Kung Fu Fighting (1974)
“Kung Fu Fighting” is a disco song written and performed by Carl Douglas and composed and produced by Biddu. It was released as a single in 1974, on the cusp of a chopsockyfilmcraze, and eventually rose to the top of the British and American charts, in addition to reaching number one on the Soul Singles chart. It received a Gold certification from the RIAA in 1974, won the 1974 Grammy Award for Best Selling Single, and popularized disco music. It eventually went on to sell eleven million records worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time.
The song uses the quintessential Oriental riff, a short musical phrase that is used to signify Chinese culture.
The song was originally meant as a B-side, After having spent over two hours recording the A-side and then taking a break, “Kung Fu Fighting” was recorded quickly in the last ten minutes of studio time, in only two takes, due to a three-hour time constraint for the entire session. According to Biddu, “Kung Fu Fighting was the B-side so I went over the top on the ‘huhs’ and the ‘hahs’ and the chopping sounds. It was a B-side: who was going to listen?”
Posted on February 5, 2014, in Music and tagged 70s, Music. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.
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