Walking on the Chinese Wall

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"Walking on the Chinese Wall"
Walking On The Chinese Wall by Philip Bailey vinyl single cover.jpg
Front cover of North American 7″ vinyl
Single by Philip Bailey
from the album Chinese Wall
B-side"Children of the Ghetto (6:49)"
Released
  • 1985 (US)
  • 1985 (UK)
Recorded1984
Studio
GenreRock
Length5:10
LabelColumbia/CBS
Songwriter(s)Roxanne Seeman & Billie Hughes
Producer(s)Phil Collins
Philip Bailey singles chronology
"Easy Lover"
(1984) 		"Walking on the Chinese Wall"
(1985) 		"State of the Heart"
(1986)
Alternative cover
Front cover of UK 12″ vinyl
Front cover of UK 12″ vinyl
Music video
"Walking On The Chinese Wall" on YouTube

"Walking on the Chinese Wall" is a song recorded by American singer Philip Bailey from his Chinese Wall album produced by Phil Collins. Collins sings backgrounds and plays drums on the track. Written by Roxanne Seeman and Billie Hughes, it is an ode to the mystical and mercurial nature of life and love, inspired by Dream of the Red Chamber (Chinese: 紅樓夢; pinyin: Hónglóumèng), Chinese philosophy and the I Ching.[1][2][3][4]

The recording sessions took place at The Townhouse recording studio in London, Ocean Way Recording and The Complex in Los Angeles, with George Massenburg engineering and mixing.

"Walking on the Chinese Wall" was released May 1985 by Columbia Records as the third single, peaking at number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song received significant airplay internationally, charting in European territories, Australia and New Zealand.

A music video with Bailey in the Chinese countryside and a Chinese sage contemplating and throwing the I Ching coins, also went into heavy rotation.[5]

Bailey received a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male, for his performance on the Chinese Wall album, at the 28th Annual Grammy Awards,1986.[6]

Concurrent with the September 28, 2018 launch of Phil Collins' "Not Dead Yet Tour" Collins' released Plays Well With Others, a box set featuring tracks recorded by artists he collaborated with including Robert Plant, Eric Clapton, Quincy Jones, Tony Bennett, Paul McCartney, and Philip Bailey, among others, with Walking on the Chinese Wall appearing as track 4, disc 2.[7]

In 1998, Sony Germany released a Philip Bailey compilation album entitled "Walking on the Chinese Wall."[8]

Background[]

The Juyongguan Gate of The Great Wall of China

In 1982, after having studied Chinese arts and literature at Columbia University, Seeman went on a tour of China, where she walked on the Northern Juyongguan Gate of the Great Wall outside of Beijing. She returned to Los Angeles where she met Billie Hughes, a recording artist who had been writing songs for his own albums, and they began writing songs together. In 1983, Hughes went to Japan for four months, performing in a club in Osaka.[9]

Upon Hughes' return, they began a partnership and bought recording equipment. The first song Hughes composed on the Oberheim OB-8 synthesizer and DMX drum machine was inspired with a feeling of the East. For the lyrics, Hughes asked Seeman to "write me something Chinese".[10][11]

Seeman, who had written "Sailaway" with Philip Bailey for Earth, Wind & Fire's "Faces" album, called Bailey in Denver, Colorado, to tell him about the song before flying with Hughes to New York.[12][13]

One year before, while in London with Earth, Wind & Fire on a European tour, Bailey had met Phil Collins and talked about the possibility of working together.[14]

Bailey asked Seeman and Hughes to meet him with a chord chart at JFK airport, where he would be changing planes on his way to London to record with Phil Collins at The Townhouse. At the airport, Hughes gave Bailey the chord chart, written out with a gold-ink pen, and Seeman gave Bailey a cassette of the song, along with the Sony Walkman it was in.[15][16]

Asked about how the album got its name, Bailey explained:

I was about to fly from LA to London to record the album when I got a call from Roxanne Seeman in New York (...). She said she had a song she wanted me to hear. I had a stopover in New York, so Roxanne came out to the airport and played the song for me on her Walkman. The minute I heard it, I knew I wanted it (…). I guess this is one case where China got some good out of a Japanese invention.[17]

— Philip Bailey

Inspiration, composition and lyrical interpretation[]

Zhuangzi dreaming of a butterfly
I Ching coins

In writing the lyrics, Seeman drew from her studies, making symbolic references to literature, art and philosophy in Chinese culture.[18]

The song opens with Bailey singing "Butterfly spread your painted wings for an answer from the Ching" referencing Taoism and the "The Butterfly Dream" passage from the Zhuangzi.[19]

The following verse "By the stream, stretching on the rocks, tiger on the mountaintop" creates a yin and yang visual of mountains and water, and of the majestic tiger, symbolic of power, luck, and protection, leading the way into the chorus.

Seeman spent several months writing the lyrics. While reflecting on her China travels, she came up with the title and hookline "Walking on the Chinese Wall".[20]

The second line of the chorus "watching for the coins to fall", references the tossing of I Ching coins, visualizing how randomly they will fall, as is the unpredictability of the future, to form the hexagrams in the I Ching ("Book of Changes"), read and interpreted for guidance in making decisions.

The lyrics "Red chamber dream, from the sky above, ancient tales of hidden Chinese love" are inspired by "Dream of The Red Chamber", one of China's Four Great Classical Novels. The lyrics touch on the Buddhist and Taoist philosophies of romantic love and the transitory nature of life thematic in the novel, also called "Story of The Stone”.[21] The story follows a stone "From the sky above" in the Nonesuch Bluff begging a Taoist priest and Buddhist monk to bring it down to the Red Dust, to know life on earth. Granting the wish, a boy named Pao-yu is born with a jade stone in his mouth, beginning its earthly existence and the "ancient tales of Chinese love" inside the red chambers of the Jia family compound.[22][23][24]

假作真時真亦假，

無為有處有還無。

Truth becomes fiction when the fiction's true; Real becomes not-real where the unreal's real.

— Dream of the Red Chamber

Recording[]

LinnDrum digital drum machine

Bailey arrived in London on May 8th, staying at The Bramley Grange Hotel in Guildford for two months. Nathan East, bass, and Lessette Wilson, keyboards, also came from the US to record. Guitarist, Daryl Stuermer, played electric and acoustic. Phil Collins played drums, LinnDrum and keyboards.[25]

The album "Chinese Wall" was recorded at the Townhouse Studios in London. The horns were recorded at Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood.[26]

Bailey described his experience:[25]

When two people are excited about working together that's when you get special moments in a studio. Music is very mystic and when you're surrounded by people who are equally in love with the art, unique moments happen. Moments that can only happen once and can never be done again even on stage. That's the kind of atmosphere I had with Phil.

— Philip Bailey

Critical reception[]

The song received critical acclaim from music critics. Writing for The Voice, music journalist Nelson George praised the song in his album review: "The centerpiece is the title cut...inspired by a passage in Dream of the Red Chamber, an 18th century Chinese novel." He described the imagery of the lyrics as "exotic and graceful", quoting "Come down the clouds to the sea of flames/From the mountain hear the cry of pain".

George commented on "the mesh of Daryl Stuermer's acoustic and electric guitars, Lessette Wilson's keyboards and the Phenix Horns" as being as "exotic and graceful" as the imagery of the lyrics, and of the vocal interpretation: "Bailey uses his heavenly falsetto in counterpart to his Maurice baritone for a mix of philosophical meditation and street-corner logic."[18] Playboy praised the song: "the best collaboration of the two Phils is on the album's title cut, which sounds - believe us - like Earth, Wind & Fire and Genesis all in one song."[27]

The Gavin Report features Walking On The Chinese Wall on Dave Sholin Personal Picks on March 15, 1985: "throw away the cookie cutter 'cause here's something totally new. Title song from Bailey's LP ... has a little bit of everything for everybody. ... Phil Chollins' influence as producer comes through loud and clear".[28]

Cashbox magazine describes the song as a “slow grooving track which has all the instrumental earmarks of Collins’ deft hand. Big drum sound, punch horns and a breezy chorus melody all contribute to this gem…majestic vocals and arrangement".[29] Tom McCarthey of The Salt Lake Tribune wrote: "it is Walking On The Chinese Wall" that rises above the rest...horns, soulful vocals, rich instrumental textures and an Oriental feel that makes it a winner".[30] Billboard magazine described: “...Bailey recalling Van Morrison in the poetic “Walking On The Chinese Wall".[31]

John Griffin, the Montreal Gazette, praised the song for "Bailey's tremendous vocal talent".[32] Paul Sexton, Record Mirror, "Phil For You" December 1984, described the recordings as "very rock-rooted...with plenty of Collins hallmarks."[33] William Ruhlmann of AllMusic said the tune "better represent(s) Bailey's ability to handle a variety of material from ballads to techno dance tracks with his elastic falsetto."[34]

Lou Papineau of the Boston Globe described Walking On The Chinese Wall as "atmospheric" [35] and Joe Brown of the Washington Post called the song "otherworldly".[36] Volker Thormaehlen of NDR Hamburg predicted Walking On The Chinese Wall as a "sure hit" in April 1985.[37] Music & Media included the video clip on its video hits list on May 13, 1985.[5]

Video[]

The video for "Walking On The Chinese Wall" was directed by Duncan Gibbins. It was produced by Beth Broday and Steven Buck. Filming took place in the Santa Monica Mountains in an attempt to capture the "natural mystery and age-old beauty of the Chinese countryside."[38]

Chart performance[]

The song received significant airplay, especially in Europe. In May 1985, itf debuted on the European Airplay Top 50 chart on position #33 and peaked at #13.[39][40] Walking On The Chinese Wall debuted at #76 on the European Top 100 Singles chart.[41]

Country Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[42] 26
Netherlands[43] 25
New Zealand[43] 18
UK Singles Chart 34
US Billboard Hot 100 46
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 56

[44][45]

Personnel[]

[13][46]

Televised performances[]

Live performances[]

Other television[]

  • Dick Clark’s Rock n Roll Summer Action
  • ESPN Beach Special
  • Fantástico Brazil

Cover versions[]

  • The "Young Talent Team" from the Australian television variety program, "Young Talent Time" recorded a cover version on their "Young Talent Team Now and Then 15th Anniversary Album."
  • The Italian dance artist Indiana released a Spanish version produced by Christiano Malgioglio in the summer of 1992.
  • The Eurodance group Double You included a dance version of "Walking On The Chinese Wall" on their hit 1990's album.[50]

In pop culture[]

September 25, 2004, Alicia Keys headlined the Wall of Hope concert on the Northern Gate Juyongguan section of the Great Wall of China, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Great Wall of China’s restoration project. Sylvia Tosun, Nellie McKay and Cyndi Lauper performed the song live as a trio. Bailey’s recording of "Walking On The Chinese Wall" was the finale of the event. [51][52]

An excerpt from the song was frequently used on the Ricky Gervais radio show on XFM. Karl Pilkington's obsession with the Chinese led to the use of the word 'Chinese' lifted from the song in the groundbreaking segment, 'Songs of Phrase'.[53]

References[]

  1. ^ "Philip Bailey | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
  2. ^ "Walking On The Chinese Wall" (PDF). Radio & Records: 40, 48, 65.
  3. ^ "Radio & Records National Airplay" (PDF). Radio & Records: 66.
  4. ^ "Why is China's greatest novel virtually unknown in the west?". the Guardian. 2016-02-12. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Music & Media (PDF). May 13, 1985. p. 22.
  6. ^ "Philip Bailey". GRAMMY.com. 2019-11-19. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  7. ^ Walking on the Chinese Wall - Philip Bailey | Song Info | AllMusic, retrieved 2020-06-07
  8. ^ Walking on the Chinese Wall - Philip Bailey | User Reviews | AllMusic, retrieved 2021-03-15
  9. ^ "Billie Hughes; Recorded 'Welcome to the Edge'". Los Angeles Times. 1998-07-18. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  10. ^ Adams, Mike (2020-01-11). "Roxanne Seeman: A Life In Song". Great Neck Record. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  11. ^ First Draft - Songs of Billie Hughes & Roxanne Seeman by Billie Hughes & Roxanne Seeman, retrieved 2021-03-12
  12. ^ Cash Box. https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Cash-Box-IDX/80s/1985/CB-1985-01-12-OCR-Page-0017.pdf#search=%22the%20two%20phils%22. January 12, 1985. p. 17.CS1 maint: location (link)
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b Bailey, Philip; Zimmerman, Kent (2014-04-15). Shining Star: Braving the Elements of Earth, Wind & Fire. Penguin Publishing Group. p. 210. ISBN 978-1-101-60793-0.
  14. ^ Wells, Chris (November 10, 1984). Echoes, UK Magazine.
  15. ^ ""Easy" Money" (PDF). Radio & Records: 34, 43, 59.
  16. ^ Sharp, Robin. "St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri on January 11, 1985 · Page 56". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  17. ^ Cash Box. https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Cash-Box-IDX/80s/1985/CB-1985-01-12-OCR-Page-0017.pdf#search=%22the%20two%20phils%22. January 12, 1985. p. 17.CS1 maint: location (link)
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b George, Nelson (February 5, 1985). The Voice. p. 93.
  19. ^ Philip Bailey – Walking On The Chinese Wall, retrieved 2021-03-10
  20. ^ "Walking on the Chinese Wall – Zambia Daily Mail". www.daily-mail.co.zm. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
  21. ^ Chen (2005), pp. 31–37
  22. ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (2002-03-16). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
  23. ^ "Alison Gopnik, Ian McEwan, Edmund White, Anne Perry..." The Authors Guild. 2014-04-22. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  24. ^ "Dream of the Red Chamber [Abridged] by Tsao Hsueh-Chin". LibraryThing.com. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  25. ^ Jump up to: a b Blues and Soul. November 20, 1984.
  26. ^ Chinese Wall - Philip Bailey | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2021-03-10
  27. ^ Playboy (PDF). March 1985. p. 19.
  28. ^ Sholin, Dave (March 15, 1985). The Gavin Report. p. 50.
  29. ^ Cashbox. April 6, 1985. p. 82.
  30. ^ McCarthey, Tom (Jan 4, 1985). The Salt Lake Tribune.
  31. ^ Billboard. November 3, 1984. p. 82.
  32. ^ Griffin, John (December 6, 1984). The Gazette.
  33. ^ Sexton, Paul (December 1984). Record Mirror.
  34. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Philip Bailey: Chinese Wall". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
  35. ^ Papineau, Lou (January 31, 1985). "Philip Bailey: Chinese Wall". newspapers.com. Boston Globe. p. 78.
  36. ^ Brown, Joe (March 1, 1985). "Five Solo Soul Outings". Washington Post.
  37. ^ Music & Media Magazine (PDF). April 15, 1985. p. 7.
  38. ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (1985-04-06). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
  39. ^ European Airplay Top 50 (PDF). May 13, 1985. p. 10.
  40. ^ European Airplay Top 50 (PDF). June 10, 1985. p. 10.
  41. ^ European Top 100 Singles (PDF). May 20, 1985.
  42. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  43. ^ Jump up to: a b http://www.australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Philip+Bailey&titel=Walking+On+The+Chinese+Wall&cat=s
  44. ^ "Philip Bailey". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
  45. ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (1985-06-08). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
  46. ^ Chinese Wall - Philip Bailey | Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2021-03-12
  47. ^ The 2nd Annual Black Gold Awards, retrieved 2019-10-31
  48. ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (1985-03-16). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
  49. ^ "American singer Philip Bailey performs at the 1985 Black Gold Awards..." Getty Images (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-04-24.
  50. ^ 12" Mixes - Double You | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2021-03-16
  51. ^ Archerd, Army (2004-09-23). "'Sammy' to see sequel, screen". Variety. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
  52. ^ Mitchell, Gail (July 17, 2004). "Newsline" (PDF).
  53. ^ "The Ricky Gervais Show / Funny". TV Tropes. Retrieved 2020-06-07.

External links[]

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