Actors - China Girl

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	Actors - China Girl

"China Girl" is a track on David Bowie's album Let's Dance
. Bowie originally co-wrote the song with Iggy Pop for the latter’s 1977 album The Idiot, and decided to re-record it for his 1983 album. An edit of the 1977 version was also released as a single.

Under the auspices of Nile Rodgers, the song was given a much more commercial sheen than the sinister Iggy Pop version.

This song is probably about heroin addiction; "China white" is a street nickname for heroin, and based on the following lyrics in the song:

:I could escape this feeling, with my China girl :I feel a wreck without my, little China girl :... :I’m a mess without my, little China girl :Wake up mornings, where’s my little China girl.

The song also concerns commercial imperialism, and as such continues the theme established in the video for "Let’s Dance". It was again edited for single release, but attracted more attention for its striking video. David Mallet’s clip, shot in Australia, featured Jee Ling as a Chinese Goddess, and also lying naked in the surf with Bowie (a visual reference to the film From Here to Eternity
). The latter’s bared buttocks saw the video generate some lurid tabloid headlines, while the clip as a whole would win an MTV award. The UK single release would reach #2 in the charts, also reaching #10 in America.

The song would be a regular for Bowie’s live shows for the rest of the decade, and then added it again from 1999.

Track listing

7” version: -

# "China Girl" (Bowie, Pop) – 4:14 # "Shake It" (Bowie) – 3:49

12” version: -

# "China Girl" (Bowie, Pop) – 5:32 # "Shake It (Remix)” (Bowie) – 5:07

Production credits

Producers:
* Nile Rodgers

Musicians:
* David Bowie
: Vocals
* Stevie Ray Vaughan: Guitar
* Nile Rodgers: Guitar
* Carmine Rojas: Bass
* Omar Hakim, Tony Thompson: Drums
* Rob Sabino: Keyboards
* Mac Gollehon: Trumpet
* Robert Aaron, Stan Harrison, Steve Elson: Saxophone
* Sam Figueroa: Percussion

Other releases

It appeared on the following compilations:
* ChangesBowie (1990)
* Bowie: The Singles 1969-1993 (1993)
* The Singles Collection (1993)
The soundtrack for the film The Wedding Singer
featured "China Girl".

Cover versions

Nick Cave - Live recording in Melbourne, 1978.
James - Single (1998)
Jungk - Future Release?
Kari Polo - Sikta mot Stjärnorna, Vol. 3
Piggy Stardust - Ashes to Ashes: A Tribute to David Bowie (1998)
The Rockridge Synthesiser Orchestra - Plays David Bowie Classic Trax
Trance to the Sun - Goth Oddity: A Tribute to David Bowie (1999)
An uncredited version on the album Discotastic - The Ultimate Dance Beat Collection Cover Versions (1998)

Trivia

In the Family Guy movie titled Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story! David Bowie tells Asian Reporter Tricia Takanawa "Just you shut your mouth."

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for China Girl (song) ]

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