Wishing Well (Terence Trent D'Arby song)

"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.[2] "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".[3] Martyn Ware of Heaven 17 paired with D'Arby in production of the song, which was released on CBS Records.[3][4] Once released, "Wishing Well", along with D'Arby's debut single "If You Let Me Stay", went into "heavy rotation" on MTV.[5] 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.[6]

"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	December 1987[1]
Recorded	1987
Genre	Soul pop funk
Length	3:33
Label	CBS
Songwriter(s)	Terence Trent D'Arby Sean Oliver
Producer(s)	Terence Trent D'Arby Martyn Ware
Terence Trent D'Arby singles chronology
"If You Let Me Stay" (1987) "Wishing Well" (1987) "Dance Little Sister" (1987)
Music video
"Wishing Well" on YouTube

Ben Greenman of The New Yorker credits "Wishing Well", along with other D'Arby songs, with "[bringing] soul music into the eighties".[7] 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.[8] 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".[9]

In popular culture

The song appears in Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City's fictional radio station Vice City FM.[10]

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

Weekly charts Chart (1987–88) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[11] 9 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[12] 10 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[13] 13 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[14] 1 Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[15] 14 France (SNEP)[16] 14 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[17] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[18] 3 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[19] 4 South Africa (Springbok Radio)[20] 6 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[21] 5 UK Singles (OCC)[22] 4 US Billboard Hot 100[23] 1 US Billboard Adult Contemporary[24] 44 US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[25] 7 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[26] 1 West Germany (Official German Charts)[27] 18

Year-end charts Chart (1987) Rank Belgium (Ultratop)[28] 35 Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[29] 40 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[30] 27 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[31] 25 UK Singles (OCC)[32] 46 Chart (1988) Rank Canada Top Singles (RPM)[33] 8 US Billboard Hot 100[34] 12 Certifications and sales Region Certification Certified units/sales United States (RIAA)[35] Gold 500,000^^ ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. http://www.45cat.com/record/3807675
2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 145.
3. Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. Random House LLC. p. 697. ISBN 978-0-8230-7677-2.
4. Hogan, Ed. "Wishing Well". AllMusic.
5. Corcoran, Michael (June 1988). "In the Ring with Terence Trent D'Arby". Spin. Spin Media LLC. 4 (3): 45–46. ISSN 0886-3032.
6. DeKnock, Jan (May 6, 1988). "'Wishing Well' Finally Pays Off". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Company.
7. Greenman, Ben (June 4, 2013). "What Ever Happened to Terence Trent D'Arby?". The New Yorker. Condé Nast Publications.
8. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2003). All Music Guide to Soul: The Definitive Guide to R&B and Soul. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 177. ISBN 978-0-87930-744-8.
9. Whalen, Kathi (December 21, 1989). "Terence Trent D'Arby". The Washington Post. Nash Holdings LLC.
10. Rockstar Games (April 13, 2013). Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City (PlayStation 3).
11. 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.
12. "Austriancharts.at – Terence Trent D'Arby – Wishing Well" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
13. "Ultratop.be – Terence Trent D'Arby – Wishing Well" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
14. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 8939." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
15. "European Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4 no. 33. 22 August 1987. p. 14. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
16. "Lescharts.com – Terence Trent D'Arby – Wishing Well" (in French). Les classement single.
17. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 39, 1987" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40
18. "Dutchcharts.nl – Terence Trent D'Arby – Wishing Well" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
19. "Charts.nz – Terence Trent D'Arby – Wishing Well". Top 40 Singles.
20. "SA Charts 1965 – 1989 Songs W–Z". South African Rock Lists. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
21. "Swisscharts.com – Terence Trent D'Arby – Wishing Well". Swiss Singles Chart.
22. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
23. "Terence Trent D'Arby Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
24. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 65.
25. "Terence Trent D'Arby Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
26. "Terence Trent D'Arby Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
27. "Offiziellecharts.de – Terence Trent D'Arby – Wishing Well". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
28. "Jaaroverzichten 1987" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
29. "European Charts of the Year 1987 – Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4 no. 51/52. 22 August 1987. p. 34. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
30. "Single top 100 over 1987" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
31. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1987" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
32. "Gallup Year End Charts 1987: Singles". Record Mirror. London, England: Spotlight Publications. 23 January 1988. p. 36.
33. "Top 100 Singles of '88" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 49 no. 10. 24 December 1988. p. 9. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
34. "Billboard Top 100 – 1988". Billboardtop100of.com. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
35. "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. 

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics