Wishing Well (Terence Trent D'Arby song)

"Wishing Well"
Single by Terence Trent D'Arby
from the album Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby
B-side "Elevators & Hearts"
Released 13 July 1987
Format
Recorded 1987
Genre
Length 3:33
Label CBS
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Terence Trent D'Arby singles chronology
"If You Let Me Stay"
(1987)		 "Wishing Well"
(1987)		 "Dance Little Sister"
(1987)

"If You Let Me Stay"
(1987)		 "Wishing Well"
(1987)		 "Dance Little Sister"
(1987)
Music video
"Wishing Well" on YouTube

"Wishing Well" is a song by Terence Trent D'Arby. The second single from the 1987 album Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby, the song reached number one on both the Soul Singles Chart and the Billboard Hot 100 on May 7, 1988.[1] "Wishing Well" was certified "Gold", indicating sales of 500,000, by the Recording Industry Association of America in October 1991. Written by D'Arby and Sean Oliver, D'Arby said "Wishing Well" was written "when I was in a half-asleep, half-awake state of mind", and that he "liked the feel of the words".[2] Martyn Ware of Heaven 17 paired with D'Arby in production of the song, which was released on CBS Records.[2][3] Once released, "Wishing Well", along with D'Arby's debut single "If You Let Me Stay", went into "heavy rotation" on MTV.[4] D'Arby performed the song live at the 30th Annual Grammy Awards, where he lost the Grammy Award for Best New Artist to Jody Watley. When the single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, it had charted for 17 weeks, which made it the slowest song to reach number one since Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" in 1983.[5]

Ben Greenman of The New Yorker credits "Wishing Well", along with other D'Arby songs, with "[bringing] soul music into the eighties".[6] Writing about D'Arby for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the song "sparse funk", and noted how "Wishing Well" was his first major hit in the United States.[7] Kathi Whalen of The Washington Post credited the song's chart success to D'Arby's combination of "'60s soul and pop on top", and called "Wishing Well" "bouncy".[8]

The song appears in Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City's fictional radio station Vice City FM.[9]

Track listings

7" single
  1. "Wishing Well" (3:33)
  2. "Elevators & Hearts" (4:41)
12" maxi
  1. "Wishing Well" (Three Coins In A Fountain Mix) (6:14)
  2. "Elevators & Hearts" (4:41)
  3. "Wishing Well" (The Cool in the Shade mix) (7:50)
  4. "Wonderful World" (3:56)
12" maxi
  1. "Wishing Well" (The Cool in the Shade mix) (7:50)
  2. "Wonderful World" (3:56)
  3. "Elevators & Hearts" (4:04)
Cassette
  1. "Wishing Well" (3:33)
  2. "Elevators & Hearts" (4:04)

Charts and sales

References

  1. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 145.
  2. 1 2 Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. Random House LLC. p. 697. ISBN 978-0-8230-7677-2.
  3. ↑ Hogan, Ed. "Wishing Well". AllMusic.
  4. ↑ Corcoran, Michael (June 1988). "In the Ring with Terence Trent D'Arby". Spin. Spin Media LLC. 4 (3): 45–46. ISSN 0886-3032.
  5. ↑ DeKnock, Jan (May 6, 1988). "'Wishing Well' Finally Pays Off". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Company.
  6. ↑ Greenman, Ben (June 4, 2013). "What Ever Happened to Terence Trent D'Arby?". The New Yorker. Condé Nast Publications.
  7. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. All Music Guide to Soul: The Definitive Guide to R&B and Soul. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 177. ISBN 978-0-87930-744-8.
  8. ↑ Whalen, Kathi (December 21, 1989). "Terence Trent D'Arby". The Washington Post. Nash Holdings LLC.
  9. ↑ Rockstar Games (April 13, 2013). Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City. PlayStation 3.
  10. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 82. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. the Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid 1983 and 19 June 1988.
  11. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Terence Trent D'Arby – Wishing Well" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  12. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 39, 1987" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40
  13. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Terence Trent D'Arby – Wishing Well" (in French). Les classement single.
  14. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Terence Trent D'Arby – Wishing Well". GfK Entertainment Charts.
  15. ↑ "Charts.nz – Terence Trent D'Arby – Wishing Well". Top 40 Singles.
  16. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Terence Trent D'Arby – Wishing Well". Swiss Singles Chart.
  17. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  18. ↑ "Terence Trent D'Arby Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  19. ↑ "Terence Trent D'Arby Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  20. ↑ "Terence Trent D'Arby Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  21. ↑ "Single top 100 over 1987" (pdf) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  22. ↑ "American single certifications – Terence Trent D'Arby – Wishing Well". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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