Like China
Encyclopedia
"Like China" is a song written and performed by English singer Phil Collins
from his second solo album Hello, I Must Be Going!
. The song, produced by Collins and Hugh Padgham
was released as the seventh and final single released from the album.
tone compared to other tracks on the album. It opens features Collins singing with a British Cockney
accent. The song takes an upbeat tempo and features a discordant guitar introduction, as well as a guitar solo
by Daryl Stuermer
midway through the song.
The song's lyrics portray an infatuated
teenager attempting to convince his girlfriend to sleep with him by saying he will treat her as gently as "china
".
", which had previously been released as a single from the album.
The single reached the top 20 of the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks
chart, reaching #17.
"Like China" had also previously been released as the B-side for the single "Why Can't It Wait 'Til Morning?
", the fifth single from Hello, I Must Be Going.
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
from his second solo album Hello, I Must Be Going!
Hello, I Must Be Going! (album)
Hello, I Must Be Going! is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter Phil Collins. It was originally released 1 November 1982. This album's name comes from the Marx Brothers' song with the same name, featured in the movie Animal Crackers...
. The song, produced by Collins and Hugh Padgham
Hugh Padgham
Hugh Padgham is a British record producer. He has won many awards, including four Grammys, with Producer of the Year and Engineer of the Year. A 1992 poll in Mix magazine voted him one of the world's Top Ten Most Influential Producers....
was released as the seventh and final single released from the album.
Song background
The song, the third track on the album, takes a more cheerful rock musicRock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
tone compared to other tracks on the album. It opens features Collins singing with a British Cockney
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
accent. The song takes an upbeat tempo and features a discordant guitar introduction, as well as a guitar solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
by Daryl Stuermer
Daryl Stuermer
Daryl Mark Stuermer is an American musician who plays guitar and bass for Genesis during live shows, and lead guitar for Phil Collins during most of his solo tours and albums.-Biography:...
midway through the song.
The song's lyrics portray an infatuated
Limerence
Limerence is a term coined c. 1977 by the psychologist Dorothy Tennov to describe an involuntary state of mind which seems to result from a romantic attraction to another person combined with an overwhelming, obsessive need to have one's feelings reciprocated...
teenager attempting to convince his girlfriend to sleep with him by saying he will treat her as gently as "china
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
".
Single release
The single was released in 1983 as the last of seven singles released from Hello, I Must Be Going! The song was released on 7" and 12" formats, with the B-side being "I Cannot Believe It's TrueI Cannot Believe It's True
"I Cannot Believe It's True" is a song by Phil Collins from his second solo album Hello, I Must Be Going!. The song was the sixth single released from the album and was only released in the United States....
", which had previously been released as a single from the album.
The single reached the top 20 of the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks
Mainstream Rock Tracks
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue...
chart, reaching #17.
"Like China" had also previously been released as the B-side for the single "Why Can't It Wait 'Til Morning?
Why Can't It Wait 'Til Morning?
"Why Can't It Wait 'Til Morning" is a song by Phil Collins from his second solo album Hello, I Must Be Going!. The song was the fifth single released from the album and was only released in the UK....
", the fifth single from Hello, I Must Be Going.
Charts
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock Tracks Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue... |
17 |
Personnel
- Phil CollinsPhil CollinsPhilip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
- keyboardMusical keyboardA musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
s, drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, clapsClappingA clap is the sound made by striking together two flat surfaces, as in the body parts of humans or animals. Humans clap with the palms of their hands, often in a constant drone to express appreciation or approval , but also in rhythm to match sounds in music and dance... - Daryl StuermerDaryl StuermerDaryl Mark Stuermer is an American musician who plays guitar and bass for Genesis during live shows, and lead guitar for Phil Collins during most of his solo tours and albums.-Biography:...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s - John GiblinJohn GiblinJohn Giblin is an internationally renowned session bassist who has worked with the following artists:*Eric Clapton, Sting, Mark Knopfler, Phil Collins * Peter Gabriel...
- bassBass (instrument)Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles...