Sharing an affection for Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, and Brian Eno, Daly and Lundon had become burned out from playing with various Knowsley post-punk groups. Daly quit school and then spent much of his time indoors tinkering with synthesizers and a drum machine. Along with Lundon, Daly began writing songs using his high-tech toys. Feeling creatively stifled by the drum machine, the pair eventually asked percussionist Dave Reilly to join them, and in 1982 they released the single "African & White" as China Crisis on the independent label Inevitable. Later re-released by Virgin Records, "African & White" was also China Crisis' first hit in the U.K..
Throughout their career, China Crisis has seen moderate success in the United Kingdom, western Europe, Australia,Philippines and the Americas. Adding Gary "Gazza" Johnson and Kevin Wilkinson to the lineup, they recorded their debut album Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms. Another single, "Christian", hit U.K. #12, followed by two singles from second album, Working with Fire and Steel Possible Pop Songs, Vol. 2.
China Crisis spent 1984-1985 making their biggest chart run, beginning with their first top-ten hit, "Wishful Thinking". Third album Flaunt the Imperfection was produced by the sympathetic Walter Becker, and resulted in the hit singles "Black Man Ray" and "King in a Catholic Style (Wake Up)". The album was followed up in 1986 with What Price Paradise, though China Crisis worked with Becker once more on 1989's Diary of a Hollow Horse, which earned critical raves though not much commercial movement.
Sometimes misunderstood by critics, China Crisis distinguished themselves from Liverpudlian peers like Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, The Teardrop Explodes, and Echo & The Bunnymen by digesting a cornucopia of musical genres, everything from jazz to progressive rock. Despite the stylistic deviations, China Crisis maintained their distinctive sound through a number of albums in the '80s and '90s. Tragically, Wilkinson hanged himself on July 17, 1999. In 2000, Daly contributed a track to a tribute compilation to Wilkinson, Green Indians.
Hanna Hanna
China Crisis Lyrics
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mixed emotion and a garden strange
Hanna Hanna, she sing
We're living on a catwalk, catwalk
and swimming with the sharks
Tape record her and telephone
Why should I stop to think what they're about
why should I stop, stop to think what they're about
We're living on a catwalk, catwalk
and swimming with the sharks
biting into poison, poison
in a city all full of fucking sharks
She sing
a guitar plays
in a garden strange
Hanna Hanna, she dream
mixed emotion and a garden strange
she never there, she never there
Hanna Hanna, she dream
The lyrics of China Crisis's song "Hanna Hanna" convey a sense of disorientation and disconnection, as if the singer is living in a world that feels both familiar and strange at the same time. The repetition of the phrase "Hanna Hanna, she sing" creates a kind of mantra-like quality, emphasizing the importance of the character of Hanna in the song's meaning.
The line "mixed emotion and a garden strange" suggests that there is something unsettling or off-kilter about the world being described. The mention of a "garden strange" adds a surreal touch to the lyrics, creating an atmosphere of mystery and confusion. The recurring image of a "catwalk" and "swimming with sharks" further emphasizes the sense of danger and precariousness that pervades the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Hanna Hanna, she sing
The singer is introducing Hanna Hanna and her singing.
mixed emotion and a garden strange
Hanna Hanna’s songs are complex, and her artistic environment is unusual.
Hanna Hanna, she sing
The singer is repeating the first line of the song.
We're living on a catwalk, catwalk
The people in the song are living a superficial life.
and swimming with the sharks
They are surrounded by dangerous people and situations.
Tape record her and telephone
People are secretly recording and eavesdropping on Hanna Hanna.
conversations in pyramids alone
Their spying is done in secret, possibly with the motives of profit.
Why should I stop to think what they're about
The singer is questioning the motives of those recording Hanna Hanna, wondering why they bother.
why should I stop, stop to think what they're about
The singer is emphasizing their confusion and lack of understanding.
We're living on a catwalk, catwalk
Repeating the chorus to reinforce the superficial, dangerous lifestyle of the people in the song.
and swimming with the sharks
Repeating the second line of the chorus.
biting into poison, poison
Their lifestyle is dangerous and harmful.
in a city all full of fucking sharks
This city is full of dangerous people.
She sing
The singer repeats before launching into the next line.
a guitar plays
Acoustic guitar music accompanies Hanna Hanna's singing.
in a garden strange
The setting of the performance is an unusual, perhaps surreal garden.
Hanna Hanna, she dream
The singer is introducing a new image of Hanna Hanna, emphasizing her dreaming.
mixed emotion and a garden strange
Hanna Hanna's dreams mix various emotions and are set in an unusual garden.
she never there, she never there
Hanna Hanna is never fully present, as she exists in a dreamlike state.
Hanna Hanna, she dream
Repeating the line about Hanna Hanna and her dreaming.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: EDDIE LUNDON, GARY DALY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind