"I Wish You Well"
Single by Tom Cochrane
from the album Ragged Ass Road
B-side"Ragged Ass Road"
Released1995 (1995)
RecordedEarly 1995
Studio
Length4:24
Label
Songwriter(s)Tom Cochrane
Producer(s)
Tom Cochrane singles chronology
"Bigger Man"
(1992)		 "I Wish You Well"
(1995)		 "Wildest Dreams"
(1995)

"I Wish You Well" is the first single released from Canadian singer Tom Cochrane's third solo studio album, Ragged Ass Road (1995). Inspired by Cochrane's experiences during the years following the success of his album Mad Mad World, the song was released in 1995 as his first single since "Bigger Man" in 1992. It became only the second song—and the first by a Canadian artist—to debut atop the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart, giving Cochrane his second number-one single in his home country, and it also reached number three on the RPM Adult Contemporary chart. Outside Canada, "I Wish You Well" found fleeting chart success in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Background

"I Wish You Well" was written by Tom Cochrane, inspired by the turmoil he experienced after the success of Mad Mad World and the touring to support the album. Described by Cochrane as "a blur",[1] this period left his home life in a state of disorder, including a year in which he separated with his wife, Kathleen. According to Cochrane, "I Wish You Well" and Ragged Ass Road addresses these issues and what he learned from the period.[1] Along with the rest of the album, Cochrane recorded the song at Metalworks Studios in Mississauga, Ontario, and Ragged Ass Road Studio in early 1995.[2]

Release and chart performance

Released as a single in 1995, "I Wish You Well" debuted at number one on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart on September 4, 1995,[3] becoming the second song in the chart's history to accomplish this feat (not counting the magazine's first number one), after Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in 1985.[4] It was also the first song by a Canadian artist to debut at number one. The single stayed at the summit for another week, then dropped to number seven on September 18.[5] It stayed in the top 100 for 26 weeks, last appearing at number 98 on February 26, 1996.[6] It was the fourth most successful single of 1995 in Canada,[7] and it also peaked at number three on the RPM Adult Contemporary chart on October 9, 1995.[8]

The song did not make a substantial commercial impact outside Canada, charting only in the United Kingdom and the United States. In the latter country, it peaked at number one on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 on November 18, 1995.[9] In the United Kingdom, the song was released on October 9, 1995.[10] The track debuted and peaked at number 93 on the UK Singles Chart on October 15, 1995, then left the top 100 the next week.[11]

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from the UK CD1 liner notes and the Ragged Ass Road album booklet.[2][15]

Studios

Personnel

  • Tom Cochrane – writing, vocals, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, harmonica, production
  • Bill Bell – acoustic guitars, electric guitars
  • Ken "Spider" Sinnaeve – bass
  • Gregor Beresford – drums, percussion
  • John Webster – production, engineering
  • Ed Krautner – secondary engineering, additional recording
  • Tom Lord-Alge – mixing

Charts

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Canada 1995 Radio EMI [12]
United States October 3, 1995 Contemporary hit radio Capitol [18]
United Kingdom October 9, 1995
  • CD
  • cassette
 EMI [10]

References

  1. 1 2 "The Stories Behind Tom's Songs – I Wish You Well". Tomcochrane.info. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  2. 1 2 Ragged Ass Road (Canadian CD album booklet). Tom Cochrane. EMI Music Canada. 1995. 7243 8 32951 28.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. 1 2 "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2749." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  4. ↑ "RPM 100 Singles – January 5, 1985". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  5. ↑ "RPM 100 Hit Tracks – September 18, 1995". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  6. ↑ "RPM 100 Hit Tracks – February 26, 1996". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  7. 1 2 "RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1995". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  8. 1 2 "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 2769." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  9. 1 2 "Tom Cochrane Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  10. 1 2 "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. October 7, 1995. p. 47. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  11. 1 2 "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  12. 1 2 I Wish You Well (Canadian CD single promo liner notes). Tom Cochrane. EMI Records. 1995. CDCLDJ760.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ↑ I Wish You Well (Dutch CD single liner notes). Tom Cochrane. EMI Music Canada. 1995. 7243 8 82406 2 8.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ↑ I Wish You Well (Dutch maxi-single liner notes). Tom Cochrane. EMI Records. 1995. 7243 8 82405 2 9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. 1 2 I Wish You Well (UK CD1 liner notes). Tom Cochrane. EMI Music Canada. 1995. CDCLS 760, 7243 8 824862 4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ↑ I Wish You Well (UK CD2 liner notes). Tom Cochrane. EMI Music Canada. 1995. CDCL 760, 7243 8 82485 2 5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of 1995". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Selected New Releases" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1114. September 29, 1995. p. 30. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
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