"King of Wishful Thinking" (titled "The King of Wishful Thinking" on Chrysalis releases[1]) is a song by British pop duo Go West, written by Peter Cox, Richard Drummie and Martin Page. It was featured in the film Pretty Woman and appeared on its soundtrack.[2] It was later featured on Go West's third studio album, Indian Summer, in 1992.
"King of Wishful Thinking" | ||||
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Single by Go West | ||||
from the album Indian Summer and Pretty Woman soundtrack | ||||
B-side | "Tears Too Late" | |||
Released | 1990 | |||
Length | 4:00 | |||
Label |
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Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Peter Wolf | |||
Go West singles chronology | ||||
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In terms of the group's discography, "King of Wishful Thinking" has become their best known song.[3] The track reached number three in Canada, number six in Australia, number eight in the United States, and number 18 in the United Kingdom. At the 1991 Brit Awards the song was nominated for the Brit Award for British Video of the Year.[4]
The song's official music video is known for featuring various absurdist elements alongside the pop duo as they act on a solid white stage, examples including ballet dancers working together and a trained circus elephant.[5]
In 2018, actor Paul Rudd and late-night host Jimmy Fallon made a shot-for-shot recreation of the music video for The Tonight Show. American band the Roots made a cameo appearance.[5]
Music journalist Hannah Dailey of the U.S. publication Billboard has labeled the song as "one of the crown jewels of ’90s classic hits".[3]
UK 7-inch and cassette single[1][6]
UK CD single[7]
US and Canadian cassette single[9]
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA)[25] | Gold | 35,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[26] | Silver | 200,000![]() |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
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Studio albums |
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Compilation albums | |
Singles |
Authority control ![]() |
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