Armatrading has mixed eclectic musical styles over decades of recording and performing. She has had several British hit singles, the biggest of which were "Love & Affection", "Me Myself I", and "Drop the Pilot". Her music is generally pop, with forays into rock, folk, jazz, and even reggae. Her popularity is primarily as an album artist.
She gained a new audience following her writing and performing "The Flight of the Wild Geese", which was used during the opening and end titles for the 1978 film The Wild Geese.
Armatrading first performed in a concert at Birmingham University for her brother at the age of about 16 (circa 1966). She only knew her own songs, but her brother asked her to perform something that would be familiar to the audience; she chose "The Sound of Silence".[9] She then performed her own songs around the local area with a friend from school, and played bass and rhythm guitar at local clubs.
Wishing
Joan Armatrading Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Falling
Like an old
Hollywood actress
A neon sign
With just one letter showing
A burned out light
I took a wish
I wished
I wished on that jewel
From the sky
I wished on the moon
Haunting the trees
A target too big for the sky
I wanted it so bad
I was wishing on a prayer
But it kept right on dodging
A riderless horse
From the left to the right
Straight to the eye
Yet changing direction
There within reach
And then out of sight
I'd waited too long
Watched for that pot to boil
Waited too long for the whistle
I wanted it so bad
I was wishing on a prayer
But it kept right on dodging
A riderless horse
From the left to the right
Straight to the eye
Yet changing direction
There within reach
And then out of sight
The lyrics of "Wishing" by Joan Armatrading describe a person who is desperately trying to make a wish come true. The opening lines set the scene of a star falling like an old Hollywood actress - this suggests that the person is looking for a sign or a symbol from the universe to make their wish come true. The second verse continues with the theme of symbols, describing a burned-out light at the person's feet, which they take as a wish to be made. They then wish on a jewel from the sky, and on the moon haunting the trees. The target of their wish is too big for the sky, suggesting that it is a very grand and ambitious desire.
However, the person's wish is not coming true, despite their efforts. The metaphor of a riderless horse moving too fast to be caught suggests that the wish is always just out of reach. The person has waited too long for the pot to boil, suggesting they have been waiting for their wish to come true for a very long time. The final lines of the song reveal that the person is wishing on a prayer, which suggests that their desire is not just a material one, but has spiritual or emotional significance.
Overall, the lyrics of "Wishing" suggest a sense of longing and desperation, as the singer tries to make their wish come true. The use of metaphor and symbolism adds depth to the lyrics, while the repetition of the phrase "wishing on a prayer" reinforces the emotional intensity of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw a star
I noticed a shining object in the sky
Falling
Descending towards the ground
Like an old
Similar to an aging
Hollywood actress
Female drama artist who has been in the film industry for a long time
A neon sign
A luminous tube in the shape of a letter or symbol
With just one letter showing
Only a single alphabet was visible in the sign
A burned out light
A light that has stopped working or has exhausted its usefulness
At my feet
On the ground in front of me
I took a wish
I made a wish
I wished
I hoped or desired for something
I wished on that jewel
I made a wish on the sparkling object
From the sky
Coming from the atmosphere
I wished on the moon
I made a wish on the earth's natural satellite
Haunting the trees
Silently moving behind the trees
A target too big for the sky
An object that is easily visible in the sky
I wanted it so bad
I desired it greatly
I was wishing on a prayer
I was hoping for something impossible or unlikely to happen
But it kept right on dodging
But it avoided me completely
A riderless horse
A horse without a rider
From the left to the right
Moving in a horizontal direction
Straight to the eye
Directly towards the observer
Yet changing direction
However, it altered its course
There within reach
It seemed attainable
And then out of sight
And then it disappeared from view
I'd waited too long
I had been waiting for an extended period
Watched for that pot to boil
Kept an eye on something that took too much time to happen
Waited too long for the whistle
Waited for something to end or signal its arrival
But it kept right on dodging
But it evaded me continuously
A riderless horse
A horse without a rider
From the left to the right
Moving in a horizontal direction
Straight to the eye
Directly towards the observer
Yet changing direction
However, it altered its course
There within reach
It seemed attainable
And then out of sight
And then it disappeared from view
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Wu Wei
She is great.