Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)
| "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by A Flock of Seagulls | ||||
| from the album Listen | ||||
| B-side | "Committed" | |||
| Released | 22 October 1982 | |||
| Recorded | 1982, Compass Point Studios[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:09 (7" version) 5:29 (Album version) 9:34 (Extended version) | |||
| Label | Zomba Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Mike Score, Ali Score, Frank Maudsley and Paul Reynolds | |||
| Producer(s) | Mike Howlett | |||
| A Flock of Seagulls singles chronology | ||||
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"Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)" is a 1982 song by A Flock of Seagulls, the opening song and only hit single from their second album Listen.[2]
Background
[edit]The song exemplifies "synth-pop's spaced-out loneliness" and yearning for imagined, absent lovers,[3] and is noted for its Wall of Sound-styled layer of synthesizer padding – a "multi-layered, hypnotic song", according to AllMusic.[2]
According to lead singer Mike Score, "Wishing" was based on a real person. When recalling the experience with this person, he said, "It was the eve of the first trip we ever took to America, and I had met a girl. We went out for the night, and I didn't want to forget her, so I said, 'We're going on tour and I'll be back. I'd like to get a photograph of you, if I could get one.' And she said, 'No, because you're going to go on to be famous and you'll forget me.'"[4]
Formats
[edit]- 7" Jive 25 (UK) – 1982
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)" | 4:00 |
| 2. | "Committed" | 2:50 |
- 12" Jive T25 (UK) – 1982
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You) (Long Version)" | 9:08 |
| 2. | "Committed" | 5:34 |
| 3. | "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You) (Short Version)" | 4:57 |
- 12" Jive VJ 12014 (US) – 1982
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)" | 6:03 |
| 2. | "The Flight of Yuri Gagarin" | 7:03 |
| 3. | "Rosenmontag" | 8:01 |
| 4. | "Committed (Extended Version)" | 5:34 |
- CD August Day 41 (UK) – 2019[5]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You) [Extended Remix]" | 8:34 |
| 2. | "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You) [Ilya Santana Remix]" | 6:08 |
| 3. | "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You) [Soda Pimps Remix]" | 4:06 |
| 4. | "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You) [Chris Coco Dub]" | 6:52 |
| 5. | "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You) [Extended Instrumental]" | 8:34 |
| 6. | "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You) [Ilya Santana Instrumental Remix]" | 6:08 |
| 7. | "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You) [Orchestral Version]" | 5:32 |
Chart and certifications
[edit]Unlike the band's 1982 hit "I Ran (So Far Away)", largely a United States and Australian hit, "Wishing" performed strongly in the band's home country, the United Kingdom, and reached the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart; in the US, it reached the top 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 in mid-1983.[6] It was popular in South Africa, reaching No. 8.[7]
Weekly charts[edit]
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Year-end charts[edit]
Certifications[edit]
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References
[edit]- ^ "Behind The Vinyl - "Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)" with Mike Score from A Flock Of Seagulls". boom 97.3. 3 August 2016. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- ^ a b Bogdanov, Vladimir (2001). All Music Guide to Electronica: The Definitive Guide to Electronic Music. Backbeat Books. p. 137. ISBN 9780879306281. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
- ^ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (10 October 1995). "Spin Alternative Record Guide". Spin. ISBN 9780679755746. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
- ^ Prato, Greg (4 June 2018). "Mike Score of A Flock of Seagulls". Songfacts. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- ^ Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You) (liner notes). A Flock of Seagulls. Concord Music Publishing. 2019. ADAY041.
((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2002). All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 417. ISBN 9780879306533. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
- ^ a b Brian Currin. "South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1969 - 1989 Acts (F)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6279." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
- ^ "The World's Music Charts (Songs from the Year 1983)". Archived from the original on 30 November 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
- ^ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending JULY 9, 1983". Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
((cite web)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Cash Box magazine. - ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6699." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ "British single certifications – A Flock of Seagulls – Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
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| Studio albums |
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| Extended plays | |
| Singles | |
| Other songs | |
| Related | |
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