Songs People Should Hear

[Music Head]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14Dgw_LSJ5w

from wikipedia

"Wishin' and Hopin'" is a song written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach which was a Top Ten hit for Dusty Springfield in 1964.

The song was first recorded by Dionne Warwick and was the B-side of Warwick's single "This Empty Place" in the spring of 1963; the track was also featured on Warwick's debut album Presenting Dionne Warwick. Warwick's rendition did become a charting single in France, reaching #79 in the autumn of 1963.

Dusty Springfield, who had heard the Warwick album track, recorded "Wishin' and Hopin'" in January 1964 at Olympic Studios: personnel for the session included Bobby Graham on drums, Big Jim Sullivan on guitar, and the Breakaways vocal group. Ivor Raymonde arranged and conducted on the session for which Johnny Franz, the president of Springfield's label: Philips, was credited as producer; purportedly Springfield herself was the actual producer of virtually all of her mid-60s tracks. The track was included on Springfield's solo album debuts in the UK: A Girl Called Dusty, and the US: Stay Awhile/I Only Want to Be with You.

In February 1964 Springfield met with Burt Bacharach in New York City to listen to other songs to consider recording. Bacharach recalls at that time: "I think I tried to talk her into releasing 'Wishin' and Hopin' because she had some ambivalence about it."

A New York City disc jockey named Joe Lacey began to play "Wishin' and Hopin'" off of his station's copy of Stay Awhile/I Only Want to Be with You creating a buzz about the track which - following some encouragement from Hal David and Burt Bacharach themselves - Philips' US label finally issued it as a single in May 1964; "Wishin' and Hopin'" broke nationally that June entering the Top Ten that July to peak at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 (#4 in Cash Box).

The release of "Wishin' and Hopin'" as a concurrent UK single release for Springfield was precluded by the presence on the UK charts of Springfield'single "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" - one of the songs Bacharach had pitched to her when they met in New York City in February 1964. "Wishin' and Hopin'" was recorded for the UK market by the Merseybeats whose inaugural single had been another song from the Presenting Dionne Warwick album: "It's Love That Really Counts" (UK #24). The Merseybeats "Wishin' and Hopin'" peaked at #13 on the UK chart dated 8 August 1964 the same week Springfield's "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" spent at its #3 peak. Another UK male vocal group the Eagles also had a single release of "Wishin' and Hopin'" although it was the B-side of a non-charting single "Write Me a Letter".

Despite not being a UK hit single for Springfield, "Wishin' and Hopin'" was strongly identified with her in the UK public consciousness: she performed the song with the Merseybeats on the 8 August 1964 episode of Ready Steady Go! - actually both acts lip-synched to a track spliced together from their respective versions - and on that show's Sound of Motown edition broadcast 28 April 1965 which Springfield hosted, the only one of her own songs she performed was "Wishin' and Hopin'" with the vocal accompaniment of Martha Reeves and the Vandellas.

Springfield recorded foreign language versions of "Wishin' and Hopin'" in July 1964: in Italian as "Stupido Stupido" - which was a combination of lyrics in Italian and English, the latter being newly written rather than taken from the original song - and in German as "Warten Und Hoffen".

"Wishin' and Hopin'" was also a hit single for Springfield in Australia (#2) and New Zealand (#3).

Bacharach himself recorded a version of "Wishin' and Hopin'", which appeared on his debut Kapp Records album Burt Bacharach Hitmaker! in 1965.

Singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco's rendition of this song is featured over the opening credits of the film, My Best Friend's Wedding. That film, along with the Austin Powers films, is suggested to have led to the renewed popularity of the Bacharach-David catalog.

Australian singer Stephanie McIntosh recorded her version of the song in 2006, and it appears on her debut album Tightrope, but it does not appear on the UK version.

"Wishin' and Hopin'" has also been recorded by Rita Coolidge, the Jody Grind, Brenda Lee and Nancy Sinatra.

Wishin' and hopin' and thinkin' and prayin'
Plannin' and dreaming each night of his charms
That won't get you into his arms
So if you're lookin' to find love you can share
All you gotta do is
Hold him and kiss him and love him
And show him that you care
Show him that you care just for him
And do the things he likes to do
Wear your hair just for him, 'cause
You won't get him
Thinkin' and a-prayin'
Wishin' and a-hopin'
Just wishin' and hopin' and thinkin' and prayin'
Plannin' and dreamin' his kiss is the start
That won't get you into his heart
So if you're thinkin' heartbreak
True love is
All you gotta do is
Hold him and kiss him and squeeze him and love him
Yeah, just do it and after you do, you will be his
(You gotta)
Show him that you care just for him
Do the things he likes to do
Wear your hair just for him, 'cause
You won't get him
Thinkin' and a-prayin'
Wishin' and a-hopin'
Just wishin' and hopin' and thinkin' and prayin'
Plannin' and dreamin' his kiss is the start
That won't get you into his heart
So if you're thinkin' heartbreak
True love is
All you gotta do is
Hold him and kiss him and squeeze him and love him
Yeah, just do it and after you do, you will be his
You will be his
You will be his