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Originally called Huang Chung (Chinese for "yellow bell", though they later claimed it was the sound a guitar made on American Bandstand), the band formed in 1979. The lineup consisted of vocalist/guitarist Jack Hues, bassist Nick Feldman and drummer Darren Costin. Their self-titled debut was released by Arista Records in 1982 after several singles, including the minor post-punk hit "Isn't It About Time We Were On TV". In 1983, after being dropped by Arista and signed to Geffen Records, they changed their name to Wang Chung (at Geffen's suggestion, to make pronunciation easier for English-speakers—consistent with the claim by VH1's Pop Up Video that they changed it because people kept calling them "Hung Chung"—and subsequently they released Points On the Curve, which yielded two major hits, "Don't Let Go" (#38 US) and "Dance Hall Days" (#16 US).
Director William Friedkin specifically sought out Wang Chung to score his 1985 film To Live and Die in L.A.. The resulting soundtrack is recognizable as their work, but largely eschews conventional pop song formulae for a more atmospheric and textured approach.
In 1986, Costin left the band, but Hues and Feldman continued to record. The same year, they had their biggest hits: "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" (#2 US, featuring the oft-quoted lyric "Everybody Wang Chung tonight" and rated the third worst song ever by Blender magazine) and "Let's Go" (#9 US), both from the album Mosaic. They released their their final album The Warmer Side of Cool in 1989, and disbanded in 1991.
During the 1990s, Feldman joined up with Jon Moss of Culture Club to form the band Promised Land. Hues has done various soundtracks for films including The Guardian. He had a solo album, The Anatomy Lesson in the making which didn't see any light until he teamed up with Tony Banks of Genesis to make the album Strictly Inc.
The late 1990s started to see the return of Hues and Feldman with a greatest hits collection and a series of tour dates around America.
In 2002, the band's song "Dance Hall Days" was used in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, on Flash FM. In 2006, their song "Don't Let Go" was used in Vice City's prequel, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, again on Flash FM.
In June 2005, Hues and Feldman reunited as Wang Chung on the reality TV series Hit Me Baby One More Time, performing "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" and a cover of "Hot in Herre" by Nelly.
Shortly after, on the internet at WangChung.com as well as the band's MySpace site, there was news of a new Wang Chung album being worked on by Hues and Feldman. In an e-mail response from Hues, he said, "We are shooting for a release around the March 2006 time frame and a tour in May. We are not sure who we are touring with yet, maybe Heaven 17 or Devo". Also on the band's MySpace, you can hear new clips such as "Hot In Herre" (The Nelly Cover) and a new song "I Was Abducted By The 80's"
No album was released during the March 2006 timeframe. However, as of October, 2006, a statement on WangChung.com said that the new album would be out next spring of 2007.
The song "Fire in the Twilight" was used on the soundtrack to the John Hughes film The Breakfast Club. You can hear it playing in the scene where the kids are led by John Bender down the halls trying to escape from Mr. Vernon.
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