One Night in Bangkok
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| "One Night In Bangkok" | ||
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| Single by Murray Head | ||
| from the album Chess OST | ||
| Released | 1984 | |
| Format | CD Single, 7" | |
| Genre | Pop/Dance | |
| Length | 3:51 | |
| Writer(s) | Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Tim Rice | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| "One Night In Bangkok" | ||
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| Single by Vinylshakerz | ||
| Released | 2005 | |
| Format | CD Single, Vinyl | |
| Genre | Dance | |
| Length | 3:21 | |
"One Night in Bangkok" is a song originally released in 1984 by Murray Head, and later remixed for release by Vinylshakerz in 2005. The original version was one of the main tracks in the 1986 musical Chess, and was written by former ABBA members Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, along with Tim Rice. The release was a hit across the globe, making #12 in the UK charts, and becoming a number one single in many European countries, such as West Germany (as it then was) and Switzerland.
A dance version of the song was recorded by Robey in 1984, which peaked at #5 on the US Billboard Dance Chart late that year.[1] However, Head's version went on to become one of the biggest sellers of 1985 in the United States of America, where it peaked at #3 in May 1985. In the context of its worldwide popularity, the song was a relatively minor hit in Murray Head's native UK, though it would probably have made the UK Top 10 had it not peaked in a Christmas period when singles sales were exceptionally high.
The song is mainly a pop song, although at the time could have also been classed as belonging to the dance music genre. The choruses (variations on of the phrase "One night in Bangkok...") were sung by Swedish artist Anders Glenmark. The verses could be described as a spoken rap by Head, a sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek decrying of the city's moral corruption and glorifying the spiritual purity of chess. It is a quintessential showclub-oriented tune of double-entendres.
- Murray Head - One Night In Bangkok excerpt (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- An excerpt from the Murray Head version of One Night In Bangkok
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.
In 2005 the track gained new popularity in Europe, thanks to a 2005 remix by the dance act Vinylshakerz. The producers took the chorus of the song and turned it into a modern dance track, the remix becoming a success in several European countries, and finding its way into clubs throughout Spring of 2005.
The song has been covered and modified by others due to its popularity, including A*Teens, E-Razor, Falco, TN'T Party Zone and C21.
[edit] Trivia
In the 1985 video of "One Night in Bangkok", Murray Head is shown playing a game of chess. Close analysis reveals that the game played is an example of the Scholar's Mate — a game usually played by beginners. The game played is:
- e4 e5
- Bc4 d6
- Qf3 Nc6
The last move: Qxf7# is not shown; see Algebraic chess notation.
