Wishing You Were Here (Alison Moyet song)

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"Wishing You Were Here"
AlisonMoyetWishingYouWereHereSingle1991.jpg
Single by Alison Moyet
from the album Hoodoo
B-side "Back Where I Belong"
Released20 May 1991
Genre Pop, rock
Length3:55
Label Columbia, Sony Music
Songwriter(s) Alison Moyet, Pete Glenister
Producer(s) Pete Glenister
Alison Moyet singles chronology
"It Won't Be Long"
(1991)		"Wishing You Were Here"
(1991)		"This House"
(1991)

"Wishing You Were Here" is a song by British singer-songwriter Alison Moyet, released in 1991 as the second single from her third studio album, Hoodoo (1991). It was written by Moyet and Pete Glenister, and produced by Glenister. Kirsty MacColl provided backing vocals on the song. [1]

Contents

Background

Having recording her second studio album Raindancing while living in Los Angeles, Moyet returned to live in England after completing a world tour. Moyet's record company, CBS, wanted her to continue producing pop hits but this left the singer feeling artistically compromised and under pressure to deliver. During the period after returning to England, Moyet began a songwriting partnership with Pete Glenister, who had been Moyet's guitarist for part of the Raindancing tour. Keen to have more artistic freedom, she suggested to CBS that Glenister should produce her. Muff Winwood of the label's A&R division granted Moyet permission to record the album she wanted to, with Hoodoo being released in April 1991. [2] [3]

"Wishing You Were Here" was the second single from Hoodoo, released in May 1991. Like the previous single, "It Won't Be Long", "Wishing You Were Here" was met with limited commercial success, failing to enter the UK Top 40. It peaked at No. 72, remaining in the Top 100 for the one week. [4]

Release

"Wishing You Were Here" was released by Columbia on 7" vinyl, 12" vinyl, cassette and CD. It was released in the UK and across Europe, as well as Australia. [5] The B-side, "Back Where I Belong", was taken from the Hoodoo album. On the 12" vinyl and CD versions of the single, two remixes of "Back Where I Belong" were included; the "Polite Mix" and the "Soft Mix". [6]

Critical reception

Upon its release as a single, Music & Media felt "Wishing You Were Here" "has the charm of a French chanson" where "Moyet's warm voice covers the wall of acoustic guitars and tasteful percussion". [7] Terry Staunton of New Musical Express was critical, describing it as "faceless, soulless, unintelligent pop". He added that Moyet's voice "deserves much better" and that she had not had "much in the way of decent material" since Yazoo except for the "occasional [solo] single early on". [8]

In a review of Hoodoo, American magazine People commented, "When she sings with minimal acoustic backing, as on 'This House' or 'Wishing You Were Here,' she showcases her gifts best." [9] Tom Demalon of AllMusic retrospectively noted, "She hasn't lost her knack for breezy, adult pop, evident on the lilting, melodic 'Wishing You Were Here' and 'It Won't Be Long'." [10] Classic Pop picked the song as a highlight on Hoodoo in a 2015 retrospective of Moyet's career. [11] Adrian Janes of Penny Black Music praised it in comparison to "This House". He felt "This House" was "disrupted by drums and a big, emotive chorus", resulting in a "feeling of it all being a bit overwrought". In comparison, he felt that the "plaintive singing, over brushed drums and strings" of "Wishing You Were Here" "strike deeper into the heart." [12]

Formats

Personnel

Production

Other

Charts

Chart (1991)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA Charts) [13] 197
UK Singles (OCC) [4] 72

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References

  1. ↑ "Hoodoo | Alisonmoyet.com – The Official Alison Moyet Site". Alisonmoyet.com. 5 April 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
  2. ↑ "Hoodoo –". Alisonmoyet.com. 22 April 1991. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  3. ↑ Hoodoo - 2016 deluxe edition CD booklet liner notes
  4. 1 2 "ALISON MOYET | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  5. ↑ "Alison Moyet - Wishing You Were Here at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  6. ↑ "Alison Moyet - Wishing You Were Here (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. 20 May 1991. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  7. ↑ "Review: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . 15 June 1991. p. 8. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  8. ↑ Staunton, Terry (25 May 1991). "Singles". New Musical Express . p. 14.
  9. ↑ "Picks and Pans Review: Hoodoo". People.com. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  10. ↑ Tom Demalon. "Hoodoo - Alison Moyet | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  11. ↑ Classic Pop - Alison Moyet by Paul Lester - November 2015 - page 43
  12. ↑ "Alison Moyet - Profile". Pennyblackmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  13. ↑ "Bubbling Down Under Week Commencing 12 August 1991" . Retrieved 12 August 2022.
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