By Joe Puccio

Creating hit songs that resonate with the public is obviously a distinct goal of every working musician. Crafting melodies so memorable that they stand the test of time or constructing catchy choruses that become permanently instilled in the listeners’ psyche are traits that every working auditory artist hopes to achieve even once in their respective careers.

Invoking a lyric, however, that incidentally doubles as the band’s name, which enters the vernacular of the English language, is a completely different level of brilliance. “At the time of recording it, I think we both wondered if we were doing the right thing,” mused Jack Hues, one half of venerable British new wave act Wang Chung, during a recent conversation with Generation X Wire. “But with retrospect, a few people have said to us that it was marketing genius, turning it into a term with so much freedom in it. It feels great.”

The iconic phrase that Hues is referring to, ‘wang chung,’ loosely translated as a wild night out, has becoming a full-fledged slang verb among millions of Generation Xers across the globe ever since the release of “Everybody Have Fun Tonight,” the 1987 chart topper from the talented duo.

“If that lyric wasn’t in the song, it might not have been a hit. But that extra bit gave it a sort of mystery. It intrigues people,” added Nick Feldman, the other half of the gifted pop rock pair. “I always say we were the godfathers of rap. We referenced ourselves in our music,” he joked.

The chorus of the beloved track featured on Mosaic, which fluctuates between “Everybody have fun tonight” and “Everybody Wang Chung tonight,” admittedly wasn’t written by Hues, Feldman, and producer Peter Wolf with the foresight of the mass success it would ultimately bring, but the sheer cleverness and unmistakable levity by the group clearly cannot be overlooked. “Like so many things, it wasn’t planned. It was initially a placeholder in the song,” Hues acknowledged. “Peter convinced us that it was the center of the song. And I think it worked particularly well in the U.S., where people are like, ‘Yeah, let’s go wang chung tonight!’ In the U.K., it wouldn’t have done as well. People are more uptight there,” he kidded.

The twosome is currently in the midst of the I Want My ‘80s Tour, along with a revolving lineup of legendary luminaries of the decade including Rick Springfield, John Waite, Paul Young, and Jack Cafferty (select dates). Beginning about a month ago, the impressive package has regularly been playing to throngs of enthusiastic fans throughout the United States. “It’s been going great and it’s a really high energy show,” Hues enthused. “Paul opens and is so fantastic and warm and brings the crowd into it. Then we do our thirty-minute set of all the hits. John follows us and he’s just brilliant – what a voice. And Rick is a total rock star. People get a good night of entertainment.”

“We all get along and respect each other,” affirmed Feldman. “It’s nice to be part of a tour where everybody enjoys what everyone else is doing. It’s a good harmonious vibe and I think the audience picks up on that. The responses have been really great.”

Wang Chung, originally known as Huang Chung after Feldman came across the term, meaning “yellow bell” in Mandarin, formed in London in 1980 as a trio, with drummer Darren Costin part of the group’s initial incarnation. They managed to score five top 40 hits, all charting between 1983 and 1987, a testament to their natural propensity for producing eclectic, melodious music spanning synth-pop, alternative dance, and post-punk. As far as Feldman is concerned, he couldn’t have asked for a more perfect era to prosper in. “There was a lot of good stuff in the 80s and I think, as I’ve gotten older, I appreciate it now more than I did at the time,” the skilled bassist/guitarist/keyboardist/vocalist declared. “The Talking Heads, Prince, The Tubes, there was so much talent. I think we were lucky that MTV came around at the same time and certain stars aligned so we could get our message across globally and not just in the U.K.”

According to Hues, the period wasn’t as narrow as many make it out to be. “It’s not just one thing. There was a certain sound born from the technology everybody was using, like drum machines and synthesizers,” attested the accomplished singer/guitarist/keyboardist/pianist. “But I think there was a great diversity in the bands and artists from back then.”

And make no mistake about it, Wang Chung themselves, while best known for hummable classics such as “Let’s Go” and Points on the Curve’s “Dance Hall Days,” have thought outside the box on several occasions as it relates to their sonic offerings, notably with 2019’s Orchesography, a full-length album consisting of the band’s compositions re-recorded with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. “One of my favorite tracks from that record is “Overwhelming Feeling,” which is a song off of Tazer Up! from 2012,” Hues explained. “It was a really fun process and lots of our fans are quite fond of that album.”

“It was a great time for us, being in Prague. We’d never recorded with a proper orchestra before,” Feldman concurred. “It was a new experience and that’s what life’s about, if you can grab those moments.”

Additionally, Hues and Feldman have the distinction of their tunes appearing in notable works such as John Hughes’ defining coming-of-age comedy-drama The Breakfast Club (“Fire in the Twilight”), the pilot episode of the blockbuster post-apocalyptic zombie television series The Walking Dead (“Space Junk”), and even in the trailer for next year’s highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI video game (“Everybody Have Fun Tonight”).

“We knew John when we got approached to do the song for The Breakfast Club, but we didn’t have any idea that it was going to turn into this culturally significant movie. For the film to blow up the way that it did was obviously great for us,” Feldman stated. “We’re delighted to have that association. And being in The Walking Dead came out of the blue,” he continued. “We weren’t even active as Wang Chung at the time but Universal was releasing a greatest hits record. We did the song rather quickly, sent it to them, and the company really liked it.”

Years later, “Space Junk” caught the ear of Frank Darabont (The Walking Dead executive producer), resulting in the trippy number being a part of horror TV history. “We were delighted that he put it in the first episode and that it was used later on in the series too and we never expected it. And I think it’s exposed our music to a lot of younger fans, partly because of the beat and of course, due to it being in a show like that,” Feldman opined. “We’re very grateful.”

As for new material from the group in the form of a full album, while nothing concrete is set in stone at the moment, it’s a subject both performers speak about frequently, in spite of the obstacles many vintage acts face in releasing fresh music. “It’s definitely viable,” Hues replied. “In some ways, it’s easier to do it than it ever was. Trying to get it heard above the noise of everything else out there is more difficult, perhaps.”

“I’m very much in favor of it,” Feldman agreed. “I’ve got loads of stuff that I’ve written that I’d be very keen to record with Jack as Wang Chung. It’s a way of expressing yourself. Live is one way and writing and recording is another. It’s probably best not to be too attached to having a number one record and to just do it as a labor of love and if something good happens from it, that’s great.”

To coincide with their current tour, last month Wang Chung released Clear Light, Dark Matter, a complete retrospective covering their entire four-decade career. “It’s got all the hits on it, but it has some deep cuts as well. There are some demos and unreleased stuff,” Feldman revealed. “We feel it’s a good walk through of our career so far.”

“Calling it Clear Light, Dark Matter was to try to capture how we have this shiny surface but underneath it could be quite complex. Not that we’re saying “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” is a complex ideology, but some of the lyrics are saying some strange things,” clarified Hues. “And I think Nick and I both got into rock music because you could sort of sneak all sorts of ideas into people’s minds and I kind of like that.”

A live disc is on the horizon as well.

“We’re releasing a live album that we recorded last year in Toronto, which turned out really well and we’re proud of it – and it actually does have a couple of new songs on it,” confirmed Feldman. “There’s life in the old dogs yet.”

“We’re playing better than ever,” professed Hues. “So come out and see us.”

Order Wang Chung’s Clear Light, Dark Matter here, here, or here.

Check out Wang Chung’s upcoming tour dates here.