"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.
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 BillboardR&B singles chart.
British DJ and productiongroup, Fresh 4, released their cover in September 1989. 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]
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.[4]
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.
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.
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 .[7]
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."[8]Rose Royce's Dickey was also complimented as the "real highlight" of the cover.[9]
"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".[14] 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.[15] 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 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'sBBC 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]
Wishing on a Star was covered by the contestants 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]
^Sullivan, Caroline (November 19, 2011). "Seal: Soul 2 – review". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
