Chains (DLT song)

"Chains"
Single by DLT featuring Che Fu
from the album The True School (1996)
2b S.Pacific (1998)
B-side
  • Chains (Album Mix)
  • Chains (Remix)
Released21 July 1996 (New Zealand)
Recorded1996
GenreHip Hop
Songwriter(s)Angus McNaughton, Che Ness, Kevin Rangihuna, Darryl L Thomson
Producer(s)DLT
DLT singles chronology
"Chains"
(1996) 		"I'm Your MC"
(2000)
Che Fu singles chronology
"Sitting Inside My Head"
(1995) 		"Chains"
(1996) 		"Fade Away"
(1997)
Music video
"Chains" at NZ on Screen

"Chains" is a hip hop song by New Zealand DJ DLT featuring singer Che Fu. The song reached number one on the New Zealand charts.[1] It was Che-Fu's first song after leaving Supergroove and marked the beginning of his solo career.

Development

Che-Fu had been asked to feature on the song before his departure from Supergroove. He came to the recording unaware that he needed to write a chorus as well as a verse, and came up with the memorable hook "Come break my chains/Come help me out/Living in the city ain't so bad" on the spot.[2] The lyrics indirectly address the French nuclear testing at the Mururoa islands.

Chart performance

The song debuted on the New Zealand charts at number two, then rose to number one where it remained for five weeks.[1]

Year-end charts

Chart (1996) Position
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[3] 4

Awards

At the 1997 New Zealand Music Awards "Chains" won Best Single, and Che-Fu was awarded Best Male Vocalist for the song.[4] In 2001 it was listed at number 21 on the APRA Top 100 New Zealand Songs of All Time and it was featured on the Nature's Best complication album.

References

  1. ^ a b "Chains: Chart Performance". Archive. NZ Charts. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  2. ^ "Homegrown Profiles: Che Fu". Documentary. NZ On Screen. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  3. ^ "End of Year Charts 1996". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  4. ^ "NZ Music Awards 1997". Archive. RIANZ. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2012.