, Hugh Padgham
Phil Collins singles chronology
"I Cannot Believe It's True" (1983) "Like China" (1982) "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (1984)

"Like China" is a song written and performed by the English drummer Phil Collins from his second solo album Hello, I Must Be Going!. It was produced by Collins and Hugh Padgham and released as the seventh and final single from the album.

Song background[]

The song, the third track on the album, takes a cheerful rock music tone. It opens with Collins singing with a British Cockney accent. The song takes an upbeat tempo and features a discordant guitar introduction, as well as a guitar solo by Daryl Stuermer midway through the song.

The title is a traditional English expression meaning "gently and with great care". The lyrics portray an infatuated teenager attempting to convince a girl to date him despite their different social backgrounds — as emphasized by the singer's affected Cockney accent and his reference to being from "the other side of town".^[1] In doing this, the narrator says he will treat her as gently as china.

Single release[]

The single was released in 1983 as the last of seven singles from Hello, I Must Be Going!. It was released on 7" and 12" formats, with the B-side being "I Cannot Believe It's True", which had previously been released as a single from the album.

In the US, the single reached the top 20 of the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, reaching #17.

"Like China" had also previously been released as the B-side for the single "Why Can't It Wait 'Til Morning?", the fifth single from Hello, I Must Be Going.

Track listing[]

U.S. 12" Promotional single (Atlantic)[]

1. "Like China"
2. "I Cannot Believe It's True"

Charts[]

Personnel[]

• Phil Collins – keyboards, drums, vocals, claps
• Daryl Stuermer – guitars
• John Giblin – bass guitar

References[]

External links[]

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics