King Of Wishful Thinking – Go West | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#8); 1990
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
In 1990 a new spin on the old “wealthy gentleman and the prostitute with a heart of gold (who just happens to be beautiful)” tale became a cultural touchstone. The fantasy relationship between Richard Gere and Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman sparked the fantasies of females everywhere, and the film raked in over $450 million.
Lovers of the movie also plunked their credit cards for the soundtrack album, grabbing over three million copies. One beneficiary of the Pretty Woman phenomenon was England’s Go West.
The first U.S. album from Peter Cox (vocals) and Richard Drummie (vocals/guitar/keyboards), 1985’s Go West, yielded three singles, none of which cracked the Top 40, and a single from follow-up LP, Dancing On The Couch, clawed its way to #39.
In between albums Sylvester Stallone asked the two to contribute a song to Rocky IV , and they delivered One Way Street. Still, it took the success of Pretty Woman to boost Go West into the Top 10 courtesy of King Of Wishful Thinking.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Peter Wolf
Lyrics Written by:
- Peter Cox
- Richard Drummie
- Martin Page
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).