Was Everybody Really Kung Fu Fighting?
If you listened to the song, then yes.
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A strange occurrance
There was a strange cultural phenomenon that occurred in 1974.
Everybody was Kung Fu fighting, apparently.
According to the mega-hit of the year, the popular martial art was in its heyday. Kung Fu was cool, thanks to a slew of martial arts movies popularized by martial artist extraordinaire, Bruce Lee. Enter the Dragon - the 1973 film that catapulted Lee to superstardom, sadly released posthumously six days after his death - just added to the martial arts zeitgeist of the day. The infusion of Eastern methods of combat intrigued audiences to the point of obsession and added some much-needed excitement to the lives of North Americans everywhere.
All at once, it seemed that the Eastern aesthetic, martial arts in particular, was everywhere. From shopping malls to schools and beyond, everybody was Kung Fu fighting, and in a really big way. Adults and their children lined up for weekly lessons, celebrities got in on the action and the discipline got an unexpected jolt into the cultural zeitgeist.
The Cultural Landscape Beckoned for Something ‘Light.’
What’s going on? What was going on?
What was going on was serious. Really serious.
Nixon, Watergate, oil embargoes.
Women’s rights, feminism, cults.
Wars.
There was a lot of consequential stuff going on in the 70s, despite our retrospective perceived memories of groovy and chill times.
Between the bell-bottoms and a new era of blockbuster films, world events continued.
And behind the avocado-coloured kitchen appliances and rose-coloured glasses, serious issues and events existed.
Of course this was not atypical; after all, every decade has its good and bad inflection points; it’s just that in this particular time period, the seemingly lighthearted nature of popular culture was not an accurate reflection of what was really going on in the world.
It is, perhaps, the serious nature of the cultural tumult that led to the much-needed reprieve, through martial arts or otherwise. High-kicking, smooth-moving folks in sharp-looking threads was a welcome distraction from the more pressing events of the time.
It is, perhaps, the serious nature of the cultural tumult that led to the much-needed reprieve, through martial arts or otherwise. High-kicking, smooth-moving folks in sharp-looking threads was a welcome distraction from the more pressing events of the time.
Elvis and the Kung Fu Frenzy
Elvis has entered the building.
The pronouncement of the mass participation in the latest cool trend didn’t start in 1974, however. It started well before the dawn of the era, when a very famous disciple of the art made a public pronouncement of his love of Kung Fu and all it had to offer.
Enter Elvis Presley, “The King(of Rock and Roll),” and his starched white Kung Fu outfit. He cut a handsome figure and then some, and if The King was doing it, why wouldn’t everybody else?
His love of martial arts began well before the 1970s, and stretched back to the late 50s when he was enlisted in the army. Legend has it that he discovered Kung Fu through a chance demonstration of Judo or JiuJitsu that occurred at Fort Hood, where the young recruit had been stationed. The rest, they say, is history. Throughout the 1960s and into the 70s up to the time of his death in 1977, Elvis continued to embrace and showcase his love of Kung Fu, integrating some of his favourite moves into his stage performances. To this day, Elvis and his various Kung Fu poses in his Vegas shows are rewatched by new generations of both music and martial arts fans thanks to YouTube and other social media platforms.
Enter Elvis Presley, “The King (of Rock and Roll),” and his starched white Kung Fu outfit. He cut a handsome figure and then some, and if The King was doing it, why wouldn’t everybody else?
The King of Kung Fu - Bruce Lee
Of course, one would be remiss in completing this retrospective without mentioning the king of Kung Fu himself, Bruce Lee.
Everybody was Kung Fu fighting largely due to Lee’s ultimate mastery of the art. It can be argued that in addition to Elvis’ embracing of the discipline, it was Bruce Lee who brought the beauty and skill inherent in this martial art to the masses. His untimely death at the young age of 32 only increased his popularity, with the posthumously-released blockbuster, Enter the Dragon, grossing $400 million, which is the equivalent of $2 billion in today’s dollars. His starring role in the film catapulted him to astronomical heights due to his unmatchable Kung Fu and martial arts proficiency showcased in the movie. Family life would never be the same with Kung Fu and Karate lessons added to the roster of must-do extra-curricular activities for parents and their kids alike.
Everybody was Kung Fu fighting largely due to Lee’s ultimate mastery of the art.
Enter the Dragon Trailer
Kung Fu’s Influence in Popular Culture
In the decades since the 1970s when society’s fascination with martial arts took off, there has been no slowdown of love for the discipline. Kung Fu may have been the starting point for many who to that point, were unaware of the scope of ancient martial arts, but it definitely wasn’t the end. The popularity of Kung Fu was the catalyst for many exploring beyond this particular art and into other types of hand-to-hand combat. One of the more popular TV shows of the decade indicated just how deeply the interest in the martial art had spread. “Kung Fu,” the television show starring David Carradine forever popularized the term “patience, Grasshopper.”
Mixed Martial Arts
Jiu Jitsu, Taekwando, Karate and Muay Thai are just a few of the branches of martial arts that have taken off in the years since the original Kung Fu craze of the 70s. It might be argued as well, that the MMA - Mixed Martial Arts - and its huge popularity in recent years can be attributed to a through line that started when everybody was Kung Fu fighting in 1974. Walk down any street, turn on any television or pick up your phone and you’ll easily find the latest on the recent MMA fights and similar tournaments that have occurred around the world. Of course the mecca of this uber-popular sport is known to be Las Vegas, were anything and everything goes - martial arts or otherwise. And isn’t it fitting that Elvis’ reign in Sin City included some of his best Kung Fu moves right up to the end?
Everybody was - and still is - Kung Fu Fighting. Add to that the many, many related martial arts that continue to inspire, engage and impact us up until today.
Well, that explains Elvis' moves. They seemed rather abrupt. I have to wonder if the show Kung Fu sparked some of my interest in the far East?
🥋 Nice...