Hong Kong Garden (song)

The first version, titled "People Phobia", was composed by guitarist John McKay in 1977. The band first heard it on a tour bus. The song was named after the Hong Kong Garden Chinese take-away which stood at 101 High Street in Chislehurst throughout the 1970s and 80s. In a 2009 interview, Siouxsie Sioux was quoted as explaining the lyrics with reference to the racist activities of skinheads visiting the take-away: She also stated: I remember wishing that I could be like Emma Peel from The Avengers and kick all the skinheads' heads in, because they used to mercilessly torment these people for being foreigners. It made me feel so helpless, hopeless and ill. ==Recording==

The band's label, Polydor Records, booked a big recording studio in London, Olympic Studios, in July 1978 to record the song with the help of American producer Bruce Albertine, who was more into soul music. The result was not convincing; the band hated it. Their manager, Nils Stevenson, quickly decided to call another sound engineer, Steve Lillywhite, who had a musical approach closer to theirs. Lillywhite re-recorded the song in two days: ==Release and reception==

"Hong Kong Garden" was released on 18 August 1978 by Polydor Records. It reached number 7 on the UK Singles Chart, Sounds and Record Mirror. The song was described by Paul Rambali of NME as "a bright, vivid narrative, something like snapshots from the window of a speeding Japanese train, power charged by the most original, intoxicating guitar playing heard in a long, long time". Melody Maker underlined: "The elements come together with remarkable effects. The song is strident and powerful with tantalising oriental guitar riffs". Reissue In April 2014, "Hong Kong Garden" was reissued on double 7-inch vinyl with new artwork and an eight-page booklet, overseen by Siouxsie and Steven Severin. The first disc featured the original B-side "Voices". The second disc included the 2006 version of "Hong Kong Garden" with the orchestral introduction (reworked for the soundtrack to the film Marie Antoinette), backed with the 1984 version of "Voices" from The Thorn EP. The original version of "Hong Kong Garden" known as "People Phobia" was officially released in 2025 on a CD via guitarist John McKay's website. ==Legacy==

Sonic Youth vocalist and guitarist Thurston Moore named "Hong Kong Garden" as one of his all-time favourite songs. Uffie covered "Hong Kong Garden" on her debut album, mentioning it was one of her favorite songs. ==Other versions==

On the first studio version recorded by the BBC in February 1978, the "Oriental" hook was played on a pixiphone, a toy glockenspiel with metallic bars; this version was later issued on both Voices on the Air: The Peel Sessions and At the BBC. On the second version recorded for Polydor in June 1978, the instrument used was a xylophone, an instrument with wooden bars. This Polydor version was released as a stand-alone single. When Siouxsie and the Banshees' debut album The Scream came out later in the year, "Hong Kong Garden" was not included. It later surfaced on the singles compilation album Once Upon a Time/The Singles. In 2002, the song was remastered for release on The Best of Siouxsie and the Banshees. In 2006, a reworked version of "Hong Kong Garden" was included on the soundtrack to Sofia Coppola's film Marie Antoinette, augmented by a new orchestral string introduction arranged by Brian Reitzell. ==Track listings==