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Wat Arun on the Thon Buri bank of the Chao Phraya. Photo above: Manit Monsur via Google
Most people searching for "Bangkok has him" are thinking of "One Night in Bangkok", the 1984 hit from the concept album Chess. The song is about an outsider who arrives in the city for a chess match and insists he is not impressed, while the chorus keeps telling him how completely the city draws visitors in. The phrase people remember sums up that tension: however hard the visitor resists, Bangkok gets hold of him in the end.
This page explains where the song comes from, what it is actually about, why Thailand once banned it, and what the places it mentions are like today.
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Where the song comes from
"One Night in Bangkok" was written for Chess, a concept album released in late 1984 with music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA and lyrics by Tim Rice. The album came first to raise money for a stage version, which opened in London's West End in 1986 and ran for three years; a much-changed Broadway version followed in 1988.
The English actor and singer Murray Head performs the verses in a half-spoken, rap-style delivery, and the Swedish singer Anders Glenmark sings the chorus. Released as a single, it topped the charts in several countries, including West Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Australia and South Africa, and peaked at No. 3 in the United States and Canada in May 1985 and at No. 12 in the United Kingdom.
What the song is about
Chess follows a Cold War-era world chess championship between an American and a Soviet grandmaster, and the song belongs to the part of the story set in Bangkok, where the championship is staged. It works as a conversation between two points of view. The chorus celebrates the city's reputation and its buzz. The verses belong to a visitor who is only interested in the chess and dismisses everything around him, from the river to the famous reclining Buddha, as less interesting than the game.
That contrast is the joke of the song. The visitor keeps saying the city means nothing to him, and the chorus keeps suggesting he will not be able to stay that detached for long.
Why Thailand banned it
The verses' sarcastic take on the city did not go down well in Thailand. In 1985 the country's Mass Communications Organisation banned the song, saying its lyrics caused misunderstanding about Thai society and showed disrespect towards Buddhism.
The Bangkok behind the song, today
The places the song's visitor brushes aside are some of the best reasons to come. The reclining Buddha is at Wat Pho, a temple complex a short walk from the Grand Palace, where the gilded figure fills its own hall. Across the Chao Phraya, Wat Arun rises from the Thon Buri bank; the river ferry between the two piers is one of the simplest pleasures in the city.
The river itself, far from dull, is lined with some of Bangkok's best-known hotels, including the Mandarin Oriental; our guide to the best riverside hotels in Bangkok compares them. For more ideas, browse our Bangkok attractions.
Sources: Wikipedia: One Night in Bangkok, Wikipedia: Chess (musical). Checked September 26, 2026.
It is usually a reference to "One Night in Bangkok" from the 1984 album Chess. The song contrasts a visitor who insists he is unimpressed with a chorus suggesting the city will win him over, so the phrase describes someone the city has taken hold of.
Murray Head performs the verses and Anders Glenmark sings the chorus. The song was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Tim Rice for Chess.
Chess, which began as a concept album in 1984 and opened on stage in London's West End in 1986. Its story follows a Cold War-era world chess championship.
Yes. In 1985 Thailand's Mass Communications Organisation banned it, saying the lyrics caused misunderstanding about Thai society and showed disrespect towards Buddhism.
It topped the charts in several countries, including West Germany, Switzerland and Australia, and peaked at No. 3 in the US and Canada and No. 12 in the UK.
At Wat Pho, near the Grand Palace in Bangkok's old town. Our Wat Pho listing has visiting details.