Go West quickly had a publishing deal and possessed a portastudio, but lacked a band or recording company. Peter and Richard decided, with support from John Glover, their manager, to find a musical producer, and record just two of their songs. The tracks We Close Our Eyes and Call Me found Go West developing a record deal with Chrysalis Records. The songwriting duo specialised in radio friendly, white soul sounds.
The band's debut single, We Close Our Eyes, was released in 1985 and managed to achieve the number 5 position on the UK Singles charts, #5 on the US Dance Club Play chart and also managed to reach #41 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. The video for the song became an early favorite on MTV. This helped them to be voted the "Best Newcomers" at the 1986, BRIT Awards.
The duo's self-titled album also featured 2 more Hot 100 entries; "Call Me" (1984 - #54) and "Eye To Eye" (1985 - #73). The album also featured "Don't Look Down", which would serve as the prequel to what would be the band's first Top 40 hit in the US. The album hit #8 in the UK Album charts and #60 on Billboard 200 Album chart.
In 1987, they released their follow-up, "Dancing On The Couch", which peaked at #19 on UK Album chart but only got as high as #172 in the US. Ironically, that album yielded Go West with their first US Top 40 hit, "Don't Look Down - The Sequel", squeaking into the Top 40 peaking at #39. That song was a continuation to "Don't Look Down" from their debut album. However, "Don't Look Down - The Sequel" was excluded from the UK versions of the CD, which instead included the track, "Let's Build A Boat", which coincidentally became the B-Side of the US release of "Don't Look Down - The Sequel".
Later in 1990, Go West scored a top 10 US hit with the song King of Wishful Thinking from the movie Pretty Woman. An instrumental version of the song's chorus is also alleged to be heard in the production logo for Gracie Films (seen at the end of The Simpsons).
Go West website: www.gowest.org.uk
King of Wishful Thinking
Go West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just 'cause you cut me to the bone
And I won't miss the way that you kiss me
We were never carved in stone
If I don't listen to the talk of the town
Then maybe I can fool myself
I'll get over you, I know I will
And I'll tell myself I'm over you
'Cause I'm the king of wishful thinking
(King of wishful thinking)
I am the king of wishful thinking
I refuse to give in to my blues
That's not how it's gonna be
And I deny the tears in my eyes
I don't wanna let you see, no
That you have made a hole in my heart
And now I've got to fool myself
I'll get over you, I know I will
I'll pretend my ship's not sinking
And I'll tell myself I'm over you
'Cause I'm the king of wishful thinking (I'll get over you, I know I will)
I'll pretend my ship's not sinking
And I'll tell myself I'm over you
'Cause I'm the king of wishful thinking, yeah (king of wishful thinking)
Oh no, I will never, never shed a tear for you
I'll get over you (I know I will)
If I don't listen to the talk of the town
Then maybe I can fool myself
I'll get over you, I know I will
I'll pretend my ship's not sinking
And I'll tell myself I'm over you
'Cause I'm the king of wishful thinking (king of wishful thinking)
I'm the king of wishful thinking
I'll get over you, I know I will
You made a hole in my heart
But I won't shed a tear for you
I'll be the king of wishful thinking
I'll get over you (I know I will)
I'll pretend my heart's still beating
'Cause I've got no more tears for you
I'm the king of wishful thinking
I'll get over you (I know I will)
You made a hole in my heart
And I'll tell myself I'm over you
'Cause I'm the king of wishful thinking
The lyrics of "King of Wishful Thinking" by Go West express the idea of denial after a breakup. The singer acknowledges that they have been hurt by their former lover, but instead of wallowing in sadness, they choose to believe they can move on quickly. The line "I'll get over you, I know I will" is repeated throughout the song as a mantra to reinforce this belief. The singer refuses to give in to their sadness, instead, they convince themselves that their heart isn't really broken and that they can fool themselves into thinking the hurt never happened.
The coda of the song is particularly emphatic in its message of self-confidence and the power of positive thinking. The repetition of the phrase "I'll get over you" and the declaration that they will "be the king of wishful thinking" are a testament to the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity. The song might leave listeners pondering the power of denial and the idea that sometimes pretending to feel better can lead to actually feeling better.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't need to fall at your feet
I don't have to be subservient to you
Just 'cause you cut me to the bone
Even though you hurt me deeply
And I won't miss the way that you kiss me
I won't long for the way we used to kiss
We were never carved in stone
Our relationship was never permanent
If I don't listen to the talk of the town
If I ignore what people say about us
Then maybe I can fool myself
Maybe I can deceive myself into getting over you
I'll get over you, I know I will
I will move on from you, I am certain of it
I'll pretend my ship's not sinking
I will act as if everything is okay despite the emotional turmoil
And I'll tell myself I'm over you
I will convince myself that I have moved on from you
'Cause I'm the king of wishful thinking
Because I can imagine a reality in which I am happy without you
I refuse to give in to my blues
I am determined not to be sad
That's not how it's gonna be
I won't let myself be consumed by sadness
And I deny the tears in my eyes
I won't cry in front of you
I don't wanna let you see, no
I don't want to show you my vulnerability
That you have made a hole in my heart
You have caused me emotional pain
And now I've got to fool myself
I have to trick myself into believing I'm okay
Oh no, I will never, never shed a tear for you
I am determined not to cry because of you
You made a hole in my heart
You have caused me emotional pain
But I won't shed a tear for you
I refuse to let you see me cry and give you power over me
I'll pretend my heart's still beating
I will act as if my heart is not broken
'Cause I've got no more tears for you
I have cried enough over you
I'm the king of wishful thinking
I am confident that I can be happy without you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Peter John Cox, Richard P Drummie, Martin George Page
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gerard McCartney
on The King Is Dead
When you finally realise that all your life, you've been driven by ego, and the humiliating freedom that realisation affords