China in Your Hand
Encyclopedia
"China in Your Hand" is a song by British
band T'Pau
, released from their album Bridge of Spies. A re-recorded version was released as a single in October 1987, spending five weeks at number 1 in the UK and is arguably the song for which the group is best known in their native Britain, though their debut single "Heart and Soul
" was a much bigger hit in the United States. "China in Your Hand" was the 600th song to top the UK charts, famously stopping George Harrison
's "Got My Mind Set on You
" from hitting the top spot.
The song's lyrics refer to the novel Frankenstein
and its author Mary Shelley
. This is more readily heard on the longer album version of the song, as the re-recorded single edit omits most of the more obvious references to the book. The song's title was more unclear however and when quizzed, co-writer Ron Rogers was unsure of to what it referred. Lyric writer Carol Decker explained that it is the effect that if you hold a china cup to a light, you can see your hand through it - therefore 'china in your hand' means something that is transparent.
The song is in the key of B-Flat major on the original album version but the radio edit version is slightly sped up to reduce its length resulting in the tuning being mid-way between B-Flat and B Major.
In 2007 the song was featured in a commercial for PG Tips
that starred Johnny Vegas
alongside his sidekick, Monkey.
In 2011, contestant Amelia Lily performed the song on series 8 of the UK's The X Factor
. Judge Gary Barlow
said it was "nice to hear the song being sung in tune for once". Decker reacted to this comment on her Twitter
account. http://www.digitalspy.ie/tv/s103/the-x-factor/news/a353103/tpaus-carol-decker-calls-gary-barlow-a-tt-over-x-factor-comments.html.
Side one
Side two
12" vinyl
Side one
Side two
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
band T'Pau
T'Pau (band)
T'Pau was a 1980s British Rock group led by singer Carol Decker. They had a string of Top 40 hits in the UK, and several hits in the United States and Europe...
, released from their album Bridge of Spies. A re-recorded version was released as a single in October 1987, spending five weeks at number 1 in the UK and is arguably the song for which the group is best known in their native Britain, though their debut single "Heart and Soul
Heart and Soul (T'Pau song)
"Heart and Soul" is a song by British pop band T'Pau. Featuring vocalist Carol Decker performing overlapping lyrics, the song was released as a single record in 1987, taken from the 1987 album Bridge of Spies. Following its inclusion in a Pepe Jeans advert, the single reached #4 in both the US and...
" was a much bigger hit in the United States. "China in Your Hand" was the 600th song to top the UK charts, famously stopping George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
's "Got My Mind Set on You
Got My Mind Set on You
"Got My Mind Set on You" is a song written by Rudy Clark and originally recorded by James Ray in 1962.It is best known for the cover version released by George Harrison in 1987.- George Harrison version :...
" from hitting the top spot.
The song's lyrics refer to the novel Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
and its author Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley was a British novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus . She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley...
. This is more readily heard on the longer album version of the song, as the re-recorded single edit omits most of the more obvious references to the book. The song's title was more unclear however and when quizzed, co-writer Ron Rogers was unsure of to what it referred. Lyric writer Carol Decker explained that it is the effect that if you hold a china cup to a light, you can see your hand through it - therefore 'china in your hand' means something that is transparent.
The song is in the key of B-Flat major on the original album version but the radio edit version is slightly sped up to reduce its length resulting in the tuning being mid-way between B-Flat and B Major.
In 2007 the song was featured in a commercial for PG Tips
PG Tips
PG Tips is a brand of tea in the United Kingdom, manufactured by Unilever UK. It is claimed that Britons drink 35 million cups of the tea every day.-Brand name:...
that starred Johnny Vegas
Johnny Vegas
Johnny Vegas is an English actor and comedian. He is known for his angry rants, portly figure, high husky voice and support of St Helens rugby league club. More recently he has moved into dramatic acting.-Early life:He was born in St Helens, Lancashire, the youngest of four children of Laurence...
alongside his sidekick, Monkey.
In 2011, contestant Amelia Lily performed the song on series 8 of the UK's The X Factor
The X Factor (UK series 8)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The eighth series began airing on ITV on 20 August 2011. Louis Walsh is the only judge from the previous series to return, as the other three, Simon Cowell, Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole, all left to join other...
. Judge Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow is an English singer-songwriter, pianist and record producer. He is frontman and lead vocalist of pop group Take That and is currently the head judge on the eighth series of The X Factor. Barlow is one of Britain's most successful songwriters...
said it was "nice to hear the song being sung in tune for once". Decker reacted to this comment on her Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
account. http://www.digitalspy.ie/tv/s103/the-x-factor/news/a353103/tpaus-carol-decker-calls-gary-barlow-a-tt-over-x-factor-comments.html.
Track listing
7" vinylSide one
- "China in Your Hand" (Carol Decker, Ron Rogers) – 4:07
Side two
- "No Sense of Pride" (T'Pau) – 3:25
12" vinyl
Side one
- "China in Your Hand" (Full Length Album Version) (5:06)
Side two
- "China in Your Hand" (Single Version) – 4:07
- "No Sense of Pride" – 3:25
Chart performance
| Chart (1987/1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Singles Chart | 5 |
| Belgian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 20 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 1 |
| French Singles Chart | 44 |
| West German Singles Chart | 2 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 1 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 8 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Polish Singles Chart | 8 |
| South African Singles Chart | 12 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 5 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart | 1 |
See also
- List of number-one singles from the 1980s (UK)
- List of number-one hits in Norway
- List of number-one hits of 1987 (Switzerland)
- List of Dutch Top 40 number-one singles of 1988