"China in Your Hand" | ||||
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Single by T'Pau | ||||
from the album Bridge of Spies | ||||
B-side | "No Sense of Pride" | |||
Released | October 1987 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 5:06 (album version) 4:07 (single edit) | |||
Label |
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Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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T'Pau singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"China in Your Hand" on YouTube |
"China in Your Hand" is a song by English pop group T'Pau from their debut studio album, Bridge of Spies (1987). A re-recorded version was released as a single in October 1987, spending five weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart. "China in Your Hand" was the 600th single to top the UK chart and kept George Harrison's "Got My Mind Set on You" from hitting the top spot. The song also reached number one in Belgium, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland. In 2015, the song was voted by the British public as the nation's 11th favourite 1980s number one in a poll for ITV, [1] and in 2017 was chosen by The Daily Telegraph as one of the 21 best power ballads. [2]
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 its source material. 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. [3] In a segment on the BBC1's The One Show on 6 March 2014, Carol Decker explained that she had been holding a china tea cup belonging to Ronnie Rogers' mother in her hand while washing up and had felt a lump in the bottom. She held the cup to the light and saw an image of a young woman in the base of the cup. Decker had the cup with her and showed the viewers the image.
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 midway between B-Flat and B Major.
In 2011, contestant Amelia Lily performed the song on series 8 of UK's The X Factor . Judge Gary Barlow said it was "nice to hear the song being sung in tune for once", in mockery of Decker, who reacted to the comment via Twitter. [4] Barlow would apologize later. [5]
Another song with the same title charted for the band Fusion in 1999.
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Germany (BVMI) [32] | Gold | 250,000^ |
Netherlands (NVPI) [33] | Gold | 75,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [34] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
T'Pau are an English pop group formed in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, led by singer Carol Decker. They had a string of top 40 hits in the UK during the late 1980s and early 1990s, most notably "China in Your Hand", "Heart and Soul" and "Valentine", and several hits in the rest of Europe, before disbanding in 1992. Decker still performs under the name T'Pau at solo shows and 1980s nostalgia concerts, and in 2013 she reunited with original band member and co-songwriter Ronnie Rogers for a 25th-anniversary UK tour.
Bridge of Spies is the debut studio album by English pop group T'Pau, released on 14 September 1987 by Siren Records. In the United States and Canada, Virgin Records released the album under the title T'Pau.
"Never Gonna Give You Up" is a song by English singer Rick Astley, released on 27 July 1987. Written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, it was released by RCA Records as the first single from Astley's debut studio album, Whenever You Need Somebody (1987). The song became a worldwide hit, initially in the United Kingdom in 1987, where it stayed at the top of the chart for five weeks and was the best-selling single of that year. It eventually topped charts in 25 different countries, including the United States and West Germany, and winning Best British Single at the 1988 Brit Awards. The song is widely regarded as Astley's most popular, as well as his signature song, and it is often played at the end of his live concerts.
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"Heart and Soul" is the debut single by British pop rock band T'Pau, released in a rerecorded version from their debut studio album Bridge of Spies in 1987. Following its inclusion in a Pepe Jeans advert, the single reached number four on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart.
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"Secret Garden" is a song by British band T'Pau, released as the lead single from their second studio album, Rage (1988). It was written by vocalist Carol Decker and rhythm guitarist Ron Rogers, and produced by Roy Thomas Baker. Released on 19 September 1988, "Secret Garden" reached number 18 on the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for seven weeks.
"Only the Lonely" is a song by English band T'Pau, released in 1989 as the third and final single from their second studio album, Rage (1988). It was written by vocalist Carol Decker and rhythm guitarist Ron Rogers, and produced by Roy Thomas Baker. "Only the Lonely " peaked at No. 28 on the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for six weeks. For its release as a single, "Only the Lonely" was remixed.
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"Road to Our Dream" is a song by English band T'Pau, released in 1988 as the second single from their second studio album Rage. It was written by vocalist Carol Decker and rhythm guitarist Ron Rogers, and produced by Roy Thomas Baker. "Road to Our Dream" peaked at No. 42 on the UK Singles Chart and remained in the Top 100 for seven weeks.
Heart and Soul: The Very Best of T'Pau is a compilation album by British pop group T'Pau, which was released by Virgin Records in 1993. It reached number 35 on the UK Albums Chart and remained in the top 100 for two weeks.
"Valentine" is a song by British band T'Pau, which was released in 1988 as the fifth single from their debut studio album Bridge of Spies. It was written by Ronnie Rogers and Carol Decker, and produced by Roy Thomas Baker. It reached No. 9 in the UK and remained on the charts for eight weeks.
"Sex Talk" is a song by British band T'Pau, written by Carol Decker and Ron Rogers, and produced by Roy Thomas Baker. It was originally released as a single in 1987 under the title "Intimate Strangers", but failed to chart. It was re-titled "Sex Talk" and included on the band's debut studio album Bridge of Spies (1987). In 1988, a live version of the song, recorded at the SEC Centre on 29 October 1987, was released as a single and reached No. 23 on the UK Singles Chart. This live version of "Sex Talk" was only released in the UK and Ireland. Elsewhere, a 7" remix of the track, "Bridge of Spies", was released instead.