I Wish (Skee-Lo song)
| "I Wish" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Skee-Lo | ||||
| from the album I Wish | ||||
| Released | March 27, 1995 | |||
| Format | CD single, CD maxi single, cassette single, 12" | |||
| Recorded |
1993 (Demo Version) 1994 (Album Version) | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 4:10 | |||
| Label | Altra Moda Music | |||
| Producer(s) | Walter "Kandor" Kahn, Skee-Lo | |||
| Skee-Lo singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"I Wish" is a hip hop song by rapper Skee-Lo released in 1995 under Scotti Brothers Records as the first single from his debut album of the same name. In the United States, the track peaked at number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100. It was certified gold by the RIAA and sold 600,000 copies domestically.[1][2] Internationally, "I Wish" reached number fifteen in the United Kingdom and number four in Sweden and Norway. Most of the song's Instruments are sampled from "Spinnin'" by Bernard Wright and (starting @ approx. 1:29) features a vocal sample of people shouting from the track "Buffalo Gals" by Malcolm McLaren. The song also has a lyrical allusion to "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield.
In late 1993, Skee-Lo recorded the vocals for "I Wish" with a demoed instrumental track sounding similar to the original. The song's vocals weren't mastered until the album's production in late 1994 - March 1995. The demo version was omitted from the I Wish album. In 1995, Skee-Lo measured a reported 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m).[3]
The song was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 1996 Grammy Awards, but lost to Coolio for his song "Gangsta's Paradise." Blender listed "I Wish" as number 359 on its list of "Greatest Songs Since You Were Born."[4] The music video, directed by Marty Thomas, was nominated for three Billboard Music Video Awards including "Best New Artist Music Video" and "Maximum Vision Clip of the Year".
Lyrics
In the song, Skee-Lo wishes for a girl, but she says he is not her type. He wishes he was more like her boyfriend, taller ("like six-foot-nine") and a basketball player ("a baller"). He also wishes for a better car, specifically a '64 Impala instead of his 1974 Ford Pinto with "an 8-Track and a spare tire in the backseat, but that's flat!" The lyrics also mention Crenshaw, and a signpost featuring the street name appears in the background of the music video.
In other media
- The Secret Handshake did a cover of this song on Punk Goes Crunk.
- In As Heard on Radio Soulwax, Pt. 2, 2manydjs superimposed the vocals of "I Wish" over Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger", then The Breeders "Cannonball" .
- Far East Movement did a cover of this song for the 2008 film Ping Pong Playa.
- "I Wish" is also featured as one of the lyrical tracks from Girl Talk's album All Day, on the track "Jump on Stage".
- Skee-Lo appeared with Cher Lloyd on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in November 2013, performing portions of "I Wish" along with her single "I Wish".
- Kevin Hart and Ice Cube released a remix of this song with NBA players Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Andre Iguodala, and Kobe Bryant appearing in the video to advertise his movie Ride Along. It appeared on the NBA on ESPN and ABC during their Christmas Day coverage.
- Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake did a cover of this song in the History of Rap 5 on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
- The song was featured on an episode of Hindsight.
- The song was used in commercials for the Toyota RAV4 during 2013 featuring a "RAV4 Genie", played by Kaley Cuoco, who granted wishes to a family owning a RAV4.[5]
Charts
Peak positions
| Chart (1995/96) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[6] | 74 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[7] | 22 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[8] | 21 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[9] | 76 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[10] | 5 |
| France (SNEP)[11] | 24 |
| Germany (Official German Charts)[12] | 14 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[13] | 17 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[14] | 10 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[15] | 14 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[16] | 4 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[17] | 4 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] | 10 |
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[19] | 15 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[20] | 13 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales[20] | 22 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs[20] | 33 |
End of year charts
| End of year chart (1995) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[21] | 58 |
References
- ↑ "American certifications – Skee-Lo – I Wish". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ↑ "Best-Selling Records of 1995". Billboard. BPI Communications. 108 (3): 56. January 20, 1996. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ↑ Boone, Brian (30 July 2012). "How Much Progress Has Skee-Lo Made On His "I Wish" Wish List?". Funny or Die. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- ↑ "Blender Magazine Greatest Songs Since You Were Born". Archived from the original on January 11, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
- ↑ TOYOTA RAV4 Superbowl Commercial "Wish Granted" Starring Penny from Big Bang Theory
- ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Skee-Lo – I Wish". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Skee-Lo – I Wish" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Skee-Lo – I Wish" (in French). Ultratop 50.
- ↑ "Top Singles - Volume 62, No. 12, October 23, 1995". RPM. Retrieved 2012-11-11.
- ↑ "Skee-Lo: I Wish" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
- ↑ "Lescharts.com – Skee-Lo – I Wish" (in French). Les classement single.
- ↑ "Musicline.de – Skee-Lo Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
- ↑ "Irish Singles Chart, database". Irishcharts. Retrieved 2009-11-16.
- ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Skee-Lo search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
- ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Skee-Lo – I Wish". Top 40 Singles.
- ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Skee-Lo – I Wish". VG-lista.
- ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Skee-Lo – I Wish". Singles Top 100.
- ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Skee-Lo – I Wish". Swiss Singles Chart.
- ↑ ""I Wish", UK Singles Chart". Chartstats. Retrieved 2009-11-16.
- 1 2 3 "Skee-Lo, Billboard charts". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-11-16.
- ↑ "Billboard Top 100 - 1995". Retrieved 2010-08-27.