One Night in Bangkok

For the Sodom album, see One Night in Bangkok (album).

"One Night in Bangkok"
Single by Murray Head
from the album Chess OST
B-side	"Merano"
Released	October 1984
Format	7", 12"
Recorded	1984
Genre	Pop, New Wave
Length	3:51 4:06 (US 7") 5:02 (album)
Label	RCA
Writer(s)	Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus (composers) Tim Rice & Björn Ulvaeus (lyricists)
Producer	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Tim Rice
Murray Head singles chronology
"Maman" (1982) "One Night in Bangkok" (1984) "When You're in Love" (1984)
Music sample "Murray Head - One Night In Bangkok"

"One Night in Bangkok" is a song originally sung by the British actor and pop-dance singer Murray Head (verses) and Swedish singer and songwriter Anders Glenmark (choruses) on the 1984 concept album for the musical Chess. Its music was composed by former ABBA members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, and its lyrics were written by Tim Rice and Björn Ulvaeus.

The release topped the charts in many countries, including South Africa, West Germany, Switzerland and Australia. It peaked at number 3 in both Canada and the United States in May, 1985, and at number 12 in Head's native United Kingdom.

Lyrics and music

The full version of the song begins with an orchestral introduction, titled "Bangkok", of Oriental style. This serves as the introduction to Act 2 in the original musical album, and feeds into the first verse of "One Night in Bangkok" itself with an abrupt change in musical style.

The main song has a pop styling, whose lyrics sarcastically juxtapose the Thai capital city and its nightlife with the game of chess. In the original concept album for the musical, the choruses are sung by Swedish artist Anders Glenmark, 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.) Whereas the choruses extol Bangkok's reputation and exciting atmosphere, the American's verses denounce the city, including its red-light district, "muddy old river" and "reclining Buddha".

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. Freddie states a preference for what he sees as an intellectual purity in chess, in stark contrast to the seedier aspects of Bangkok's night life, e.g., "The queens WE use would not excite you." Trumper's statements suggest a personal lack of interest for the exotic settings typically involved in international chess matches, and that he prefers instead to focus on the game itself. 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; in this version, the world championship of Freddie vs. Anatoly takes place in Bangkok.

The lyrics also mention actor Yul Brynner, who famously played the King of Siam in The King and I. ("Siam" was the previous name for Thailand.) The "Tyrolean spa" mentioned early in the song refers to Merano in Italy, the site of Act 1 of the musical.

Controversy

In 1985, Thailand's Mass Communications Organization banned One Night in Bangkok, saying its lyrics "cause misunderstanding about Thai society and show disrespect towards Buddhism."

Track listings

7" single

1. "One Night in Bangkok" — 3:54
2. "Merano" by The London Symphony Orchestra & The Ambrosian Singers — 7:08

12" maxi

1. "One Night in Bangkok" — 5:38
2. "Merano" by The London Symphony Orchestra & The Ambrosian Singers — 7:08

The song was also re-released on Murray Head's album Watching Ourselves Go By (1990).

Personnel

• Keyboards and synthesizers: Benny Andersson
• Bass: Rutger Gunnarsson
• Lead guitar: Lasse Wellander
• Drums: Per Lindvall
• Flute: Björn J:son Lindh
• Backing vocals: Anders Glenmark and Karin Glenmark
• Arrangement: Benny Andersson and Anders Eljas
• Conductor: Anders Eljas
• Engineer: Michael B. Tretow
• Producer: Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Tim Rice

Charts and sales

Peak positions

Chart (1984–1985)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)	1
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)	2
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)	1
Canada (RPM)	3
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)	1
France (SNEP)	2
Germany (Media Control AG)	1
Ireland (IRMA)	7
Italy (FIMI)	9
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)	2
New Zealand (RIANZ)	2
Norway (VG-lista)	3
Spain (AFYVE)	1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	3
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	1
United Kingdom (The Official Charts Company)	12
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	3
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play	5
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs	89

End-of-year charts

End-of-year chart (1985)	Position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)	13
Canada (RPM)	17
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)	33
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	8

Certifications

Country	Certification	Date	Sales certified	Physical sales
Canada	Platinum	1 May 1985	100,000
France	Silver	1985	200,000	413,000
Germany	Gold	1985	250,000

Chart successions

Preceded by "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid	German number one single 18 January 1985 – 25 January 1985 (2 weeks)	Succeeded by "Shout" by Tears for Fears
Preceded by "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid	Swiss number-one single 20 January 1985 – 17 February 1985 (5 weeks)	Succeeded by "Shout" by Tears for Fears
Preceded by "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid	Eurochart Hot 100 number-one single 9 February 1985 – 2 March 1985 (4 weeks)	Succeeded by "Shout" by Tears for Fears
Preceded by "I Want to Know What Love Is" by Foreigner	Australian ARIA number-one single 18 March 1985 (1 week)	Succeeded by "Shout" by Tears for Fears

Vinylshakerz version

"One Night in Bangkok"
Single by Vinylshakerz
from the album Very Superior
Released	14 March 2005
Format	CD single
Genre	Tech house
Length	3:28
Label	Kontor
Producer	Vinylshakerz
Vinylshakerz singles chronology
"One Night in Bangkok" (2005) "Tekkno Trash (Pay No Cash)" (2005)
Music sample "Murray Head - One Night In Bangkok"

In 2005, German tech house/electro house group Vinylshakerz covered the song. It was released in March 2005 as the lead single from their debut album, Very Superior. It was a hit across Europe, charting in Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

Peak positions

Chart (2005)	Peak position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)	41
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)	8
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)	14
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)	6
Germany (Media Control AG)	26
Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)	53
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	87

Cover versions

A dance version of the song was recorded by Robey in 1984, which peaked at #5 on the US Billboard Dance chart, before the success of the original version. On the Billboard Hot 100, Robey's version entered the chart at #80 on March 2, 1985, just one week after Murray Head's version debuted. Robey's version peaked at #77 and spent 3 weeks on the Hot 100.

Steve Vai incorporated part of the song in his 1996 Fire Garden Suite. Another instrumental version was recorded by Hank Marvin, as a medley with "Variations" on his album Hank Plays the Music of Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Others to cover the song have been Jan Werner Danielsen, A*Teens, C21, and DJ Antoine. In 2010, the track was sampled by Mark Knight on his single, "Devil Walking".

Former pro boxer Mike Tyson sang a cover version of the song for the 2011 film The Hangover Part II (a film that largely takes place after a night in Bangkok), in which Tyson made a cameo.

External links

• One Night in Bangkok - Lyrics
• All-Music Guide: Chess at AMG