In 2009 Rupke and Blank noted that the Chinese students in their study sang American songs that the researchers had never heard. This perceived dissonance could have a multitude of causes, but the authors of this article turned their attention to the curriculum used for teaching English in China to further understand the popularity and persistence of some American songs in China. Drawing on literature from teaching the discipline and language of English through the use of popular music, the literature on teaching English in China, and Stuart Hall's seminal "Encoding and Decoding," the authors examined both popular American music and American music utilized in the Chinese curriculum through the lens of cultural studies and their unique experiences teaching English. Data were varied, but all songs examined fell into Hall's "negotiated code," offering potential and limits for "communicative exchanges" between cultures. Recommendations offered include paying more careful attention to the selection process for curricular materials.