| China | |
| Cover: | China 12-inch single.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Red Rockers |
| Album: | Good as Gold |
| Released: | 1983 |
| Genre: | New wave |
| Length: | 3:57 |
| Label: | Columbia/415 |
| Producer: | David Kahne |
| Next Title: | Good as Gold |
| Next Year: | 1983 |
"China" is a song by Red Rockers, released in 1983. It was a hit single, peaking at No. 53 on the Billboard Hot 100[1] and No. 19 on the Mainstream Rock chart.[2]
"China" was originally one of the ten songs on Red Rockers' second full-length album, Good as Gold. The single was released on the joint label Columbia/415.[3] In the wake of 415's deal with Columbia, "Voice of America" was relegated to the B-side of the single, and "China" became the breakout single for the band.[4] Although the song did not reach the Billboard top 40, it has had an enduring lifespan. The song's popularity was enhanced by its colorful music video, which was a regular selection on MTV during its early years. The video was filmed in New Orleans, the band's hometown.[5]
"China" was described by rock critic Ira Robbins as "a startlingly pretty pop song", and it represented a major change in the sound and style of Red Rockers: "Gone was the raging rhetoric, replaced by... articulate, ringing guitars and John Griffith's newly smoothed-up vocals."[6]
"China" was included on Rhino Records' new wave compilation album series, . In 2000, John Thomas Griffith re-recorded the song with his band Cowboy Mouth for their studio album Easy.