“Wishin’ and Hopin'” (Dusty Springfield)

Today’s classic song of the day is “Wishin’ and Hopin'” by Dusty Springfield. Released in May of 1964, this single went to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, #4 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #4 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart. Surprisingly, it was not released as a single in her native UK.

“Wishin’ and Hopin'” was written by the legendary songwriting team of Burt Bacharach (music) and Hal David (words). It’s one of Burt’s simpler tunes, no fancy extended chords and odd time signatures here. It’s just a straight forward pop song, which shows what Burt could do with even simple tools.

Interestingly, Dusty Springfield was not the first artist to record “Wishin’ and Hopin’.” That honor went to Dionne Warwick, who released a Burt Bacharach-produced version of the song in 1963, as the B-side to her “This Empty Place” single. (A single which, by the way, went absolutely nowhere.) It was also included on Ms. Warwick’s debut album, Presenting Dionne Warwick.

Dusty Springfield heard “Wishin’ and Hopin'” on Ms. Warwick’s album and decided to record it for her UK debut album, A Girl Called Dusty, and her U.S. debut album(s), Stay Awhile/I Only Want to Be With You. Burt Bacharach met with Dusty in February of 1964 and tried to talk her into releasing “Wishin’ and Hopin'” as a single, but she was resistant to the idea. What happened then was that disc jockeys (with some prodding from Mr. Bacharach) started playing the song from the album, which convinced Philips, her record label, to finally issue it as a single in the U.S. They didn’t release it as a single in the UK because she’d just released the “I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself” single and Philips didn’t want her competing with herself.

Instead, the British band the Merseybeats released a Mersey-fied version of “Wishin’ and Hopin'” as a single and got it to #13 on the UK charts. It’s an interesting take on the tune, with a combo organ playing the signature trumpet part—and the lyrics gender-reversed, of course.

“Wishin’ and Hopin'” became Dusty Springfield’s third big hit in the U.S. (after “I Only Want to Be with You” and “Stay Awhile”) and her second-biggest U.S. hit overall (behind 1966’s “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me“). It’s a great tune and one that truly stands the test of time.

And here’s today’s daily bonus video of the day, Dusty Springfield and Motown legends Martha Reeves and the Vandellas singing “Wishin’ and Hopin'” live on the Ready, Steady, Go! The Sound of Motown special that aired on April 28, 1965. Dusty more than holds her own with Miss Martha—it’s a terrific duet!