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"
Released22 October 1982
Recorded1982, Compass Point Studios[1]
GenreSynth-pop
Length4:09 (7" version)
5:29 (Album version)
9:34 (Extended version)
LabelZomba Records
Songwriter(s)Mike Score, Ali Score, Frank Maudsley and Paul Reynolds
Producer(s)Mike Howlett
A Flock of Seagulls singles chronology
"Space Age Love Song"
(1982) 		"Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)"
(1982) 		"Nightmares"
(1983)

"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]

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

7" Jive 25 (UK) – 1982
No.TitleLength
1."Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)"4:00
2."Committed"2:50
12" Jive T25 (UK) – 1982
No.TitleLength
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.TitleLength
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.TitleLength
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.[6] It was popular in South Africa, reaching No. 8.[7]

References

  1. ^ "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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (10 October 1995). "Spin Alternative Record Guide". Spin. ISBN 9780679755746. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  4. ^ Prato, Greg (4 June 2018). "Mike Score of A Flock of Seagulls". Songfacts. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  5. ^ 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)
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ a b Brian Currin. "South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1969 - 1989 Acts (F)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  8. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6279." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  9. ^ "The World's Music Charts (Songs from the Year 1983)". Archived from the original on 30 November 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6699." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  12. ^ "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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