Released March 27, 1995 Length 4:10 | Genre Hip hop Label Altra Moda Music | |
Format CD single, CD maxi single, cassette single, 12" Recorded 1993 (Demo Version)
1994 (Album Version) | ||
"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. 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.
Contents
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).
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." 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.