Kenny G in China
Kenny G is an American saxophonist from Seattle who has sold over seventy-five million albums. His particular brand of soft jazz is obviously loved by many, despite being derided by many others. Since the early eighties he has enjoyed enduring success.
One Kenny G song which has become well-known in a unique way is his instrumental Going Home. (Listen to it here, while the link works. I find it a pleasant enough melody myself.) Throughout China, this song is played by shops and other public institutions to let customers know that the business day is over. It's even played at the close of broadcasting on television stations, and its ubiquity has made it one of the top videos on the Chinese version of YouTube.
Most Chinese recognize it without knowing its name, and-- to judge by the various English-language articles and videos about the phenomenon, many of which feature interviews with ordinary Chinese people-- they show a remarkable lack of curiosity about it.
The song was released in 1990, and its use as an unofficial end-of-day anthem seems to go back at least to the start of the millennium.
Because of the Chinese law regarding performance royalties, Kenny G makes very little money from the song's popularity there. In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, he said that, when he plays in China, he leaves the song till last as he doesn't want everybody leaving the concert early.
I had a Chinese colleague some time ago and I asked her about the phenomenon. She'd never heard of it, but perhaps she would have cried: "Oh, that!" if I'd played it for her.
One Kenny G song which has become well-known in a unique way is his instrumental Going Home. (Listen to it here, while the link works. I find it a pleasant enough melody myself.) Throughout China, this song is played by shops and other public institutions to let customers know that the business day is over. It's even played at the close of broadcasting on television stations, and its ubiquity has made it one of the top videos on the Chinese version of YouTube.
Most Chinese recognize it without knowing its name, and-- to judge by the various English-language articles and videos about the phenomenon, many of which feature interviews with ordinary Chinese people-- they show a remarkable lack of curiosity about it.
The song was released in 1990, and its use as an unofficial end-of-day anthem seems to go back at least to the start of the millennium.
Because of the Chinese law regarding performance royalties, Kenny G makes very little money from the song's popularity there. In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, he said that, when he plays in China, he leaves the song till last as he doesn't want everybody leaving the concert early.
I had a Chinese colleague some time ago and I asked her about the phenomenon. She'd never heard of it, but perhaps she would have cried: "Oh, that!" if I'd played it for her.
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