Eddie Murphy actually has had an extensive singing career, it's just not his biggest claim to fame. His biggest hit was "Party All The Time," which reached #2 in the US in 1985. He had another Billboard Hot 100 hit single in 1989 with the cringe-inducing title "Put Your Mouth On Me," which reached #27. Besides two solo music albums, he's also done some of the songs in films he's appeared in, such as the Shrek franchise and 1988's Coming to America. He's also provided vocals in odd places like Saturday Night Live sketches ("Wookin' Pa Nub," anyone?), backing for The BusBoys, and hey, even appeared in Michael Jackson's video "Remember The Time."
Murphy began his comedy career at the age of 16, as part of a comedy duo with fellow comedian Mitchell Kyser at the Roosevelt Youth Center in Roosevelt, Long Island, where he grew up. At 19 he became a performer on NBC's Saturday Night Live television show, not long after graduating from Roosevelt Junior-Senior High School. His characters include a parody of Buckwheat from the Little Rascals and an inner-city black version of Fred Rogers known as "Mr. Robinson". Former SNL writer Margaret Humphert has said Murphy and Bill Murray are the two most talented people in the history of the show. Murphy left the show midway through the 1983-1984 season, appearing in filmed sketches for the remainder of that season.
Murphy later starred in many comedies including the Beverly Hills Cop series. He was recognized by receiving a Golden Globe nomination for best actor in a comedy or musical for his performances in Beverly Hills Cop, Trading Places, The Nutty Professor, and most recently Dreamgirls. [1]
He is a well-known voice actor and voiced Thurgood Stubbs in The PJs, Donkey in the Shrek series and the dragon Mushu, in Disney's Mulan. Murphy also has the distinction of having starred in more sequels than any other actor in Hollywood. Those films include:Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Another 48 Hrs. (1990), Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001), Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000), Shrek 2 (2004), and Shrek the Third (2007).
In some of his films, he plays multiple roles in addition to his main character, including Coming to America, where he played four radically different characters, the Nutty Professor films, where he played much of the Klumps clan, and 2007's Norbit. Another trademark of Eddie Murphy's is his deep, infectious, and considerably goofy laugh.
In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was voted amongst the top 50 comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders. Eddie Murphy's older brother, Charlie Murphy, is also an actor, best known recently for his appearances on Chappelle's Show.
Years active 1977 - present
I Wish
Eddie Murphy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't wanna worry you and never wanna make you scream
But I know it's almost over 'cause I read it in a magazine
You know the very thought of it, it makes me wanna cry
They'll shoot some bombs through the sky
Catching a bad one, baby
You can't hide in the mountains, can't run to your limousine, no
Because I've really got the notion that they're gonna get you and me
And the Lord's only gonna take a few up to his side
Now those are real lucky guys
And I know there's not one without a sin
'Cause we all knew one day the party had to end
I really wish that I could tell you when
So drop to your knees and pray now, let's begin to our Lord
You know there's something that somebody should try to do
That's become the head Russian and the U.S. President too
And put a stop to all the talk about the bombs up in the sky
I think we're all gonna fry, yeah
It's a puzzle, baby
And gone will be the mountains and gone will be the trees
And the sun will still shine, but there'll be no birds or bees
And the worst part of all of it, there'll be no you and I
It makes me just wanna cry, yeah
Ooh now, see, because
And I know there's not one without a sin, oh
'Cause we all knew one day the party had to end
I really wish that I could tell you when
So drop to your knees and pray now, let's begin to our Lord
Let's pray to Allah, pray to Allah
Say ooh, bop bop shoo wadda wadda Big, Big Brother
Ooh wa, ooh wa, ooh wa sha sha skibbidy ah
Yeah
Yeah, yeah
I don't wanna worry you and never wanna make you scream, no
But I know it's almost over 'cause I read it in a magazine, yeah
You know the very thought of it, it makes me wanna cry
They'll shoot some bombs through the sky, mmm
Yeah, everybody knows that
You can't hide in the mountains, can't run to your limousine, no no no
'Cause I've really got the notion that they're gonna get you and me
Hey baby, and I say
And the Lord's only, only gonna take a few up by his side
Those are lucky guys, no no no
He's only going to take a few up to his side, baby
And gone will be the mountains and gone will be the trees
And the sun will still shine, but there'll be no, there'll be no birds or bees
And the worst part of all of it, the worst part of all
It makes me just wanna cry, no no
And gone will be the mountains and gone will be the trees
I'll say it again
And the sun will still shine, but there'll, there'll be no
There'll be no birds or bees
And the worst part of all of it, the worst part of all
It makes me just wanna break down and cry, break down and cry
Say yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
In "I Wish", Eddie Murphy discusses the possibility of an impending war and the destruction it will cause. As he reads in a magazine, he knows it's almost over, and the bombs will fall from the sky. He urges his listeners to drop to their knees and pray to God, as nobody is without sin, and it's time for everyone to repent. The song also mentions the heads of the US and Russia working together to stop the war, as well as the devastating effects it will have on earth. Eddie Murphy's concern for humanity is the underlying theme of the song, and he uses his platform as an artist to bring attention to the potential destruction caused by war.
The lyrics to "I Wish" were written by Eddie Murphy and Nile Rodgers, who also produced the track. It was released in 1985 as part of Murphy's debut album "How Could It Be." It was a commercial success, peaking at number 38 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song is considered an unlikely hit due to the serious nature of its lyrics and the fact that it was written and performed by a comedic actor.
Line by Line Meaning
Gonna blow it up, baby
The situation we are in is escalating and is getting worse day by day.
I don't wanna worry you and never wanna make you scream
I don't want to alarm you, but I have read some news that indicates that our future is bleak.
But I know it's almost over 'cause I read it in a magazine
I can sense the end is near as I have read some alarming news in a magazine.
You know the very thought of it, it makes me wanna cry
The thought of our lives ending so soon and abruptly makes me really emotional.
They'll shoot some bombs through the sky
It seems inevitable that bombs will be launched and our lives will be affected drastically.
Catching a bad one, baby
The situation is beyond our control, and we are going to be affected negatively.
You can't hide in the mountains, can't run to your limousine, no
No matter where we go or what we do, we cannot run away from the danger that lurks ahead.
Because I've really got the notion that they're gonna get you and me
I have a strong feeling that we are all going to be impacted positively by what is about to happen.
And the Lord's only gonna take a few up to his side
Only a few people will be saved from the devastation and will be taken up to heaven and given a second chance.
Now those are real lucky guys
Those who are saved are the lucky ones as they will have been given a chance that the rest of us do not have.
And I know there's not one without a sin
Nobody is perfect, and we have all made mistakes that may have contributed to the situation we are in.
'Cause we all knew one day the party had to end
We all knew that eventually our lives and everything around us would come to an end, but we never expected it to come so soon.
I really wish that I could tell you when
I wish I had information on how long we have till the end, but I don't.
So drop to your knees and pray now, let's begin to our Lord
It's time for us to start praying to God and asking for His help and mercy during these difficult times.
You know there's something that somebody should try to do
Somebody needs to take action and try to prevent the bombs being launched and save lives.
That's become the head Russian and the U.S. President too
Only the Russian and U.S. Presidents have the power and resources to influence the situation and prevent the bombs from being launched.
And put a stop to all the talk about the bombs up in the sky
They need to take action to prevent any more discussion about the bombs and do whatever it takes to save lives.
I think we're all gonna fry, yeah
I fear for us, and I believe we will all face the ultimate consequence if we do not take action soon.
It's a puzzle, baby
The situation we are in is complex and challenging to solve, like a puzzle.
And gone will be the mountains and gone will be the trees
The world around us is about to be destroyed and will be unrecognizable.
And the sun will still shine, but there'll be no birds or bees
The sun will still exist, but the world will not have any living beings to enjoy it.
And the worst part of all of it, there'll be no you and I
The worst part of it all is that we will no longer be together and will be separated forever.
It makes me just wanna cry, yeah
The thought of losing everything and everyone makes me emotional and sad.
Let's pray to Allah, pray to Allah
Let's start praying to Allah and asking for His help and mercy during these challenging times.
Say ooh, bop bop shoo wadda wadda Big, Big Brother
Invoke a sense of urgency in addressing the situation.
And gone will be the mountains and gone will be the trees
We will lose everything we know and love.
And the sun will still shine, but there'll, there'll be no
There will be no living beings to enjoy the sunshine.
There'll be no birds or bees
The world will be barren and empty, devoid of any life.
And the worst part of all of it, the worst part of all
The worst part of it all is the separation from those we care for.
It makes me just wanna break down and cry, break down and cry
The thought of losing everything and everyone is unbearable and makes me emotional and heartbroken.
Say yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Expressing the depth of our feelings and concerns about the apocalyptic situation.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: William Zachary Neal Davis, Brett M Jones, Jason Pavilanis, Adam Reiter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind