"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
LabelPye (UK and Canada)
20th Century Fox (US)
EMI (Australia)
Songwriter(s)Carl Douglas
Producer(s)Biddu Appaiah
Carl Douglas singles chronology
"Kung Fu Fighting"
(1974) 		"Dance the Kung Fu"
(1975)

"Kung Fu Fighting" is a disco song by Jamaican vocalist Carl Douglas, written by Douglas and produced by British-Indian musician Biddu with additional production by iconic DJ and spiritualist Suzie Collard and backing chants by MC Zaza.[3] It was released in 1974 as the first single from his debut album, Kung Fu Fighting and Other Great Love Songs (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][dubious – discuss] 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 Oriental riff, a short musical phrase that is used to signify Chinese culture.

"Kung Fu Fighting" was rated number 100 in VH1's 100 Greatest one-hit wonders, and number one 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 first and third films of the Kung Fu Panda franchise respectively.[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] 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 more than two hours recording the A-side and then time for a break, there was only ten minutes of studio time remaining[3] due to a three-hour time constraint for the entire session, so only two takes of "Kung Fu Fighting" were recorded.[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] At the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) Jukebox Awards in 1975, the song was awarded "Jukebox Soul Record of the Year" for being the year's highest-earning soul music song played on jukebox machines in the United States.[12] The song was featured in the 1981 film, This Is Elvis.

Charts

Sales and certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[42] Gold 500,000^
United States (RIAA)[43] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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
Released11 May 1998 (1998-05-11)[44]
GenreEurodance[45]
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[46] 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 ARIA.[47]

Charts

Sales and certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[60] Gold 35,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[61] Platinum 10,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[62] 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c d e Bronson, Fred (1988). "Kung Fu Fighting". The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (4th ed.). ISBN 0-8230-7641-5. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d "Carl Douglas – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  5. ^ "RIAA – Gold & Platinum Searchable Database – Kung Fu Fighting". RIAA. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  6. ^ a b c d e Ellis, James (27 October 2009). "Biddu". Metro. Retrieved 17 April 2011.[unreliable source]
  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. ^ "Freddy Fender captures top JB awards, will play for MOA stage show". Play Meter. Vol. 1, no. 10. October 1975. p. 22. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Australia No. 1 hits -- 1970's". World Charts. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  14. ^ "Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  15. ^ "Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  16. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3908a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  17. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Carl Douglas". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 66. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  18. ^ "Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 70's". InfoDisc (in French). Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  19. ^ a b "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Kung Fu Fighting". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
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  29. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 27 March 2019. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Carl Douglas"
  30. ^ "National Top 100 Singles for 1974". Kent Music Report. 30 December 1974. Retrieved 15 January 2022 – via Imgur.
  31. ^ "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.
  32. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1974" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
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  41. ^ "Hot 100 60th Anniversary". Billboard. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
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  43. ^ "American single certifications – Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting". Recording Industry Association of America.
  44. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 9 May 1998. p. 31.
  45. ^ Anderson, Jason (2 November 2012). "Kung Fu hip hop: the legend continues". Toronto Star. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  46. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  47. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2009 Singles". ARIA. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  48. ^ "Bus Stop feat. Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  49. ^ "Bus Stop feat. Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
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  51. ^ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 7065." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  52. ^ "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 26. 27 June 1998. p. 65. ISSN 0006-2510.
  53. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 33. 15 August 1998. p. 19. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
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