Wishing I Was There

Background

On 31 May 1998 Australian-born singer-songwriter, Natalie Imbruglia, released "Wishing I Was There" as the third single from her debut album, Left of the Middle. From early 1993 Imbruglia was an actor on the Australian soap opera, Neighbours. In 1994 at the end of her second year, she left the show to move to London.

Imbruglia's debut single, "Torn" (1997), was a cover of an Ednaswap song. It reached number two in the UK Singles Chart in November 1997. Her debut album, Left of the Middle, followed on 8 December 1997. The second single was "Big Mistake", which debuted at number two.

"Wishing I Was There" followed and was less successful than her first two singles, reaching number 19 on the UK Singles Chart, top 30 on the ARIA Singles Chart and top 40 in New Zealand. The final single from Left of the Middle was "Smoke", and the reception was more divided compared with her previous singles. It was a hit in the UK and made the top 5, while in Australia it missed the top 40.

Composition

"Wishing I Was There" is a song with an album version length of three minutes and 52 seconds and a single version of four minutes and 25 seconds. The song is set in the key of F major and has a medium tempo – 96 beats per minute – with a piano, guitar and vocal arrangement. Chris Thompson provides unison background vocals on the album version of the chorus. Imbruglia is co-credited, with Phil Thornalley and Colin Campsie, for both lyrics and music.

The video was shot in parts of New York. Towards the end of the video, the now destroyed World Trade Centre complex and parts of lower Manhattan are featured.

Track listing

1. "Wishing I Was There" – 4:25
2. "Big Mistake" (live version on MTV) – 5:07
3. "Why" – 4:18

1. "Wishing I Was There" – 4:25
2. "Wishing I Was There" (Transister Remix) – 3:33
3. "Impressed" – 4:08