"Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)" is a 1982 song by

A Flock of Seagulls A Flock of Seagulls are an English new wave band formed in Liverpool in 1979. The group, whose best-known line-up comprised Mike Score, Ali Score, Frank Maudsley and Paul Reynolds, hit the peak of their chart success in the early 1980s. The ...

, the opening song and only hit single from their second album ''

Listen Listen may refer to: * The action of listening * Auditory system#Central auditory system, Central auditory system listening is how the brain processes what you hear * Listening behaviour types in human communication Computing * LISTEN, a Transm ...

''.

Background

The song exemplifies "synth-pop's spaced-out loneliness" and yearning for imagined, absent lovers, and is noted for its

Wall of Sound The Wall of Sound (also called the Spector Sound) is a music production formula developed by American record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios, in the 1960s, with assistance from engineer Larry Levine and the conglomerate of session m ...

-styled layer of synthesizer padding – a "multi-layered, hypnotic song", according to

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

Formats

; 7" Jive 25 (UK) – 1982 ; 12" Jive T25 (UK) – 1982 ; 12" Jive VJ 12014 (US) – 1982 ; CD August Day 41 (UK) – 2019

Chart and certifications

Unlike the band's 1982 hit "

I Ran (So Far Away) "I Ran (So Far Away)", also released as "I Ran", is a song by English new wave band A Flock of Seagulls. It was released in 1982 as their third single and it was the second single from their self-titled debut album. It topped the chart in ...

", largely a United States and Australian hit, "Wishing" performed strongly in the band's home country, the United Kingdom, and reached the top 10 of the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

; in the US, it reached the top 30 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in mid-1983. It was popular in South Africa, reaching No. 8.

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

Song recordings with Wall of Sound arrangements 1980s ballads 1982 singles 1982 songs A Flock of Seagulls songs Jive Records singles Zomba Group of Companies singles New wave ballads Song recordings produced by Mike Howlett Synth-pop ballads Torch songs {{1980s-single-stub