I'm gonna say TSOP from earlier in the year but I should make mention that some would quibble because of the background singers "Let's get it on, it's time to get down." In which case, it would fall to Love's Theme from even earlier in the year.
This is one of those tunes that sounded fun the first few times then got increasingly irritating. I do like the opening music, though.
The song is catchy as hell. But, I have no idea what it’s about except that everyone was Kung Fu fighting. I know that martial art movies had become popular in the mid 1970s - thanks to Bruce Lee. And I know that the TV series “Kung Fu” with David Carradine was popular - I used to watch it. A period piece novelty song.
The Miami Vice theme was the last for decades. I just Googled it though and "Harlem Shake" finally broke the dry spell in 2013.
Loved this one as a kid, but it also vanished from oldies radio pretty darn quick. I think people got sick of it, fast. (I still kinda like it...)
Loved this song back then and now.It was perfect for the time as I remember everything was "kung fu".
That was a terrible show...they threw in a couple episodes on the Columbo dvds. Really neat to see the trailer and to hear Casey’s awesome voice again. Thanks for posting!
Kung Fu Fighting. Just so hard to believe that hit the top isn’t it? A fun song for sure, and I certainly don’t dislike it, but I would hate to see the top five for those two weeks and learn what didn’t make it! That’s where things get put into perspective.
I had forgot about the kung fu popularity then. I guess it makes more since then. Like the CW McCall song that is coming up...very timely and neither probably would have charted at all had they been released much sooner or later.
Your probably right.The was a kid in our sixth grade class that was all about kung fu.Made him a target to get his ass kicked countless times.
I think the only song it directly affected was When Will I See You Again by The Three Degrees. Everything else was either already dropping or had hit #1.
Oh yes! This song by British singer carl Douglas was huuuge! It also charted high into 1975. He is not related to American singer Carol Douglas who also had a rising hit single out at the same time. Where I lived, the record was so popular that it was hard to find a copy of it for a while. Some people love it, some people hate it. But, I never knew anyone hated it until this forum. Even the host has gone on record saying that he very much dislikes this song. I imagine he didn't have much fun when he mastered it to CD at one point. Anyway, I love the song. A lot of people believe the song was inspired by the ABC TV show "Kung Fu" that was very popular at the time.
Does @tommy-thewho the who mean the last #1 instrumental if 1974, or the last one of the 70s? Anyway, for 1974, i'd say TSOP too. I think the Three Degrees vocal near the end is insignificant, but some would, as you say, quibble with that. If one were to go by that rule, "The Hustle", coming up in 1975, isn't an instrumental, either.
Originally issued in the U.K. on Pye, its U.S. release on 20th Century was in a reciprocal agreement as Pye distributed 20th Century product in England. First-pressings of this single listed the (P) under 20th Century Records . . . . . . changed on later pressings to PYE Records, Ltd.: (All label type, of course, from CBS Pitman - a rarity with this West Coast label where Santa Maria typesetting usually dominated.) I don't know if it was from this or others that followed on the top, why 20th Century artist Barry White's next single from Can't Get Enough, "You're The First, The Last, My Everything," was kept on the "pops" at #2. B.T.W., Al Brown, a mastering name familiar to some Forumites, cut the lacquers for this.
It wasn't just the TV series. As others have noted, Bruce Lee movies and others in that genre were also packing theatres in this period, so it was more in a general sense. I've long had this record - the first-pressing variant from CP on my prior post is the one in my collection. Its popularity was such that some copies were pressed by a non-Columbia plant, PRC Recording Co. of Richmond, IN, whose styrene was somewhat inferior compared with what Columbia pressed. West Coast denizens would have had the usual Santa Maria label type: I presume this was the representation you would have had?
And then we have things like Get Up & Boogie and Fly Robin Fly which have very minimal lyrics accompanying the music. Even less lyrics than TSOP!
Don't forget a future instrumental #1 from the head of A&M that would rise up the charts, not to get ahead of ourselves.
Kung Fu Fighting is a fun song, but a definite period piece. Saying that, it's kind of amazing that people still remember it. I see it mentioned in jokes on some online discussions sometimes ("yes, but was everyone REALLY Kung Fu Fighting?"). Never owned a copy of it and don't really care to.
I have a theory as to why the whole "kung fu" thing was so popular in that period - but it would approach "third rail" time, so I won't expound further.
