"Wishful Thinking" is a song by the English new wave band China Crisis, released as the third single from their second studio album Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two (1983). It reached No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart in early 1984, becoming their only top 10 hit single in their homeland. The song is their biggest and most well-known hit, and is included on numerous compilation albums. It was a top 20 hit in several European countries[1] and hit number one on the Swedish radio chart Poporama on 8 March 1984.[2]
| "Wishful Thinking" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by China Crisis | ||||
| from the album Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 3 January 1984 | |||
| Recorded | 1983 | |||
| Length | 4:08 (7" single edit) 4:40 (12" single / album version) | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Mike Howlett | |||
| China Crisis singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Wishful Thinking" on YouTube | ||||
The lead vocals on this track are sung by Eddie Lundon who also wrote the lyrics, as opposed to Gary Daly who sings lead vocals on the majority of the band's songs. The song was inspired by the song "Here He Comes" on Brian Eno's studio album Before and After Science (1977).[3]
The track "This Occupation" remains exclusive to this release and appears in two very different forms on the 7" and 12" releases.
The track "Some People I Know to Lead Fantastic Lives" is taken from the band's debut studio album Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms, Some People Think It's Fun to Entertain (1982), although the remix on this 12" single remains exclusive to this release.
Track listing edit
7" vinyl single edit
All tracks are written by Gary Daly and Eddie Lundon
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wishful Thinking" | 4:08 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 2. | "This Occupation" | 2:41 |
12" vinyl single edit
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wishful Thinking" |
| 4:38 |
| 2. | "Some People I Know to Lead Fantastic Lives" |
| 3:43 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "This Occupation (Extended Mix)" |
| 4:00 |
| 2. | "Some People I Know to Lead Fantastic Lives (Extended Mix)" |
| 6:07 |
Chart performance edit
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC)[4] | 9 |
| Germany (Official German Charts)[5] | 16 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[6] | 6 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[7] | 14 |
References edit
- ^ Hitparad.se
- ^ Stefan Heiding: Poporama - Heta högen (1992) ISBN 91-971894-1-3
- ^ "China Crisis interview". classicpopmag.com. 27 November 2022.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
- ^ "China Crisis – Wishful Thinking" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
- ^ "irishcharts.ie search results for China Crisis". Retrieved 8 August 2010.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 7, 1984" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
External links edit
- "Wishful Thinking" at Discogs (list of releases)