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The legendary disco hymn was
released in July 1974 as the Jamaican musician's debut single.
It uses the Oriental riff, a short musical phrase that is used
to signify Chinese culture. "Kung Fu Fighting" was originally
meant to be a B-side to "I Want To Give You My Everything".
After more than two hours recording the A-side and then time for
a break, there were only ten minutes of studio time remaining
due to a three-hour time constraint for the entire session, so
only two takes of "Kung Fu Fighting" were recorded. According to
producer Biddu, "the song 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. 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, eventually entering the UK Chart and reaching the top in
September 1974. Later it topped also the hitlists in many other
countries, like in the United States, Germany, France, Canada,
Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Ireland, and New
Zealand. |
