Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)
"Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)" | ||||
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Single by A Flock of Seagulls | ||||
from the album Listen | ||||
B-side | "Committed" | |||
Released | 20 October 1982 | |||
Recorded | 1982, Compass Point Studios[1] | |||
Genre | New wave, synthpop | |||
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[]
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]
Formats[]
- 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[4]
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[]
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.[5] It was popular in South Africa, reaching No. 8.[6]
Weekly charts[]
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Certifications[]
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References[]
- ^ "Behind The Vinyl - "Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)" with Mike Score from A Flock Of Seagulls". boom 97.3. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- ^ Jump up to: 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.
- ^ Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You) (liner notes). A Flock of Seagulls. Concord Music Publishing. 2019. ADAY041.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.
- ^ Jump up to: 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 at the Wayback Machine (archived 11 September 2012). Cash Box magazine.
- ^ "British single certifications – A Flock of Seagulls – Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 23 October 2019.Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You) in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
External links[]
- Song recordings with Wall of Sound arrangements
- 1980s ballads
- 1982 singles
- 1982 songs
- A Flock of Seagulls songs
- Jive Records singles
- Zomba Group of Companies singles
- New wave ballads
- Song recordings produced by Mike Howlett
- Synth-pop ballads
- Torch songs
- 1980s single stubs