Cantonese Boy

"Cantonese Boy" is a song by English new wave band Japan, released in May 1982 as the fourth and final single from their 1981 album Tin Drum. The single peaked at number 24 on the UK Singles Chart.[1] The song refers to the enlistment of a Cantonese boy to the Chinese Red Army.[2]

"Cantonese Boy"
Single by Japan
from the album Tin Drum
B-side"Burning Bridges" (7")
Released14 May 1982 (1982-05-14)
RecordedAugust 1981
StudioOdyssey Studios (London)
Genre
Length3:44
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)David Sylvian
Producer(s)
Japan singles chronology
"Ghosts"
(1982)		 "Cantonese Boy"
(1982)		 "I Second That Emotion"
(1982)

Release

"Cantonese Boy" was released with the B-side "Burning Bridges" on the 7-inch single, taken from the band's previous album Gentlemen Take Polaroids. The 12-inch single two different B-sides: "The Experience of Swimming" and "Gentlemen Take Polaroids", which were originally released on the "Gentlemen Take Polaroids" single in October 1980. A double 7-inch single was also released: the 7-inch single of "Cantonese Boy" and the two 12-inch B-sides, switched around, making it exactly the same as the "Gentlemen Take Polaroids" single.

Reception

Reviewing the song for Record Mirror, Sunie Fletcher described it as "a skillful, fluent and textured piece of music" and that as a single "it's a less obvious proposition than its predecessors, "Ghosts" and "Visions of China"", as "its chief shortcoming is the lack of a hook, as they say in the trade, but it's pleasurable listening for all that".[3] Dave Rimmer for Smash Hits wrote that it is "a good song", but "can't really be counted as much more than a stop-gap measure until the boys in rouge re-unite and pen something new".[4]

Track listings

7": Virgin / VS 502 (UK)[5][6]

  1. "Cantonese Boy" – 3:44
  2. "Burning Bridges" – 5:20

Double 7": Virgin / VS 502 (UK)

  1. "Cantonese Boy" – 3:44
  2. "Burning Bridges" – 5:20
  3. "Gentlemen Take Polaroids" – 3:28
  4. "The Experience of Swimming" – 4:02

12": Virgin / VS 502-12 (UK)

  1. "Cantonese Boy" – 3:44
  2. "The Experience of Swimming" – 4:02
  3. "Gentlemen Take Polaroids" – 7:06

Personnel

Japan

Technical[7]

  • Steve Nye – engineer, mixing, producer
  • Phil Bodger – assistant engineer
  • David Sylvian – cover design
  • Steve Jansen – cover photography
  • Allan Ballard – photography of Japan
  • Ken Ansell – lettering

Charts
Chart (1982) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[8] 20
UK Singles (OCC)[1] 24

References
  1. "Japan: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  2. Papazova, Julijana Zhabeva (2012-11-03). "The Analysis of the Album Tin Drum by Japan and its Intercultural and Musical Meaning". Journal of Creative Communications. 7 (3): 193. doi:10.1177/0973258613512444. ISSN 0973-2586.
  3. "Singles". Record Mirror: 15. 15 May 1982. Retrieved 5 November 2020 – via flickr.com.
  4. "Singles". Smash Hits. 13–26 May 1982. p. 21. Retrieved 5 November 2020 – via sites.google.com.
  5. "Japan Nightporter - History of Japan by Paul Rymer". www.nightporter.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-10-22.
  6. "Japan - Discography - Tin Drum". lifeintokyo.net. Retrieved 2020-10-22.
  7. "Japan - Cantonese Boy". Discogs. Retrieved 2020-10-22.
  8. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Cantonese Boy". Irish Singles Chart.
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