Keep hearing this catchy Murray Head 80’s retro song on the radio. Gay bashing chess lovers? What’s the dilly?
M2
I haven’t heard it, but from the lyrics it seems to be a fairly straightforward song about a bunch of people in Bangkok for an international chess tournament, so head-down into the chess that they can’t be bothered with the various other delights the city has to offer, from carnal pleasures to being darn pretty. Also that the chess players don’t necessarily think that ignoring the non-cerebral is a bad thing to do.
I’m pretty tired of seeing pop songs about international chess competitions, myself. Let’s get back to fast cars and fast women.
“One Night in Bangkok” was from Chess, a musical about a chess tournament. It was co-written by Tim Rice and Benny (from ABBA; or was it Bjorn?), IIRC.
I believe it’s from a musical called Chess http://www.cdnow.com/cgi-bin/mserver/SID=1912888833/pagename=/RP/CDN/FIND/discography.html/ArtistID=CHESS I’m pretty sure the guys from ABBA wrote it.
I don’t recall any gay-bashing in the lyrics. I do know that the character singing the song is kind of screwed up, and while not exactly a villain, he is sort of a jerk. I always liked the “I get my kicks above the wasteline, Sunshine” comment he makes to a prostitute as he walks past.
Some local Wierd-Al-Wannabe did a parody called “One night in Burbank” that was pretty funny. I should probably try to find it.
The only gay-bashing thing I can think of was “I would invite you, but the queens we use would not excite you” which I took to mean “the only females in this room are chess pieces” not queen as in “cross dresser”. But then, I don’t remember the video and never actually saw the musical, so I may be lacking in context.
The character who sang the song in the play was the American chess champion in Bangkok for his match against the Russian champion. He’s pretty much an egotistical bastard, very impressed with himself 'cos he’s just that good at the game.
I don’t remember the exact context for it, but I think he was mocking the chess maniacs descending on Bangkok. Or maybe the regular sex tourists, I don’t know. It’s been a while since I looked at the notes; I have the concept album somewhere around Mamma O’s house - an infinitely superior product to the actual tape of the play.
sigh
Is from the Musical “Chess” the version you are most likely listening to in your head was the second version.
I hate to admit this but I know the whole damn soundtrack by heart.
ok now I am gonna go get a life.
Osip
The version I remember was by Murray Head, which, by the way, was one of the first songs I got off Napster way back when.
This is so simple…
Bangkok is known as a sex haven. It’s well known for men being able to virtually buy little girls without any problem.
It’s well known for sex and vice.
The guy singing is there to play chess.
He is basically a chess geek mocking everyone “NORMAL” who comes to Bangkok for sex.
Bangkok oriental city where the city don’t know what the city is getting the creme de le creme of the chess world ina show with everything but Yul Brenner (he played the king in the King and I based in Siam now Thailand
He is saying here is this exciting chess tournement yet everyone is so hyped about the city…NOT the chess match. “get tied you’re talking to a tourist, who’s every moves among the purist.”
See it’s a joke the chess geek doesn’t get it.
…ain’t such a pity to be looking at the board not looking at the city…What do ya mean you’ve seen one lousy stinking polluted city…"
See everyone wants to see the city but the chess geek only sees the beauty in the game…Thus maybe in a way he isn’t the geek after all.
…I’d let you watch I would invited you but the queens we use would not excite you…
See the queens THEY use are the CHESS QUEENS. Therefore if you’re not a chess geek you wouldn’t care about their queens just the sex queens. It isn’t anti gay.
…this suits me more than woulda muddy old river or reclining Budda…
Again he doesn’t appreciate ANY of Bangkok’s beauty or culture as he says something like it could be London, Paris or Hastings or… or this place(I don’t think the cities are right)
See it’s ONLY about the GAME.
So now go back to your temples, your bars…your massage parlors
I was kinda wondering about this song myself. Thanks.
This is one of those songs that, like Copacabana, makes a lot more sense if you have the context (i.e. it’s from a play…I didn’t know that until know).
Aw, geez, now I’m curious. Anyone know where I can find out more about this play? (I’m kinda reluctant to just punch “Chess” into a search engine.)
Here’s a couple that I have handy. It’s actually got a pretty confusing history.
http://www.calpoly.edu/~bmarx/chess/chess_i.html
As best I recall (this may be refuted by something in the links), the original concept album did not have an accompanying stage realization. This recording is one of the popular ones out there - it has Murray Head playing The American. This version of One Night in Bankok is the one that got lots of airplay. I believe it was subsequently staged in London, but the production was quite lavish and it (barely) ultimately broke even.
It was then produced on Broadway, with some amount of plot re-write. Most of the music remains pretty much the same, but there are some changes in the lyrics and a few new songs. The Broadway Cast Recording has also been released, but I don’t like it as much. There were many problems, artistic and logistical, with this production and it didn’t run all that long.
There has also been a third release (a live stand-up performance of the tunes), that I haven’t heard and know nothing about.
I’ve read reports that it’s generally regarded to be a pretty weak story, but it remains vaguely popular on the strength of its musical score. Lyrics were done by Tim Rice, and the music was written by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson (the 2 guys from ABBA).
Yeah, but is it Istanbul? Or Constantinople?
This is incorrect.
The song is sung by the former American champion, who stormed out of the previous tournament and defaulted to the Russian. He has been invited back to referee the next tournament, which is between the current champion, now representing America after having defected, and the new Russian champion.
Here’s a previous thread in which this song was discussed:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=4307
Many of your questions are answered there.
KellyM,
My memory is that the former American champ did indeed lose the previous tournament. He’s come to this tournament not to referee it but to report on it. My memory of the show is somewhat vague though. Have you seen it recently? Are you reading the plot summary from the album cover?
And your piece of trivia for the day…
Murray Head is the brother of Anthony Stewart Head (Giles of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and famous for Tasters Choice ads).
Da chiort voz’mi! Of course, you’re right. Like I said, it’s been a while since I either read the liner notes or actually listened to the tapes, so my memory is obviously proving faulty.
wanders off humming “A Model of Decorum and Tranquility”
I remember Tim Rice being interviewed about the musical and the question of the location came up.
His answer was that he’d noticed that other major world competitions were held in either the great capitols of the world or the big cultural centres, think of say the Olympics or Soccer world cup final etc,or that world chess tournaments always seemed to take place in fairly unfashionable places, or at least on first glance slightly odd places for events of such importance.
His aim was to contrast the highbrow intellectual culture with the distinctly lowbrow attractions of Bangkok and, after all, it does seem a fairly unusual place to have such a tournament bearing in mind that it was, at the time, seemnas representing the cold war superpower struggle.
That depends. In the London performance, the former American champ came to Bangkok to report on the tournament. In the Broadway performance, he is in Bangkok to compete.
KellyM,
I should explain that the only two things I’m disagreeing with you about are the following:
-
I think that the American ex-champ lost the previous tournament just by losing games, not by forfeiting any of the games. I think the point made in the play was that the Russian had out-psyched him.
-
I think that he is in Bangkok not refereeing the tournament but reporting on it for a magazine or some such.
I saw the London stage version in late 1987. Since there have been changes made in the show over the years, I wonder if these explain the differences between my memories and yours.