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Wishful Thinking (China Crisis song)

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"Wishful Thinking"
Single by China Crisis
from the album Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two
B-side
  • "This Occupation"
  • "Some People I Know to Lead Fantastic Lives"
Released3 January 1984 (1984-01-03)
Recorded1983
Length4:08 (7" single edit)
4:40 (12" single / album version)
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)
  • Gary Daly
  • Eddie Lundon
Producer(s)Mike Howlett
China Crisis singles chronology
"Working with Fire and Steel"
(1983)
"Wishful Thinking"
(1984)
"Hanna Hanna"
(1984)
Music video
"Wishful Thinking" on YouTube

"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]

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

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7" vinyl single

[edit]

All tracks are written by Gary Daly and Eddie Lundon

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Wishful Thinking"4:08
Side two
No.TitleLength
2."This Occupation"2:41

12" vinyl single

[edit]
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Wishful Thinking"
  • Daly
  • Lundon
4:38
2."Some People I Know to Lead Fantastic Lives"
  • Daly
  • Lundon
  • Dave Reilly
3:43
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."This Occupation (Extended Mix)"
  • Daly
  • Lundon
4:00
2."Some People I Know to Lead Fantastic Lives (Extended Mix)"
  • Daly
  • Lundon
  • Reilly
6:07

Chart performance

[edit]
Chart (1984) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[4] 9
Germany (GfK)[5] 16
Ireland (IRMA)[6] 6
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[7] 14

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "hitparad.se - China Crisis - Wishful Thinking". hitparad.se. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  2. ^ Stefan Heiding: Poporama - Heta högen (1992) ISBN 91-971894-1-3
  3. ^ "China Crisis interview". classicpopmag.com. 27 November 2022.
  4. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  5. ^ "China Crisis – Wishful Thinking" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  6. ^ "irishcharts.ie search results for China Crisis". Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  7. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 7, 1984" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
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