Wishing on a Star explained

Wishing on a Star
Cover:Wishing_on_a_Star_-_Rose_Royce.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Rose Royce
Album:In Full Bloom
B-Side:Love, More Love
Released:1978
Recorded:1977
Genre:Soul/R&B
Label:Whitfield
Producer:Norman Whitfield
Prev Title:Ooh Boy
Prev Year:1977
Next Title:It Makes You Feel Like Dancin'
Next Year:1978

"Wishing on a Star" is a ballad first recorded by American soul and R&B group Rose Royce. It was written by former Undisputed Truth member Billie Rae Calvin, and produced by Norman Whitfield. The song was originally offered to Barbra Streisand for an album project but she declined. It was first released as a single by Rose Royce in 1977 and has since been recorded by numerous acts including the Cover Girls in 1992, Jay-Z in 1998, Beyonce in 2005, and Seal in 2011. 21 Savage used a sample of the original 1977 version for his hit All of Me, which was released on his 2024 album American Dream, and used earlier in the trailer for his debut film, American Dream: The 21 Savage Story

Rose Royce version

Included on their second album, In Full Bloom (1977), "Wishing on a Star" is a slow ballad written by former Undisputed Truth member Billie Rae Calvin and produced by Norman Whitfield. It was sung by Gwen Dickey under her stage name. The lyrics concern a woman longing for the return of an ex-lover so that they can resume their relationship. The original version of "Wishing on a Star" peaked at number 52 on the Billboard R&B singles chart.

Charts

Chart (1978)Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)22
Belgium (VRT Top 30)14
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)14
Netherlands (Single Top 100)15
UK Singles (OCC) 3
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)1
US Hot Soul Singles (Billboard)[1] 52

Fresh 4 version

British DJ and production group, Fresh 4, released their cover in September 1989. The group consisted of a group consisting of Paul Southey (Suv), Krust, Judge and Flynn Thompson. It was produced by Smith & Mighty and featured Lizz E, and became the group's only notable UK hit, peaking at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.[2]

Charts

Chart (1989)Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)22
UK Singles (OCC) 10

The Cover Girls version

Wishing on a Star
Cover:The Cover Girls-Wishing on a Star.jpg
Type:single
Artist:the Cover Girls
Album:Here It Is
Released:May 1992
Length:4:05 (single edit), 4:44 (album version)
Label:Epic Records
Producer:Tony Moran, Andy Marvel
Prev Title:Funk Boutique
Prev Year:1991
Next Title:Thank You'
Next Year:1992

The Cover Girls recorded a cover of the song in 1992 for their third album Here It Is. It was the first single featuring new lead singer Michelle Valentine. The group's version peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and became the 49th biggest single of 1992 in America.[3] While the group had had success in America up to that point, the single was their first single to become a hit when it was released in Europe, peaking at number 6 in the Netherlands and number 38 in the UK.

In Brazil, this version gained popularity after being included in the soap opera De Corpo e Alma soundtrack, being the theme of the character Yasmin Bianchi, who was played by actress Daniella Perez.

The Cover Girls also recorded a Spanish version of the song.

Formats and track listings

CD

  1. "Wishing on a Star (Radio edit)"
  2. "Wishing on a Star (Spanish version)"

CD Maxi

  1. "Wishing on a Star (7-inch version)"
  2. "Wishing on a Star (12-inch mix)"
  3. "Wishing on a Star (Magic Sessions Dub 1)"
  4. "Wishing on a Star (Magic Sessions Vocal Dub)"
  5. "Wishing on a Star (Jeep 12-inch)"

Vinyl

A-Side

  1. "Wishing on a Star (12-inch Mix)"
  2. "Wishing on a Star (Jeep 12-inch)"
  3. "Wishing on a Star (Magic Sessions Dub 1)"

B-Side

  1. "Wishing on a Star (TNT Dub)"
  2. "Wishing on a Star (Amigo Dub)"
  3. "Wishing on a Star (Acapella)"

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1992)Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)26
Europe (European Dance Radio)[4] 20
Germany (Official German Charts)76
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)4
Netherlands (Single Top 100)6
UK Singles (OCC) 38
US Billboard Hot 1009
US Hot Dance Club Play (Billboard)7
US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard)19
US Cashbox Top 1002

Year-end charts

Randy Crawford version

Wishing on a Star
Type:single
Artist:Randy Crawford
Album:Every Kind of Mood: Raandy, Randi, Randee
Released:September 1998
Length:3:59 (single edit), 4:50 (album version)
Label:WEA
Producer:Mousse T.
Prev Title:Silence
Prev Year:1998
Next Title:The Captain of Her Heart
Next Year:1998

American jazz and R&B singer Randy Crawford recorded a cover of the song for her 1998 album Every Kind of Mood: Randy, Randi, Randee. The song was produced by Mousse T., and released as the third single off the album in September 1998.

Charts

Chart (1998)Peak
position
Germany (Official German Charts)83
UK Singles (OCC)90
UK R&B (OCC)[5] 21
US Hot Dance Club Play (Billboard)14

Jay-Z version

Wishing on a Star
Cover:WishingonaStar.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Jay-Z featuring Gwen Dickey
Released:March 11, 1998
Recorded:1997
Length:5:54
Producer:Trackmasters

American rapper Jay-Z covered Wishing on a Star, featuring Gwen Dickey of Rose Royce, in 1998. It was included on the United Kingdom release of In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 and Greatest Hits. The D'Influence remix can be found on and Bring It On: The Best of Jay Z.

A music video for the song was also released, showing a child actor David Sincere Aiken portraying Jay-Z growing up in Marcy Houses. Jay-Z himself does not appear in the video played by celebrity choreographer David Sincere Aiken .[6]

Critical reception

British magazine Music Week gave the song four out of five, writing, "This cover keeps close to the original with Dickey's vocals leaving Jay Z to add a Nineties feel with his rap. This should prove to be his most successful hit yet."[7] Rose Royce's Dickey was also complimented as the "real highlight" of the cover.[8]

Track listings

CD

  1. "Wishing on a Star (Radio Edit)"
  2. "Wishing on a Star (Trackmasters Remix)"
  3. "Wishing on a Star (D Influence Remix)"
  4. "Brooklyn's Finest"
  5. "Wishing on a Star (Trackmasters Acappella)"

Vinyl

A-Side
  1. "Wishing on a Star (D Influence Remix)"
  2. "Wishing on a Star (Radio Edit)"
B-Side
  1. "Wishing on a Star (Trackmasters Remix)"
  2. "Imaginary Players"
  3. "Wishing on a Star (Trackmasters Acappella)"

Charts

Chart (1998)Peak
position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[9] 48
Germany (Media Control Charts)[10] 56
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)29
Scotland (OCC)[11] 55
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)50
UK Singles (OCC)[12] 13
UK R&B (OCC)[13] 5

Beyoncé version

Wishing on a Star
Cover:Beyoncé - Wishing on a Star.jpg
Border:yes
Caption:Digital single cover
Type:single
Artist:Beyoncé
Album:Roll Bounce: The Album
B-Side:Naïve
Released:September 2005
Length:4:08
Prev Title:The Closer I Get to You
Prev Year:2004
Next Title:Check on It
Next Year:2005

"Wishing on a Star" was covered by American singer Beyoncé for the CD part of her live album Live at Wembley (2004).[14] A writer for AllMusic described Beyoncé's cover as "sexy". The cover was also used to promote the fragrance True Star endorsed by American fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger in 2004.[15] An a cappella version of the song was recorded by Beyoncé for its television campaign. An extended play (EP), titled True Star: A Private Performance and composed of two songs–"Wishing on a Star" and "Naïve", was released to promote the fragrance. Produced by Beyoncé and Hilfiger, it was solely available with limited edition purchases of True Star.[16]

In 2005, "Wishing on a Star" was included on the soundtrack of the film Roll Bounce.[17] It was later released for radio airplay as one of three singles from the soundtrack, becoming the second most-added single on urban adult contemporary radio following its release.[18] The song peaked at number 28 on the US Adult R&B Songs chart. At the 48th Annual Grammy Awards (2006), the cover was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.[19] Six years after its original release, the song was made available for digital download on August 17, 2010.[20]

Formats and track listings

True Star: A Private Performance
  1. "Wishing on a Star" – 4:07
  2. "Naïve" – 3:45
Digital download
  1. "Wishing on a Star" – 4:08

Charts

Chart (2005)! scope="col"
Peak
position
US Adult R&B Songs (Billboard)[21] 28
US Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles (Billboard)[22] 1

Seal version

Wishing on a Star
Cover:Seal_-_Wishing_On_A_Star.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Seal
Album:Soul 2
Released:November 8, 2011
Length:4:13
Producer:Trevor Horn
Prev Title:Let's Stay Together
Prev Year:2011
Next Title:Every Time I'm with You
Next Title2:Do You Ever
Next Year:2015

In 2011, "Wishing on a Star" was covered by Nigerian-British singer Seal. It was released as the first UK single taken from his album Soul 2 on November 20, 2011. This interpretation of "Wishing on a Star" was produced by previous collaborator, Trevor Horn.

Seal's version of the song premiered on Ken Bruce's BBC Radio 2 show on October 13, 2011.[23] The single later peaked on the Radio 2 B-list.[24]

Critical reception

In her review for Soul 2, Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian expressed, "His voice and interpretive skills are such, though, that most tracks fit him like a glove, to the point where, on Rose Royce's Wishing on a Star, his oak-aged vocal seems a better fit for the remorseful lyric than original singer Gwen Dickey's. He grew up with these 1970s hits, and evidently reveres them, but isn't cowed by them".[25] In his review, Mike Diver of the BBC expressed that "Seal has a voice that can melt icecaps has never been doubted by his detractors – the problems with his material post-Seal (II) went deeper, to a basic songwriting level. Here, freed of the weight of his own emotions, he soars on a sublime Wishing on a Star (which manages to borrow its smoky backing from Sade's Smooth Operator).[26]

Live performances

Seal performed "Wishing on a Star" on Daybreak on November 25, 2011.[27]

Formats and track listings

Digital download[28]
  1. "Wishing on a Star" – 4:13

The X Factor UK 2011 contestants version

Wishing on a Star
Cover:WishingStarXFactor.jpg
Type:single
Artist:The X Factor 2011 finalists featuring JLS and One Direction[29]
Released:November 27, 2011
Length:3:23
Chronology:The X Factor contestants

Wishing on a Star was covered by the finalists of the eighth series of The X Factor, also featuring previous boyband contestants JLS and One Direction. The cover was released on November 27, 2011, via digital download, and released as a physical single the following day. All proceeds from the single went to the children's charity organization Together for Short Lives.[30] The song debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart with first-week sales of 98,932 copies.[31]

Track listing

  1. "Wishing on a Star" – 3:23
  2. "Wishing on a Star (Instrumental)" – 3:23

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabel
United KingdomNovember 27, 2011[33] Digital download
November 28, 2011[34] CD single

Other cover versions

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Joel Whitburn . 2004 . Record Research . 501.
  2. Book: Roberts , David . 2006. British Hit Singles & Albums. 19th. Guinness World Records Limited . London. 1-904994-10-5. 215.
  3. Web site: Billboard Top 100 – 1992 . 2010-07-30 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090708050630/http://longboredsurfer.com/charts.php?year=1992 . July 8, 2009 . mdy .
  4. European Dance Radio. Music & Media. August 22, 1992. 24. October 24, 2021.
  5. Web site: Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40. officialcharts.com. May 29, 2018. May 30, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180530035309/http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/r-and-b-singles-chart/19980927/114/. live.
  6. .
  7. Reviews: Singles. Music Week. January 31, 1998. 10. September 1, 2023.
  8. Reviews: Singles. Music Week. January 24, 1998. 27. September 1, 2023.
  9. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. June 19, 2018. April 20, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210420124237/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1998/MM-1998-02-28.pdf. live.
  10. Web site: Nach, "Jay-Z". https://archive.today/20141018153822/http://www.officialcharts.de/suche.asp?search=Jay-Z&x=13&y=9&cat=s&country=de . dead . 2014-10-18 . Archive.is. 20 January 2019.
  11. Web site: Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100. Official Charts Company. June 10, 2018. June 12, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142043/http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/scottish-singles-chart/19980208/41/. live.
  12. http://www.everyhit.com UK Top 40 Chart Archive, British Singles & Album Charts
  13. Web site: Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40. officialcharts.com. May 28, 2018. May 29, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180529130334/http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/r-and-b-singles-chart/19980208/114/. live.
  14. Web site: Live at Wembley . AllMusic. Rovi Corporation . November 3, 2011 . June 2, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120602063053/http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-wembley-mw0000464580 . live .
  15. Web site: Hilfiger believes Beyoncé is a True Star . Cosmetics Design . November 3, 2011 . June 5, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120605174609/http://www.cosmeticsdesign.com/Market-Trends/Hilfiger-believes-Beyonce-is-a-True-Star . live .
  16. Web site: True Star: A Private Performance: Beyoncé: Music . Amazon . June 27, 2013 . May 27, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200527163541/https://www.amazon.com/True-Star-Performance-Beyonce-Knowles/dp/B00185P5PG/ . live .
  17. Web site: Roll Bounce – Original Soundtrack . AllMusic . November 3, 2011 . April 23, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120423135758/http://www.allmusic.com/album/roll-bounce-r793613 . live .
  18. Most Added . . September 9, 2005 . March 22, 2014 . 40 .
  19. News: Complete list of Grammy Award nominations . USA Today . October 18, 2011 . February 8, 2006 . April 26, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120426205746/http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/awards/grammys/2005-12-08-grammy-list-nominations_x.htm . live .
  20. Web site: Wishing On a Star  - Single by Beyoncé. Spotify. December 14, 2022.
  21. Soundtrack Has Radio 'Bounce' . . . November 12, 2005 . November 3, 2011 . George, Raphael.
  22. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: Week Ending July 17, 2004. March 17, 2011. 2012-03-11. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. April 20, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210420124318/https://www.billboard.com/business/. live.
  23. Web site: BBC – Radio 2 – Playlist – Record of the Week . . https://web.archive.org/web/20111016194332/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/programmes/schedules/2011/10/13 . October 16, 2011 . dead . mdy .
  24. Web site: BBC – Radio 2 – Playlist . . https://web.archive.org/web/20111101021133/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/music-events/playlist/ . November 1, 2011 . dead . mdy .
  25. News: Seal: Soul 2 – review. The Guardian. November 19, 2011. London. Caroline. Sullivan. December 18, 2016. March 7, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160307132622/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/nov/16/seal-soul-2-review. live.
  26. Web site: BBC – Music – Review of Seal – Soul 2. BBC. November 16, 2011. February 12, 2018. January 14, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160114010915/http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/jr28. live.
  27. Web site: Daybreak . November 25, 2011 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20160114010916/http://www.radiotimes.com/episode/nsg2k/daybreak--25112011 . January 14, 2016 . dead . mdy .
  28. Web site: Wishing on a Star: Seal: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads. Amazon.co.uk. November 19, 2011.
  29. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s103/the-x-factor/news/a349313/one-direction-jls-join-x-factor-charity-single.html "One Direction, JLS join 'X Factor' charity single"
  30. https://archive.today/20130505063135/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/showbiz/article-23997182-x-factor-hopefuls-wishing-on-a-star-for-charity.do X Factor hopefuls Wishing on a Star for charity
  31. Web site: Jones. Alan. Official Singles Chart analysis: X-Factor Finalists sell just shy of 100k. Music Week. December 5, 2011. December 5, 2011. December 8, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111208085606/http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=1047729&c=1. live.
  32. Web site: End Of Year Chart 2011. May 15, 2020. Official Charts Company. November 11, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131111025312/http://ukchartsplus.co.uk/UKChartsPlusEOY2011.pdf. live.
  33. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00669BPLW/ Wishing On A Star: The X Factor Finalists 2011 feat. JLS & One Direction: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads
  34. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wishing-Star-Factor-Finalists-2011/dp/B005WKIOMO/ Wishing on a Star: Amazon.co.uk: Music
  35. Web site: wishing on a star. Official Charts Company. 29 January 2018. January 29, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180129080713/http://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/wishing%20on%20a%20star/. live.
  36. News: Goodwin . Sara . 18 Beautiful Pieces of Music From Movies, TV, and Games . 4 October 2023 . The Mary Sue . 12 May 2016 . en.