Kung Fu Fighting

"Kung Fu Fighting" is a disco song by Jamaican vocalist Carl Douglas, written by Douglas and produced by British-Indian musician Biddu.[3] It was released as a single in 1974 on the cusp of a chopsocky film craze and rose to the top of the British, Australian, Canadian, and American charts, in addition to reaching the top of the Soul Singles chart.[4] It received a Gold certification from the RIAA in 1974[5] and popularized disco music.[6] It eventually went on to sell eleven million records worldwide,[2][6] 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.

This article is about the song. For the martial art, see Chinese martial arts.

"Kung Fu Fighting"
Single by Carl Douglas
from the album Kung Fu Fighting and Other Great Love Songs
B-side"Gamblin' Man"
Released1974
GenreDisco[1][2]
Length3:15
Label
Songwriter(s)Carl Douglas
Producer(s)Biddu Appaiah
Carl Douglas singles chronology
"Kung Fu Fighting"
(1974)		 "Dance the Kung Fu"
(1975)
Audio sample
"Kung Fu Fighting"
  • file
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"Kung Fu Fighting" was rated number 100 in VH1's 100 Greatest one-hit wonders, and number 1 in the UK Channel 4's Top 10 One Hit Wonders list in 2000, the same channel's 50 Greatest One Hit Wonders poll in 2006 and Bring Back ... the one-hit Wonders, for which Carl Douglas performed the song in a live concert. The song was covered by CeeLo Green with Jack Black[7] and The Vamps for the Kung Fu Panda franchise.[8]

Background and composition

The song was originally meant to be a B-side to "I Want to Give You My Everything" (written by Brooklyn songwriter Larry Weiss and sung by Carl Douglas).[9][10] The producer Biddu originally hired Douglas to sing "I Want to Give You My Everything" but needed something to record for the B-side, and asked Douglas if he had any lyrics they could use. Douglas showed several, out of which Biddu chose the one that would later be called "Kung Fu Fighting" and worked out a melody for it without taking it too seriously.[3]

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,[3] in only two takes, due to a three-hour time constraint for the entire session.[6] 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?" After hearing both songs, Robin Blanchflower of Pye Records insisted that "Kung Fu Fighting" be the A-side instead.[6]

Following its release, the song did not receive any radio airplay for the first five weeks and sold poorly, but the song began gaining popularity in dance clubs,[3] eventually entering the UK Singles Chart at number 42 on 17 August 1974 and reaching the top on 21 September, where it remained for three weeks.[11] It was then released in the United States, where it quickly topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[3] The single went on to sell eleven million records worldwide.[6]

Chart performance

Track listing
  1. "Kung Fu Fighting" (3:15)
  2. "Gamblin' Man" (3:03)

Bus Stop version
"Kung Fu Fighting"
Single by Bus Stop featuring Carl Douglas
from the album Ticket to Ride
Released1998
GenreEurodance[43]
Length3:45
LabelAll Around the World (UK)
Songwriter(s)Carl Douglas
Producer(s)
  • Graham Turner
  • Mark Hall
Bus Stop singles chronology
"Kung Fu Fighting"
(1998)		 "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet"
(1998)

British dance act Bus Stop reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart[44] with their 1998 remix single of "Kung Fu Fighting", which sampled the original vocals by Carl Douglas and added rap verses. In Australia, the single received a gold certification from the ARIA.[45]

Weekly charts
Chart (1998) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[46] 15
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[47] 39
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[48] 22
Canada Dance/Urban (RPM)[49] 11
Denmark (IFPI)[50] 10
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[51] 50
France (SNEP)[52] 25
Ireland (IRMA)[17] 12
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[53] 1
Scotland (OCC)[54] 6
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[55] 20
UK Singles (OCC)[44] 8

Year-end charts
Chart (1998) Position
Australia (ARIA)[56] 40
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[57] 7

Sales and certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[58] Gold 35,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[59] Platinum 10,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[60] Gold 400,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

See also

References
  1. Huey, Steve. "Carl Douglas – Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  2. Browne, Malika (20 August 2004). "It's a big step from disco to Sanskrit chants, but Biddu has made it". The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  3. Bronson, Fred (1988). Kung Fu Fighting. The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (4th ed.). Super Seventies. ISBN 0-8230-7641-5. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  4. "Carl Douglas – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  5. "RIAA – Gold & Platinum Searchable Database – Kung Fu Fighting". RIAA. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  6. Ellis, James (27 October 2009). "Biddu". Metro. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  7. Cohen, Jonathan (12 May 2008). "Jack Black, Cee-Lo cover 'Kung Fu Fighting'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008.
  8. Rees, Katrina (16 December 2015). "The Vamps are Kung Fu Fighting". CelebMix. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  9. "Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas". Songfacts. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  10. Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (5th ed.). New York: Billboard Books. p. 385.
  11. "Carl Douglas". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  12. "Australia No. 1 hits -- 1970's". World Charts. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  13. "Austriancharts.at – Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  14. "Ultratop.be – Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  15. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3908a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  16. "Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 70's". InfoDisc (in French). Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  17. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Kung Fu Fighting". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  18. "HitParadeItalia – Top10 del 08 Marzo 1975" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  19. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Carl Douglas - Kung Fu Fighting" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  20. "Dutchcharts.nl – Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  21. Scapolo, Dean (2007). The Complete New Zealand Music Charts: 1966–2006. Maurienne House. p. 14. ISBN 978-1877443-00-8.
  22. "Norwegiancharts.com – Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting". VG-lista. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  23. "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (D)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  24. "Swisscharts.com – Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  25. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  26. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending DECEMBER 14, 1974". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012.
  27. "The Singles Chart" (PDF). Record World. 14 December 1974. p. 27. ISSN 0034-1622. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  28. "Offiziellecharts.de – Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 27 March 2019. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Carl Douglas"
  29. "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1970s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  30. "Jaaroverzichten 1974" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  31. "The Top 200 Singles of '74". RPM. Vol. 22 no. 19. 28 December 1974. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  32. "TOP – 1974" (in French). Top-france.fr. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  33. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1974" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  34. "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1974". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  35. "Jahreshitparade 1975" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  36. "I singoli più venduti del 1975" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  37. "Top 100 Hits for 1975". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  38. "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1975". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012.
  39. "Hot 100 60th Anniversary". Billboard. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  40. "Les Meilleures Ventes Tout Temps de 45 T. / Singles". InfoDisc (in French). Archived from the original on 29 May 2014.
  41. "British single certifications – Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Kung Fu Fighting in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  42. "American single certifications – Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  43. Anderson, Jason (2 November 2012). "Kung Fu hip hop: the legend continues". Toronto Star. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  44. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  45. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2009 Singles". ARIA. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  46. "Australian-charts.com – Bus Stop feat. Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  47. "Ultratop.be – Bus Stop feat. Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  48. "Ultratop.be – Bus Stop feat. Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  49. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 7065." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  50. "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 110 no. 26. Nielsen Business Media. 27 June 1998. p. 65. ISSN 0006-2510.
  51. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15 no. 33. 15 August 1998. p. 19. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  52. "Lescharts.com – Bus Stop feat. Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  53. "Charts.nz – Bus Stop feat. Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  54. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  55. "Swedishcharts.com – Bus Stop feat. Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  56. "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Singles 1998". ARIA Charts. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  57. "End of Year Charts 1998". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  58. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1998 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020.
  59. "New Zealand single certifications – Bus Stop – Kung Fu Fighting". Recorded Music NZ.
  60. "British single certifications – Bus Stop ft Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Kung Fu Fighting in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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