I Wish You Well

1995 single by Tom Cochrane

This article is about the Tom Cochrane song. For the Mariah Carey song of the same name, see E=MC² (Mariah Carey album).

1995 single by Tom Cochrane

"I Wish You Well"
Single by Tom Cochrane
from the album Ragged Ass Road
Released	1995
Studio	Metalworks (Mississauga, Canada) Ragged Ass Road
Length	4:24
Label	EMI Capitol
Songwriter(s)	Tom Cochrane
Producer(s)	Tom Cochrane John Webster
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]

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,^[2] 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.^[3] 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.^[4] It stayed in the top 100 for 26 weeks, last appearing at number 98 on February 26, 1996.^[5] It was the fourth most successful single of 1995 in Canada,^[6] and it also peaked at number three on the RPM Adult Contemporary chart on October 9, 1995.^[7]

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.^[8] In the United Kingdom, the song was released on October 9, 1995.^[9] 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.^[10]

Track listings

Canadian promotional CD single[11] "I Wish You Well" – 4:24 "Life Is a Highway" – 4:24 Dutch CD single[12] "I Wish You Well" – 4:24 "White Hot" (live) – 6:22 Dutch CD maxi-single[13] "I Wish You Well" – 4:24 "Ragged Ass Road" – 4:45 "White Hot" (live) – 6:22 "Lunatic Fringe" (live) – 4:28

UK CD1[14] "I Wish You Well" "Ragged Ass Road" "Life Is a Highway" "White Hot" (live) UK CD2[15] "I Wish You Well" "Best Waste of Time" "Sinking Like a Sunset" "Lunatic Fringe" (live)

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from the UK CD1 liner notes and the Ragged Ass Road album booklet.^[14][16]

Studios

• Recorded in 1995 at Metalworks Studios (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada) and Ragged Ass Road Studio
• Mixed at Encore Studio (Burbank, California, US)

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

Weekly charts Chart (1995) Peak position Canada Top Singles (RPM)[2] 1 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[7] 3 UK Singles (OCC)[10] 93 US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[8] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1995) Position Canada Top Singles (RPM)[6] 4 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[17] 48

References

1. "The Stories Behind Tom's Songs – I Wish You Well". Tomcochrane.info. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
2. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2749." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
3. "RPM 100 Singles – January 5, 1985". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
4. "RPM 100 Hit Tracks – September 18, 1995". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
5. "RPM 100 Hit Tracks – February 26, 1996". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
6. "RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1995". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
7. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 2769." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
8. "Tom Cochrane Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
9. "New Releases: Singles"(PDF). Music Week. October 7, 1995. p. 47. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
10. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
11. I Wish You Well (Canadian CD single promo liner notes). Tom Cochrane. EMI Records. 1995. CDCLDJ760.
12. I Wish You Well (Dutch CD single liner notes). Tom Cochrane. EMI Music Canada. 1995. 7243 8 82406 2 8.
13. I Wish You Well (Dutch maxi-single liner notes). Tom Cochrane. EMI Records. 1995. 7243 8 82405 2 9.
14. I Wish You Well (UK CD1 liner notes). Tom Cochrane. EMI Music Canada. 1995. CDCLS 7607243, 8 824862 4.
15. I Wish You Well (UK CD2 liner notes). Tom Cochrane. EMI Music Canada. 1995. CDCL 760, 7243 8 82485 2 5.
16. Ragged Ass Road (Canadian CD album booklet). Tom Cochrane. EMI Music Canada. 1995. 7243 8 32951 28.
17. "RPM Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of 1995". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 15, 2019.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics