Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)

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“Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)”
“Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)” cover
Single by A Flock of Seagulls
from the album Listen
B-side "Committed"
Released 1982
Format 7", 12"
Recorded 1982
Genre New Wave
Length 4:09 (7" version)
5:29 (Album version)
9:34 (Extended version)
Label Zomba Records
Producer Mike Howlett
A Flock of Seagulls singles chronology
"Space Age Love Song"
(1982)
"Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)"
(1982)
"Nightmares"
(1983)

"Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)" is a 1982 New Wave song by A Flock of Seagulls, appearing as the opening performance on their second album Listen. Its wistful, bleak lyrics on separation are built on a driving rhythm backed by a heavy Wall of Sound-styled layer of synthesizer padding.

In contrast to the band's 1982 hit "I Ran (So Far Away)", which was largely a United States hit, "Wishing" song peaked strongly in Great Britain and in Canada where it reached the Top 10, but only reached #26 on the U.S. Billboard charts in summer 1983.

In a celebration of early electronic music, digital radio station BBC 6 Music compiled a chart of its listeners' favourite synthesizer riffs in November 2006. "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)" came second in the list to the Tubeway Army single "Are 'Friends' Electric?".


[edit] Chart positions

Charts Peak
position
UK Singles Chart 10
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 26
Germany Singles Chart 37