1 hr 5 min
Cold War Chess & Show Tunes: One Night in Bangkok Sick Burns!: An 80's Podcast
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- Music Commentary
Cold war chess matches and show tunes collide in "One Night in Bangkok" by Murray Head. The song went to number one in many countries and topped out at #3 in May 1985 in the U.S. and Canada. The song was a single from the concept album “Chess” by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA (and Mama Mia fame) with lyrics by Tim Rice. It later became a musical, starring Murray Head.
In the musical, Head plays “Freddie Trumper,” an American Chess master who is in Thailand to face off against his opponent from the USSR in a big chess match. If that sounds familiar, it’s because it was inspired by the 1972 Bobby Fischer/Boris Spassky match in Reykjavik.
In the song, Trumper is trying to stay focused on the match and not succumb to Bangkok’s many distractions. Listening to it with 2021 ears, it’s hard to miss the transphobic overtones or the way it hypersexualizes Asian women. If you were transfixed by the flute solo, you may have missed all that in 1985, but the Thai government didn’t.
Check out the video.
Note, this song is not to be confused with Musical Chess by Burger King Illuminati.
Like the show? Buy us a coffee!
***AND***
Visit our website at www.sickburnspod.com to leave a comment or a voicemail!
Instagram @Sick_Burns_Pod
Twitter @Sick80s
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SickBurnsPodcast
Email us at Burningthe80s@gmail.com
Editing by Ghost Label
Support the show
Visit our website to leave a comment or a voicemail!
On Instagram @Sick_Burns_Pod
On Twitter @Sick80s
On Facebook: Sick Burns Podcast
Email us at Burningthe80s@gmail.com
Support the show at buymeacoffee.com/sickburns
Cold war chess matches and show tunes collide in "One Night in Bangkok" by Murray Head. The song went to number one in many countries and topped out at #3 in May 1985 in the U.S. and Canada. The song was a single from the concept album “Chess” by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA (and Mama Mia fame) with lyrics by Tim Rice. It later became a musical, starring Murray Head.
In the musical, Head plays “Freddie Trumper,” an American Chess master who is in Thailand to face off against his opponent from the USSR in a big chess match. If that sounds familiar, it’s because it was inspired by the 1972 Bobby Fischer/Boris Spassky match in Reykjavik.
In the song, Trumper is trying to stay focused on the match and not succumb to Bangkok’s many distractions. Listening to it with 2021 ears, it’s hard to miss the transphobic overtones or the way it hypersexualizes Asian women. If you were transfixed by the flute solo, you may have missed all that in 1985, but the Thai government didn’t.
Check out the video.
Note, this song is not to be confused with Musical Chess by Burger King Illuminati.
Like the show? Buy us a coffee!
***AND***
Visit our website at www.sickburnspod.com to leave a comment or a voicemail!
Instagram @Sick_Burns_Pod
Twitter @Sick80s
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SickBurnsPodcast
Email us at Burningthe80s@gmail.com
Editing by Ghost Label
Support the show
Visit our website to leave a comment or a voicemail!
On Instagram @Sick_Burns_Pod
On Twitter @Sick80s
On Facebook: Sick Burns Podcast
Email us at Burningthe80s@gmail.com
Support the show at buymeacoffee.com/sickburns
1 hr 5 min