Amanda Marshall (born August 29, 1972 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is a Can… Read Full Bio ↴Amanda Marshall (born August 29, 1972 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian pop-rock singer.

Marshall studied music extensively in childhood, attending the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, but she first grabbed attention while attending high school at Jarvis Collegiate, often performing as an 'opening act' for other local bands performing cover songs by artists like Janis Joplin at venues like The Concert Hall, The Horseshoe Tavern, and Lee's Palace. While performing on the Queen Street West bar scene she eventually met guitarist Jeff Healey, who was struck by her powerful voice and took her on tour. She was subsequently signed to a management contract by Jeff's drummer, Tom Stephen, who had formed Forte Management and Forte Records to handle Jeff's career, and Tom successfully negotiated a record deal with Sony's Epic Records.

In 1995, Marshall released her self-titled debut album, and it was a massive hit in Canada, spawning six Top 40 hits -- "Let It Rain", "Beautiful Goodbye", "Dark Horse", "Fall From Grace", "Sitting on Top of the World" and "Birmingham". Unfortunately, it was not immediately released in the USA, and it did not receive the same radio attention when it eventually hit the shelves; although it did crack Billboard's Heatseekers Chart for several months. The album remains her biggest hit internationally. Elton John described Amanda as "his favourite new American artist" while being interviewed on Late Night with David Letterman, when asked who he's listening to.

In 1999, she released her follow-up album, Tuesday's Child, which was produced by Don Was (B-52's, Joe Cocker, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Michael McDonald, Iggy Pop, Bonnie Raitt, The Rolling Stones), and features collaborations by songwriting heavyweights Carole King and Eric Bazilian. It followed in the same vein as her debut, with a mix of soulful pop songs and ballads, highlighting her powerful voice. Her song "Ride" would be featured in the film The Replacements and on its soundtrack. Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi was the guest guitarist on the track called "Why Don't You Love Me". Another one of the CD's hit singles, "Believe In You," which she co-wrote with Eric Bazilian, was featured on the TV show `Touched By An Angel` and its official soundtrack, and the song is currently on the Believe fund-raising compilation marketed by CharityCDs.com.

In 2001, she released her third album, Everybody's Got A Story, which was produced by Peter Asher (Cher, Neil Diamond, Billy Joel, Chantal Kreviazuk, Bonnie Raitt, Diana Ross, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor). It marked a change in style and sound for Marshall, with a more noticeable R&B direction. Her singles "Everybody's Got a Story" and "Sunday Morning After" received major Canadian airplay.

In 2003, Sony released a 16 song singles compilation entitled Intermission - The Singles Collection. Unfortunately, shortly after this release Sony BMG did not renew Amanda's contract, and she has been without the support of a major record label. On November 28, 2006, Sony BMG released another greatest hits "anthology" entitled Collections.

Amanda is currently in a legal dispute with her former management that has prevented her from releasing new material.

Fans of Amanda Marshall can join her fan group at Last.fm by clicking this link:

http://www.last.fm/group/Amanda+Marshall

Wishful Thinking
Amanda Marshall Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I will wait for you
Like I promised I would do
Although it brings me pain
And you always knew

What to say to lead me to
Believe it's not in vain
I was safe and secure

When you were with me

But it only could last
'Til the day that she
Took you back again

[Chorus]
So I get by
On wishful thinking
That when you come home
You'll want to stay
Give me your hand
Save me from sinking
Another day
Of wishful thinking

Sometimes it's lonely
And faith don't come easy
And dreams begin to fade
Then you reassure me

How good it's gonna be
When you come back someday
You said you'd be back
After you said goodbye

I have to believe
That it wasn't a lie
And you'll be here again

[Chorus]

I was safe and secure
When you were with me
But it only could last
'Til the day that she
Took you back again

[Chorus]

Another day of wishful thinking

Give me your hand
Save me from sinking

Overall Meaning

The song "Wishful Thinking" by Amanda Marshall is a ballad that revolves around the theme of longing and waiting for a love that seems to have gone away. The lyrics depict an individual who is patiently waiting for their significant other to come back, despite the pain it brings. The singer mentions how it's difficult to hold on to hope when things get lonely and dreams start to fade, but the assurance that their loved one will come back someday gives them the strength to keep believing.

The chorus of the song, "So I get by on wishful thinking, that when you come home you'll want to stay. Give me your hand, save me from sinking, another day of wishful thinking", illustrates the singer's desperation for their loved one's return. The lyrics suggest that even though the waiting brings pain, the hope of them coming back is what keeps them afloat.

Overall, "Wishful Thinking" is a song that portrays the true essence of unrequited love - the longing, the waiting, and the pain that comes along with it. It's a powerful ballad that showcases Amanda Marshall's vocal prowess and songwriting abilities.

Line by Line Meaning

I will wait for you
I promise to wait for you

Like I promised I would do
I will fulfill my promise of waiting for you

Although it brings me pain
Waiting for you is painful for me

And you always knew
You were aware of how I felt

What to say to lead me to
You knew the right words to say

Believe it's not in vain
To believe that there is a chance for us

I was safe and secure
Safe and secure when you were here

When you were with me
When you were around me

But it only could last
But our relationship had an expiration date

'Til the day that she
'Til the day that she took you away

Took you back again
Took you away from me again

So I get by
So I manage

On wishful thinking
By wishing for the best outcome

That when you come home
That when you return

You'll want to stay
You will decide to stay with me

Give me your hand
Help me

Save me from sinking
Save me from drowning in despair

Another day
Another moment

Of wishful thinking
Of hoping for something unreal

Sometimes it's lonely
At times it can be lonely

And faith don't come easy
It is challenging to have faith

And dreams begin to fade
And my dreams start to disappear

Then you reassure me
Then you give me hope

How good it's gonna be
That everything will be great

When you come back someday
When you return to me one day

You said you'd be back
You promised to come back

After you said goodbye
After saying goodbye to me

I have to believe
I need to hold onto the belief

That it wasn't a lie
That you didn't lie to me

And you'll be here again
And you will return to be with me

Another day of wishful thinking
Another moment of hoping for something that may not happen

Give me your hand
Help me

Save me from sinking
Save me from drowning in despair

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: RANDY CRAIG CANTOR, MAIA SARI SHARP

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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