{{Infobox song | name = Queen of Chinatown | cover = Amanda Lear - Queen of Chinatown (single).jpg | alt = | type = single | artist = Amanda Lear | album = I Am a Photograph | B-side = "My Alphabet", "The Lady in Black" | released = 1977 | recorded = | studio = | venue = | genre = Euro disco | length = 4:15 | label = Ariola Records | writer = Amanda Lear | producer = Anthony Monn | prev_title = Alphabet | prev_year = 1977 | next_title = Follow Me | next_year = 1978 | misc = {{Audio sample | type = single | file = Amanda Lear - Queen of Chinatown.ogg | description = 22-second sample from Amanda Lear's Queen of Chinatown }} }} "'''Queen of Chinatown'''" (also typed "'''Queen of China-Town'''") is a song by French singer Amanda Lear, released in 1977 by Ariola Records. It found chart success and remains one of Lear's biggest hits. The song's lyrics were written by Lear and the music was composed by Anthony Monn, her musical partner at that time. The song is an uptempo disco composition with characteristic oriental elements. It was released in late 1977 as the sixth and final single from Lear's debut album, ''I Am a Photograph'' (1977), though was only included on the album's re-issue, replacing "La Bagarre". The B-side of the single was "Alphabet", which had earlier received a separate A-side single release in the Netherlands. In Japan, "The Lady in Black" was released on the side B.
==Release== "Queen of Chinatown" was heavily promoted by numerous TV performances in 1977 and 1978.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://amandalear_tv.tripod.com/televisione_1977.htm |title=Videography 1977 by Salvo Guercio |work=amandalear_tv.tripod.com |access-date=2013-08-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040610192919/http://amandalear_tv.tripod.com/televisione_1977.htm |archive-date=June 10, 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://amandalear_tv.tripod.com/televisione_1978.htm |title=Videography 1978 by Salvo Guercio |work=amandalear_tv.tripod.com |access-date=2013-09-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040610194705/http://amandalear_tv.tripod.com/televisione_1978.htm |archive-date=June 10, 2004}}</ref> The song became Lear's biggest hit up to that point and now remains one of her most memorable songs. It reached number two in West Germany, which is her highest chart achievement in that country to date, and number two in Italy, where it was kept off the top spot for four consecutive weeks in February 1978 by Matia Bazar's singles "Solo tu" and "...e dirsi ciao".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hitparadeitalia.it/hp_weeks/hpw_1978.htm |title=Hit Parade Italia - Top Settimanali Single |work=www.hitparadeitalia.it |language=it |access-date=2011-04-29}}</ref>
The song was recorded again in 1998 for the ''Back in Your Arms'' album. Minor label Mag Music released that re-recording as a promotional only 12" vinyl single with four mixes in the summer of 1999. Hungarian DJ Sterbinszky released a remix of "Queen of Chinatown" in 2005, using a sample from the original recording. The track reached number five on the Hungarian singles chart.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=2006-01-21 |title=Hits of the World |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BxUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA70 |magazine=Billboard |publisher=Nielsen Business Media |page=70 |issn=0006-2510 |access-date=2018-07-14}}</ref> In the same year, German producer DJenetix remixed the track for the various artists compilation ''Disco Celebration'' which consisted of contemporary remixes of the hits from the 70s and 80s. The new version was released as a single in 2006. In 2008, Amanda recorded another version of the song for her ''Amour toujours'' album, in fact a re-release of the 2006 album ''With Love''.
==Music videos== A music video was filmed for the song, for German TV show ''Musikladen''. It presents the singer wearing an oriental dress and holding a hand fan, performing the song with two backup dancers. This music video was released on a 3-DVD box set ''Das beste aus dem Musikladen Vol. 1'' in 2012, together with ten other videos that Lear had made for the show. Another video was filmed for Italian prime time TV show ''Premiatissima'', hosted by Lear in 1982. This video was later used in her television special ''Ma chi è Amanda?'', aired in Italy in February 1983.
==Track listings== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}} *'''7" single (1977)'''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://amandalear_singoli.tripod.com/011_queen_of_chinatown_77.htm |title=Queen of China-Town 1977 Germany |publisher=amandalear_singoli.tripod.com |access-date=29 April 2011}}</ref> :A. "Queen of China-Town" – 4:15 :B. "My Alphabet" – 4:00
*'''Japanese 7" single (1978)'''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://amandalear_singoli.tripod.com/015_queen_of_chinatown_78.htm |title=Queen of China-Town 1978 Japan |publisher=amandalear_singoli.tripod.com |access-date=29 April 2011}}</ref> :A. "Queen of China-Town" – 4:15 :B. "The Lady in Black" – 3:30 {{col-2}} *'''Italian 12" promotional single (1998)'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://amandalear.tripod.com/maxi_1998_queen_of_chinatown.htm |title=Queen of China-Town 1998 Italy |work=amandalear.tripod.com |access-date=2013-09-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040903051315/http://amandalear.tripod.com/maxi_1998_queen_of_chinatown.htm |archive-date=September 3, 2004 }}</ref> :A1. "Queen of Chinatown" (Paramour Radio Vox) – 4:22 :A2. "Queen of Chinatown" (Paramour Summer Mix) – 8:23 :B1. "Queen of Chinatown" (Super Eel Cool Gran Manzana) – 7:25 :B2. "Queen of Chinatown" (Blow Appella) – 7:00
*'''CD maxi-single feat. DJenetix (2006)''' #"Queen of Chinatown 2006" (Single Version) – 3:53 #"Queen of Chinatown 2006" (Club Remix) – 4:54 #"Queen of Chinatown 2006" (Extended Mix) – 5:43 {{col-end}}
==Charts== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}}
===Weekly charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable" !align="left"|Chart (1977–78) !align="left"|Peak<br />position |- |align="left"|Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://austriancharts.at/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Amanda+Lear |title=Discographie Amanda Lear |publisher=austriancharts.at |language=de |access-date=2009-09-23}}</ref> |align="center"|11 |- |align="left"|Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://musiikkiarkisto.fi/oa/_tiedostot/julkaisut/sisaltaa-hitin.pdf#page=144|first=Timo|last=Pennanen|year=2021|title=Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021|section=Amanda Lear|page=144|publisher=Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava|location=Helsinki|access-date=2022-06-29|language=fi}}</ref> |align="center"|18 |- |align="left"|Italy (''Musica e dischi'')<ref>{{cite book|last=Racca|first=Guido|title=M&D Borsa Singoli 1960–2019|language=it|date=2019|isbn=9781093264906}}</ref> |align="center"|2 |- |align="left"|Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hitparade.ch/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Amanda+Lear |title=Amanda Lear |publisher=hitparade.ch |language=de |access-date=2009-09-23}}</ref> |align="center"|5 |- |align="left"|West Germany (GfK Entertainment Charts)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/titel-details-482|title=Offizielle Deutsche Charts |publisher=www.offiziellecharts.de |language=de |access-date=2017-12-24}}</ref> |align="center"|2 |- |} {{col-2}}
===Year-end charts=== {| class="wikitable" !align="left"|Chart (1977–78) !align="left"|Peak<br />position |- |align="left"|Italy<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hitparadeitalia.it/hp_yends/hpe1978.htm |title=Top Annuali Single: 1978 |publisher=www.hitparadeitalia.it |language=it |access-date=2013-08-31}}</ref> |align="center"|19 |- |align="left"|West Germany<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/single-jahr/for-date-1977 |title=Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts |publisher=www.offiziellecharts.de |language=de |access-date=2017-12-24}}</ref> |align="center"|39 |- |} {{col-end}}
==References== {{Reflist|2}}
{{Amanda Lear}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Songs about towns Category:1977 singles Category:1977 songs Category:Amanda Lear songs Category:Ariola Records singles Category:Songs written by Amanda Lear Category:Songs written by Anthony Monn