China (Red Rockers song)

"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]

"China"
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
Also found on numerous compilations.

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.
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