Changing their name to the Imperials, they signed with End Records in 1958. Their first single was "Tears on My Pillow", which was an instant hit. (While playing this song, D.J. Alan Freed came up with the name "Little Anthony".) The B-side, "Two People in the World", was also a hit. The group followed up with "Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko Ko Bop" in 1960. When their success dwindled in 1961, Gourdine left to attempt a solo career. Some members left, and the line-up then became Collins, Wright, Sammy Strain, and George Kerr. Kerr was replaced by Kenny Seymour after a short time. This line-up had little success.[citation needed]
Gourdine returned in 1963, replacing Seymour. The group's classic line-up – Gourdine, Wright, Collins, and Strain – was now complete. With the help of record producer/songwriter Teddy Randazzo (a childhood friend of the group), the Imperials found success on the new DCP (Don Costa Productions) label with the dramatic pop-soul records "I'm On The Outside (Looking In)" (1964), "Goin' Out Of My Head" (1964), "Hurt So Bad" (1965), "I Miss You So" (1965), "Take Me Back" (1965), "Hurt" (1966), "Better Use Your Head" (1966), and "Out of Sight, Out Of Mind" (1969).[2] In 1965, the Imperials appeared on the CBS-TV special Murray The K - It's What's Happening, Baby, where they performed "I'm Alright" before a live audience in New York at the Brooklyn Fox Theatre. At the height of their career, the group made two appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, at the time television's top talent showcase, on March 28, 1965, and again on January 25, 1970.[3][4] They also performed on many other popular television variety shows during the sixties, including Shindig!, Hullabaloo, Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall, Dick Clark's American Bandstand, and The Tonight Show.
The Imperials then joined United Artists Records and were assigned to its Veep Records subsidiary, and then to the parent label itself, where they recorded "World Of Darkness", "If I Remember To Forget", "Yesterday Has Gone", and the Thom Bell-produced "Help Me Find A Way (To Say I Love You)".
Albums from this era include: Reflections, Payin' Our Dues, Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind (named after their hit cover of The Five Keys song), and Movie Grabbers, which included a rendition of "You Only Live Twice", the James Bond motion picture theme.[citation needed]
They recorded three singles for Janus Records including "Father Father", which they later performed on the Merv Griffin Show. Then they went to Avco Records in the mid-1970s and recorded On A New Street,[5] and charted with the songs "La La La (At the End)" and "I'm Falling In Love With You". This album was produced by both Bell and Randazzo. A second LP for Avco Records entitled Hold On was withdrawn from sale in the USA after the failure of the title track to sell and AVCO's subsequent financial difficulties. The group appeared on Soul Train on May 26, 1973. By this time, Strain and Wright had left the group, although both would eventually return.[citation needed]
Wright left in 1971 to join Tony Williams' Platters. He was replaced by the returning Kenny Seymour, who was again replaced after a short time by Bobby Wade. Strain left in 1972. He had a restaurant in Los Angeles and was not singing for three years; at the end of that period he was briefly a member of The Fandangos with Lonnie Cook and Alvin Walker. He also auditioned for the lead voice of Arpeggio. Strain had been replaced by Harold Jenkins as a member of The Imperials. He then joined The O'Jays as the replacement for original O'Jays member William Powell, who left the group due to illness. (Powell died of cancer shortly thereafter.) Jenkins had already been functioning as the group's choreographer. Jenkins and Seymour had previously performed together in the Impacts. Little Anthony left for a second (more successful) attempt at a solo career. The trio of Collins, Wade, and Jenkins continued as "the Imperials". Collins left in 1988, and was replaced by Sherman James. They then toured as "Bobby Wade's Imperials". James left in 1992, and was replaced by Ron Stevenson.[citation needed]
Wishful Thinking
Little Anthony Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You don't believe in me
But I believe in you
Those promises you made
I'll never hold you to
Wishful thinking we could start aknew
(Wishful, wishful wishful, wishful)
You do with someone new
You don't confide in me
But I confide in you
Wishful thinking we could start aknew
Don't you know I miss you
Since we've been apart
You're no longer in my arms
Still you're in my heart
(Wishful, wishful wishful, wishful)
No matter what may be
You know that this is true
You don't belong to me
But I belong to you
Wishful thinking we could start aknew
(Wishful, wishful wishful, wishful)
Wishful thinking we could start aknew
(Wishful, wishful wishful, wishful)
The song "Wishful Thinking" by Little Anthony portrays unrequited love and the longing for a seemingly lost relationship. The lyrics express the singer's faith in the person they love, despite the fact that the love is not mutual. The singer acknowledges that the person they love has moved on and found someone new, but they still hold on to hope, depicted by the refrain of "wishful thinking."
The lines "You don't believe in me, but I believe in you" suggests that the person the singer loves does not reciprocate their affection, but the singer still holds on to hope that they could start anew. The line "Those promises you made, I'll never hold you to" shows the singer's understanding that they cannot force the person they love to keep their promises, but they still hold on to the hope that things could change.
The lyrics also show that the singer still holds on to the memories of their past relationship, as seen in the lines "Those things we used to do, you do with someone new" and "since we've been apart, you're no longer in my arms, still you're in my heart." Overall, the song portrays the pain of unrequited love and the hope that the singer still holds for the relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
You don't believe in me
You lack faith in me
But I believe in you
I have faith in you
Those promises you made
The commitments you gave
I'll never hold you to
I won't force you to keep them
Wishful thinking we could start aknew
Hopeful illusions of beginning again
Those things we used to do
Our old shared activities
You do with someone new
Now you do them with a different person
You don't confide in me
You don't share your secrets with me
But I confide in you
I trust you with my secrets
Don't you know I miss you
I feel your absence
Since we've been apart
Since we are no longer together
You're no longer in my arms
I cannot embrace you anymore
Still you're in my heart
But I still love you
No matter what may be
Regardless of the situation
You know that this is true
You realize this fact
You don't belong to me
You are not mine
But I belong to you
But I am yours
Wishful thinking we could start aknew
Hopeful illusions of beginning again
Wishful thinking we could start aknew
Hopeful illusions of beginning again
Contributed by Elizabeth J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
radiocaroline199
WHAT A fabulous song really loved this song
nenazpuppy
MONSTER TUNE 🎼🎼🎼❤❤❤
Awesome post Cris 👌🎵🎵🎵
James Taylor
Not a big doo wop fan, but his songs make me want to be a fan!
PJDooWop
A testament to how great styrene records can sound
John Smith
Really Really good
Martin Webb
SUPERB ...... LOVE THE RECORDINGS BY THIS GROUP.
Tom Jones
Doo Wop, the greatest sounding music to ones ear.
Joyce Rosic Smith
Nice song,my first time hearing it!
Sharday Ricks
I LOVE it
Paul Burek
Chris, this is badass brother...how bout' the rendition by the Silents...good as it gets..