Frequently Asked Questions

What on Earth does 'Huang Chung' really mean?

The phrase originally came into existence thousands of years ago in ancient China. To the Chinese, each piece of music was more than mere entertainment, or even a worshipful act, it was an energy-formula which realised the sacred power of sound in its own unique way; each composition had its own effects on people, civilisation, & the world. It was this belief which influenced Chinese philosophers into directing more than an insignificant portion of their attention to the music of the nation - if the people were to be protected from the 'dangers' of the misuse of the power of music, & if they were to bask in its optimally beneficial use, then it had to be ensured that only the 'correct' music was allowed to be sounded.

The Chinese set about attempting to align their music to the principles & proportions of cosmic order; thus aligning all consciousness & life to this celestial order. From this we can draw parallels between the Chinese concept of consciousness (when correctly aligned) embodying the celestial sound, & the Christian concept of Christ being the physical manifestation of the Word of God. We have the 'divine right of kings' idea here - the Chinese emperors were also seen as gods, & their word was the Word. As such, the name given to Chinese music's foundation tone was 'huang chung' ('yellow bell'), but this phrase was also used to refer to both the ruler (symbolically) & also to divine will itself. The colour yellow was seen as the colour of sacred wisdom, the imperial colour, & the emperor was a priest - king.

The huang chung was used as the standard pitch upon which the music of the nation was based (ie, much the same as our contemporary A=442 Hz standard). As far as the philosophers related to it, the audible huang chung was the most perfect audible manifestation of the primal vibration possible; & as such was an actual audible embodiment of the Word. In cosmology, the purpose of the Word was to act as mediator between Heaven & Earth, so therefore the celestial huang chung (& consequently the audible transposition of it) was the vehicle for the transference of divine will into the microcosm. So given this, the analogy of the huang chung as both divine & temporal ruler is complete - as the bell set the pitch of all music, so did the Emperor set the laws of State, & both were seen as the transference objects through which divine will passed.

For more information, and the complete unabridged version of this article, please click here: The Secret Power of Music, by Simon Gray.

OK, so originally 'Huang Chung' is a Chinese philosophical idea. So what on Earth does 'Wang Chung' really mean?

There is actually a Chinese philosophical tie-in to the term 'Wang Chung' as well. Pinyin WANG CHONG (popularly known as Wang Ch'ung) was one of the most original and independent Chinese thinkers of the Han period (206 BC-ad 220). A rationalistic naturalist during an age of superstition, Wang dared attack the belief in omens and portents that had begun to creep into the Confucian doctrines. He helped pave the way for the critical spirit of the next philosophical period and prepared China for the advent of Neo-Taoism.

Accepting Confucius, Wang opposed the contemporary, debased Confucianism. He declared that natural things occur spontaneously and that there is no such thing as teleology. Wang rejected the notion that man's actions influence the workings of the natural universe (i.e., a bad king will produce bad weather). He stated that man, though noble and intelligent, has no exceptional position in the universe. A rationalist, he insisted that any theory must be supported by concrete evidence and experimental proof.
Wang has never been greatly popular in China, though in the 20th century the prevailing critical spirit, scientific method, and revolt against the past have attracted new attention to his ideas. His outstanding work, the trenchant and critical Lun-heng ("Disquisitions"), written about 85, has been translated into English by Alfred Forke (2 vol., 1907-11).
Text courtesy of Encyclopædia Britannica.

Additionally, there is an Asian character actor named WANG CHUNG, and you can find more information on him by clicking on his photo:

WANG CHUNG
(Asian Character Actor)

OK, so originally both 'Huang Chung' and 'Wang Chung' are related to Chinese philosophy. So why use 'Huang Chung' as the original name of the band?

Jack Hues is quoted as saying: "It originally came from looking for a name that would wrong-foot everybody, which it did. 'Huang Chung' in Chinese does have this sort of musical philosophy to do with... well, literally translated 'Huang Chung' is 'Yellow Bell' and the Yellow Bell rings. It's like a Buddhist concept, and it's a bell that rings at the center of the universe and creates a vibration. The vibrations are what we are all on, and the job of court composers in China, when this concept was happening (which was around about 1000 BC) was to write music that harmonized with this vibration. So if the Emperor started losing wars and stuff, the first guy to get executed was the composer, 'cause he was obviously writing the wrong kind of music."

So why the name change to 'Wang Chung'?

Jack Hues is quoted as saying: "I kind of got into the jokiness of it kinda sounding like a guitar sound, but when we signed to Geffen they were kinda like 'how do you say it?' So we were like 'Huang Chung' or 'Wang Chung' and they were like 'if it's 'Wang Chung' then spell it 'Wang Chung' and so we did. It's not like a name where it has to mean what it means, it's just like a label. So we changed the spelling and then everybody Wang Chunged tonight!"

What are some other definitions of the term 'Wang Chung' that the band used in the 80s?

Of course, the most common explanation of the band's name to the media and press is the original idea of the term. The band usually stated that the name meant 'perfect pitch', which neatly summarized the tie-in to the Chinese musical philosophy mentioned earlier. Also, the term was sometimes explained as being the sound a guitar makes when you hit the strings down then up, with 'Wang' being the sound on the down stroke, and 'CHUNG' being the sound on the up stroke.

Eventually, as the band grew tired of explaining the name of their group repeatedly, they decided to take a more philosophical approach to it as well. Nick Feldman is quoted as saying: "Wang Chung is the feeling, not the word. It represents an abstract, an escape from pragmatic, complex ideas. Wang Chung means whatever you want it to mean. Have fun with it. That's the whole idea of the line 'Everybody Wang Chung Tonight,' in the song 'Everybody Have Fun Tonight' on the Mosaic album."

Whatever happened to former sax player and keyboardist Dave Burnand?

David Burnand (aka "Hogg" Robinson) is the Head of Music Technology, Head of the Centre for Screen Music Studies, and a Principal Lecturer at the Royal College of Music. He composes electroacoustic and film scores, including music and sound design for: Hoi Polloi (BBC, 1990), Acumen (C4, 1991), Smart Alek (BFI, 1993), Là Bas (BFI, 1994), Gallivant (BFI/C4, 1996), and This Filthy Earth (FilmFour, 2001). The Gallivant soundtrack is available on CD (TS CD001). Additionally, David contributes to the RCM's Professional Integration Project. David also writes on various musical subjects. Publications include six biographies of British film composers, and articles on 'Incidental Music for TV' and on 'Midi' for the second edition of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians; 'The Articulation of National Identity Through Film Music', National Identities, Vol. 1, No. 1, 1999; 'Reasons why film music is held in low regard: a British Perspective', Brio , Spring/Summer 2002.

WANG CHUNG
Some Straight Talk

OK, let's establish this up front, what does Wang Chung stand for, anyway?

NICK FELDMAN: "Wang Chung is the feeling, not the word. It represents an abstract, an escape from pragmatic, complex ideas. We get asked all the time about the supposed secret meaning of the name. I mean, everyone can relax -- Wang Chung means whatever you want it to mean. Have fun with it. That's the whole idea of the line 'Everybody Wang Chung Tonight,' in the song 'Everybody Have Fun Tonight' on the Mosaic album. It can mean a tribal dance, a Viennese waltz, a party in New York, or whatever."

You guys are seemingly an unlikely duo. Jack is a trained musician with a classical background, while Nick is a self-taught musician. Do you guys ever get on each other's nerves?

JACK HUES: "Definitely not. I think we feed off and ultimately complement each other. Nick helps me to be more free, allowing me not to become totally wrapped up in the technical aspects. On the other hand, my trained background rubs off to good effect on Nick. I guess you could describe our musical relationship as an ongoing act of healthy mutual intimidation."

Are we detecting a world weariness in "The World In Which We Live?"

NICK FELDMAN: "We're talking about the human race in this song. We should all aspire to something greater. Jack and I may be idealists, but all you have to do is look around and see the madness. The world is made up of certain individuals who make careers out of shoving messages down people's throats, trying to define everyone's existence in the narrowest of terms. That's an insult to humanity."

How did the advent of the punk explosion of 1976-1977 influence you?

JACK HUES: "Punk convinced me to go into rock and move away from classical music. It had a tremendous liberating factor and an emotive force. It was about overcoming opposition, resources and feelings. What struggling musician couldn't relate to that?"

NICK FELDMAN: "I was definitely inspired by the spirit of punk, its energy and its naivety. Wang Chung wanted to use that simplicity, but make it a little more complex. We wanted to widen the appeal and create a more international, global feel. We want to play to audiences all over the world. We don't want to just preach to the converted."

What do you feel producer Peter Wolf has brought to "Mosaic?"

JACK HUES: "Nick and I admired the production of 'We Built This City' by the Starship, which is one of the reasons we wanted to work with him. Peter knows how to get the groove into the pocket of each song. He's a master of that. His approach is that every single moment of the song should be alive. He forced us to constantly come up with ideas so the listener is bombarded with new information and sounds. But it's important to note that while Peter can come up with these dense textures, his sound is not cluttered. Every detail stands out."

NICK FELDMAN: "Our desire to work with Peter stems from the internationalism of Wang Chung. He's worked with American artists like Starship, Heart and El Debarge, yet he's a European from Vienna. We liked the fact that there was a built-in blend of American and European influences in him. We recorded the LP in three different time zones, by the way -- London, Vienna, and Los Angeles. It was definitely a global affair."

What inspired the title of the LP, "Mosaic?"

NICK FELDMAN: "A few things. Everything came together for Wang Chung on this album: our pop sensibilities and the instrumental experimentation we highlighted on To Live and Die In L.A. On another level, the title emerged from the fact that life is made up of very disparate elements that combine to form a mosaic. The themes on this record are pure love, obsession, betrayal -- or combinations of those -- plus partying and art, among other things."

JACK HUES: "The song, 'Flat Horizon,' came out of my fascination with painting, even though I don't paint. Painters have the ability to truly immortalize their own subjects. To give immortality is an incredible gift."

Any good books you've read lately?

NICK FELDMAN: "Madame Bovary. I also once read a Tex Avery comic. They say more than most people give them credit for."

JACK HUES: "A biography of Nietzsche and the Book of Laughter and Forgetting."