The release topped the charts in many countries, including South Africa, The Netherlands, West Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Australia. It peaked at No. 3 in both Canada and the United States in May 1985[5] and at No. 12 in the United Kingdom.
Lyrics and music
The full version of the song begins with an orchestral introduction, entitled "Bangkok". This serves as the introduction to Act 2 in the original musical album, feeding into the first verse of "One Night in Bangkok" itself with an abrupt change in musical style.[citation needed]
The main song has a pop styling, whose lyrics describe the Thai capital city and its nightlife in the context of a chess match. In the original concept album for the musical, Swedish artist Anders Glenmark sang in the chorus, whereas the verses are a rap originally performed by Murray Head as the American chess grandmaster, a character known as Frederick "Freddie" Trumper in the staged versions. In the staged versions, a musical ensemble performs the choruses.[citation needed] Whereas the choruses extol Bangkok's reputation and exciting atmosphere, the American's verses ridicule the city, describing its attractions—the red-light district (Soi Cowboy), Chao Phraya River ("muddy old river"), Wat Pho ("reclining Buddha")—as less interesting to him than a game of chess. These sarcastic denunciations led to Thailand's Mass Communications Organisation issuing a ban on the song in 1985, stating its lyrics "cause misunderstanding about Thai society and show disrespect towards Buddhism".[6]
The lyrics mention actor Yul Brynner, about six months before his death, who had played the King of Siam in the Broadway musical and the 1956 film The King and I (also banned in Thailand). Other Thai-related references in the lyrics include ones to Thailand's former name ("Siam"), kathoeys ("You'll find a god in every golden cloister — And if you're lucky then the god's a she"), and the Oriental Hotel (girls "are set up in the Somerset Maugham suite", to which Head rebuts with: "you're talking to a tourist whose every move's among the purest. I get my kicks above the waistline, sunshine".
In the original London production of Chess, the setting for the song is an interview by Freddie, who is in Bangkok to serve as a TV analyst for a match involving his rival, world champion and Russian defector Anatoly Sergievsky. In the original Broadway production of the musical, the song appears not at the start of Act 2, but in the middle of Act 1, whereas in this version, the world championship of Freddie vs. Anatoly takes place in Bangkok.[citation needed]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Robey version
While Head's "Bangkok" was just starting to climb the Billboard Hot 100, Canadian singer and actress Robey hit the charts with her version. It spent three weeks on the Hot 100 in March 1985, peaking at No. 77.[45] Robey's version fared better on the BillboardHot Dance Club Play chart, peaking at No. 9.[46]
In 2005, German group Vinylshakerz covered the song. It was released in 2005 as the lead single from their debut album Very Superior, reaching number 6 in Finland and charting in several other European countries.[49]
^Hunt, Dennis (12 May 1985). "HEAD MASTERS THE RAP IN 'BANGKOK'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 30 August 2022. The reason for the confusion is that "Bangkok" is a rap song, with Head reciting the lyrics to the accompaniment of a sizzling dance track.
^Molanphy, Chris (28 June 2019). "The Lullaby of Broadway Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
^Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN978-9-5112-1053-5.
^Whitburn, Joel (1991). The Billboard Hot 100 Charts: The Eighties (1st ed.). Menomonee, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 16 March 1985. ISBN0-89820-079-2.
