In one of my earliest blogs, I wrote about popular songs that may or may not be offensive. Now I return for a look and listen to four more songs and the stories behind them so you can decide for yourself if they are indeed chinky or not chinky.

“POOR BUTTERFLY”
VARIOUS ARTISTS
(1916)

First introduced in the 1916 Broadway production of The Big Show, this song quickly became a standard and has been covered by everyone from Sarah Vaughn to Judy Garland (shown in the video above). Written by Raymond Hubbell and John Golden, it was inspired by the Madame Butterfly story—Japanese women falls in love with white American soldier who leaves her with their baby. When he returns with his new white wife, the Japanese woman must, of course, commit suicide.

Sample lyrics:
The moon and I know that he’ll be faithful
I’m sure he’ll come to me by and by.
But if he won’t come back then I’ll never sigh or cry,
I just must die.
Poor butterfly.

“BLACK KOREA”
ICE CUBE
1991

Most people may know Ice Cube these days as a family-friendly movie star but back in 1991, he was a gangsta rapper presenting an unflinching look at Los Angeles’ mean streets. His acclaimed album Death Certificate included a short 47 second song that caused more than its share of controversy. Coming on the heel of the 1991 shooting of African American teen Latasha Harlins by Korean American store owner Soon Ja Du and increased tensions between the two communities, Ice Cube’s look at a black man’s experience in a Korean-owned store was like a musical Molotov cocktail hurled at an already volatile environment.

Sample lyrics:
So don’t follow me, up and down your market
Or your little chop suey ass’ll be a target
of the nationwide boycott
Juice with the people, that’s what the boy got
So pay respect to the black fist
or we’ll burn your store, right down to a crisp
And then we’ll see ya!
Cause you can’t turn the ghetto – into Black Korea

“RACE WAR”
ICE-T
1993

Coming just one year after Ice Cube’s “Black Korea” and further “attacks” on Korean merchants in films like Menace II Society and Falling Down, a track with a title like “Race War” from another controversial rapper like Ice-T was bound to be yet another attack on Koreans, right? Not in this case. Breaking away from the status quo, Ice-T proclaimed that all people of color were “black” and that unity was the only way to show strength and battle institutionalized racism. Although he uses the outdated term “Oriental” to describe Asians, this was one of the most progressive examinations of race from a mainstream rap artist.

Sample lyrics:
Korean people live down in the hood
A little mis-fuckin-understood
Orientals were slaves too
Word to this fuckin red white and blue…
The system wanna keep us at each other’s throats
While we’re payin the tax notes
Cause bein black ain’t no fuckin minority
It’s the fuckin majority
So they gotta make us hate each other
Word, check the brothers

“HARAJUKU GIRLS”
GWEN STEFANI
2004

No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani discovered the “Harajuku girls” during a trip to Japan and found herself drawn to the fashion and style that originated in this hip section of Tokyo. She was so inspired that she wrote a song about it for her solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. and even took her own entourage of Harajuku girls on tour with her and to various public events. But some Asian Americans, most prominently comedian Margaret Cho, attacked Stefani for reinforcing Asian stereotypes. However, that didn’t deter Stefani who put the once obscure Japanese neighborhood on the pop cultural map.

Sample lyrics:
Did you see your inspiration in my latest collection?
Just wait ’til you get your little hands on L.A.M.B.,
‘Cause it’s (super kawaii), that means (super cute in Japanese)
The streets of Harajuku are your catwalk (bishoujo you’re so vogue)
That’s what you drop