Kung Fu Fighting - Carl Douglas (1974) 9/17/21

Okay...let's say you've booked three hours of studio time, and you've already spent 2 hours and 45 minutes recording the "A" side of a record called "I Want to Give You My Everything." What do you do for the last 5 minutes?

If you're Carl Douglas and his producer Biddu Appaiah, you toss off a novelty tune for the flip side that no one will ever listen to.

Imagine their surprise when the record company LOVES the novelty tune, releases it as the "A" side...and ("as fast as lightning") it goes to #1 in THIRTEEN Countries... including Canada, and the US, where it reaches the top on Billboard's Hot 100 AND Soul Charts. (It also goes to #3 on the Disco Chart!)

"Kung Fu Fighting" went on to become one of the best-selling singles of all time--with over 11 MILLION copies sold!"

It's fun...it's funny...it's easy to dance to...and it fit right into the Martial Arts craze of the early '70s, when moviemakers in Hong Kong released a steady stream of cheesy "Kung Foo" films.

It made Carl Douglas a one-hit wonder of epic proportions.

And just think, if they had released "I Want to Give You My Everything" instead, Carl might be a NO-Hit wonder to this day!

Personal note: My father was not a fan of popular music in the 70s, (He was 51 when "Kung Fu Fighting" was a hit), but he still listened to my show at WOHO in Toledo. And he LOVED this song!

Does that prove it was a song for all ages? I'm pretty sure it does. :)

"Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas: a "Great--and fun--Song of 1974!"