Chinese Food (song)
| "Chinese Food" | |||||||
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| Single by Alison Gold | |||||||
| Released | October 5, 2013 | ||||||
| Format | Digital download | ||||||
| Genre | Pop | ||||||
| Length | 3:20 | ||||||
| Label | PMW Live | ||||||
| Writer(s) | Patrice Wilson | ||||||
| Producer(s) | Patrice Wilson, Dave Kurtis | ||||||
| Alison Gold singles chronology | |||||||
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"Chinese Food" is a song by Alison Gold. It was released on October 5, 2013, by PMW Live.[1] It entered the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart at number 29, selling 1,000 downloads[2] and being streamed on YouTube five million times for the week ending October 20, 2013.[2] As of October 20, it had not been reported to be played on any radio stations in the United States.[2]
Background
Patrice Wilson, who had a passion of eating Chinese food ever since he was 7, wrote the song about it on his birthday in 2012.[3] Wilson, explaining his inspiration for writing the song, stated: "There's a restaurant I go to, they have chicken wings, they have beef with broccoli, that’s what I love. The song is based on my experience—what I know about Chinese food."[4] The song's beat samples Starfire by Dave Kurtis.
Music video
The music video for "Chinese Food" was released on October 14, 2013. It was filmed partly in a Mongolian restaurant, because a Chinese restaurant could not be booked, while some other scenes were shot in Gold's bedroom.[5] It was viewed almost one million times within 24 hours of being uploaded to the video sharing site YouTube, attaining an estimated 4:1 ratio of dislikes to likes and drawing comparisons to another poorly received Patrice Wilson production, "Friday" (2011) by Rebecca Black.[6] Wilson himself appears in the "Chinese Food" video wearing a panda suit.[6]
The video attracted controversy for its alleged overuse of Asian stereotypes, including scenes of Japanese geisha imagery in a Chinese-themed song.[4] Another scene singled out by media outlets depicts Gold and Wilson playing the board game Monopoly, after which the camera zooms in on Wilson placing the dog-figure on the square for Oriental Avenue.[7] Devon Maloney of Wired wrote that the video "is not racist because it depicts pan-Asian cuisine; it's racist because it lazily traffics in racial stereotypes and paints over the distinctions between vastly different Asian cultures with the same 'it’s all Chinese to me!' brush."[7] Gold, in response to the accusations, stated: "I don't really understand what that's all about... I mean, I'm not trying to criticize anyone – I just really love Chinese food!"[8] Wilson also denied any intentions of racism, responding:
Yes, I know geishas are Japanese, but you can find Chinese restaurants in Japan! People say I’m squinting, well okay, I have small eyes. All this controversy, I didn’t even think about it. The pissed off people saying I’m racist, the last person who wants to be racist is me.[4]
Chart positions
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[2] | 29 |
| US Streaming Songs (Billboard)[9] | 5 |
References
- ↑ "Chinese Food". Amazon.com. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 "Alison Gold Delivers 'Chinese Food' to Hot 100". Billboard. October 23, 2013. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- ↑ "[Roz & Mocha Interview] Exclusive: Chinese Food Singer Alison Gold & Patrice Wilson on KiSS 92.5". KiSS 92.5. October 18, 2013. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- 1 2 3 Yang, Jeff (October 19, 2013). "Why Alison Gold's 'Chinese Food' Caused a Stir". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- ↑ Kaufman, Gil; Marino, Kelly (October 17, 2013). "Exclusive: Chinese Food Singer Alison Gold Thinks Wonton Soup Is 'Really Disgusting'". MTV News. Viacom Media Networks. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- 1 2 Nudd, Tim (October 15, 2013). "Alison Gold's Insane 'Chinese Food' Video Is the New Rebecca Black's 'Friday'". Adweek. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
- 1 2 Maloney, Devon (October 16, 2013). "'Chinese Food' Is the New 'Friday.' Except Racist". Wired. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
- ↑ Flanigan, Sarah (October 18, 2013). "Alison Gold Responds to 'Chinese Food' Racism Claims". Yahoo!. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
- ↑ "Streaming Songs: Nov. 02, 2013". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2013.