Carl Douglas Songs - Kung Fu Fighting Lyrics

Carl Douglas - Kung Fu Fighting

Carl Douglas - Kung Fu Fighting Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Kung Fu Fighting And Other Great Love Songs
Released: 1976

Kung Fu Fighting Lyrics

(Oh oh oh oh) y'all ready?
(Oh oh oh oh) yeah, let's go
(Oh oh oh oh)

(Oh oh oh oh) y'all ready?
(Oh oh oh oh) yeah, let's go
(Oh oh oh oh)

Now here it is, one to make you move
Something with a funky kung fu groove
Something that'll make you shout
Make you play the crowd
And make you want to turn it out (yeah)
So, honeyz, gather round (right round)
I'll pick you up and take you on
Go pound for pound
'Coz I'm the only man who'll please you
I got a little something that'll tease you (oh oh oh oh)
So throw those hands up high (come one)
Shake your body, move from side to side (that's right)
(Oh oh oh oh) 'Coz we've just begun
Party people in the place
Yeah, we're having fun (oh oh oh oh)
Oh yeah, I'm gonna be a big star
I'm gonna lay it on and go "woo-hah" (oh oh oh oh)
'Coz when the move gets excited (come on)
When everybody's Kung Fu Fighting

Everybody was kung fu fighting, come on (huh) woo-hah
These kids were fast as lightning (ha) woo-chok
In fact, it was a little bit frightening (huh) huh huh
But they fought with expert timing (ha)

(Oh oh oh oh) sing it, girl
Sexy kung fu fighter (oh oh oh oh)
Let me take you higher (oh oh oh oh)
I got the moves, baby
Single-move fighter (oh oh oh oh)
Take you higher (ah yeah)

Dance bright lights, Orinoco flow (so bright)
A kung fu fighter in the disco
He's out to take his chance
He knows the honeyz in the house only go for romance
(He's on the floor) he's got a white suit on
Five past one and the night has just begun
'Coz when he lays it on with style
A ladies' man with a nice smile (oh oh oh oh)
And right before his eyes
Sees a pretty young thing looking real fly (oh oh oh oh) so fly
He wants to make the score
So he takes her hand and leads her to the dancefloor (oh oh oh oh)
He's giving her line after line
She tells him that he looks real fine (oh oh oh oh)
'Coz he's the man of perfect timing
Just like when he's kung fu fighting

Everybody was kung fu fighting, come on (huh) woo-hah
These kids were fast as lightning (ha) woo-chok
In fact, it was a little bit frightening (huh) huh huh
But they fought with expert timing (ha)

(Oh oh oh oh) sing it, girl
Sexy kung fu fighter (oh oh oh oh)
Let me take you higher (oh oh oh oh)
Kung fu fighter everywhere
Throw those hands in the air (oh oh oh oh)
The time has come to turn it out
Everybody, let me hear you shout)

One, two, do the kung fu (One, two, do the kung fu)
Say three, four on the dancefloor (Three, four on the dancefloor)
Come on
One, two, do the kung fu (One, two, do the kung fu)
Say three, four on the dancefloor (Three, four on the dancefloor)
One more time

Roundhouse kck, karate chop too
I'm gonna teach you all the kung fu
It's an eastern thing, that's what I'm saying
While the retro disco track's playing
Gonna make you shout, make you beg for more
So you get your body on the dancefloor, (come on, girl)
So, boys and girls, you know what to do
Throw those hands up and do the kung fu

Everybody was kung fu fighting, come on (huh) woo-hah
These kids were fast as lightning (ha) woo-chok
In fact, it was a little bit frightening (huh) huh huh
But they fought with expert timing (ha)

Writer/s: PERRY LEE
Publisher: CONCORD MUSIC GROUP, INC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Kung Fu Fighting

Douglas was a session singer for Pye records when he wrote this. He got the idea for the song when he saw 2 kids in London doing some Kung Fu moves.

In 1974 the Asian producer Biddu asked Douglas to record a song he wrote with Larry Weiss called "I Want To Give You My Everything," and Douglas convinced him to use "Kung Fu Fighting" as the B-side. They recorded "Kung Fu" in 10 minutes, figuring it was just a B-side, but the record label loved it and made it the A-side. After a slow start, it began selling and Biddu became the first Asian to produce a UK #1 hit. It went on to sell 10 million copies worldwide.

Biddu (From the Metro newspaper August 6, 2004): "Kung Fu Fighting was not meant to be a hit. Carl Douglas recorded something for an A-side of a single and every session was three hours long. We spent two hours on the first song and then took a break and I said: 'Quick guys, we need to record the B-side in two takes.' Kung Fu Fighting was the B-side so I went over the top on the 'huhs' and the 'hahs' and the chopping sounds. It was a B-side: who was going to listen? I played the A-side to the guy at Pye Records, Robin Blanchflower, and he said: 'Can I listen to the rest of the reel?' When he heard it, he said: 'This should be the A-side.'"

Kung Fu movies were very popular at the time, and this capitalized on the craze. Bruce Lee was a big star.

Douglas is from Jamaica. He was the first Jamaican-born singer to have a #1 hit in the US.

Of course this was used in the 2008 kid's movie Kung Fu Panda, performed by Cee-Lo Green and Jack Black. The original Carl Douglas version was used in the movies City of God (2002), Wayne's World 2 (1994), Beverly Hills Ninja (1997), Daddy Day Care (2003), and Bowfinger (1999).

In 1998 this returned to the UK charts peaking at #8 in a rendition by British dance act Bus Stop. Their version sampled Carl Douglas' original vocals. Bus Stop were production group Mark Hall and Graham Turner who later recorded as Flip & Fill. Daz Sampson, who later represented the UK in the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest, was also a member of the group.