"Chains" is a hip hop song by New Zealand DJ DLT featuring singer

Che Fu Che Kuo Eruera Ness (born 1974), better known by his stage name Che Fu, is a New Zealand singer, songwriter and producer. A founding member of the band Supergroove, as a solo artist he has gone on to sell thousands of albums both in New Zeal ...

. The song reached number one on the New Zealand charts. It was Che-Fu's first song after leaving

Supergroove Supergroove is a New Zealand funk rock music group. Their debut album '' Traction'' was released in 1994. The group disbanded in 1997 but reformed in 2007. History The band was founded on New Year's Eve 1989/1990, having previously been name ...

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. The lyrics indirectly address the French nuclear testing at the

Mururoa Moruroa (Mururoa, Mururura), also historically known as Aopuni, is an atoll which forms part of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is located about southeast of Tahiti. Administratively Moruroa Atoll i ...

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.

Year-end charts

Awards

At the 1997 New Zealand Music Awards "Chains" won Best Single, and Che-Fu was awarded Best Male Vocalist for the song. In 2001 it was listed at number 21 on the

APRA Top 100 New Zealand Songs of All Time The APRA Top 100 New Zealand Songs of All Time is a selection of New Zealand songs as voted in 2001 by members of the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). The top 30 of this selection was used to create the '' Nature's Best'' CD an ...

and it was featured on the

Nature's Best ''Nature's Best'' is a two-disc compilation album of thirty New Zealand popular music songs, selected by a panel as the top thirty New Zealand songs of all time. Selection The genesis of the idea was the 75th anniversary of the Australasian Per ...

compilation album.

References

External links

Chains
on NZ on Screen {{authority control 1996 songs 1996 singles DLT (musician) songs APRA Award winners Number-one singles in New Zealand