Wishing (If I had a photograph of you) - A Flock of seagulls

One of my favourite songs from the early Eighties is A flock of seagulls' 'Wishing'. You would know that if you saw my previous entries on this song. Two singles would be enough for most people, but when I spotted this picture disc, I simply couldn't resist.

A flock of seagulls have enjoyed a bit of a comeback recently, and their new album Some dreams was released in December 2024. Without the strange haircuts, because even Eighties artists get older.

My collection: 7" single no. 7648
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Wishing (If I had a photograph of you)' / 'Committed'

Wishing / I ran - A flock of seagulls

So this is a weird one: the front cover only states 'A flock of seagulls', whereas on the back of the sleeve you can find a photograph of that band plus a track listing. This single contains two hits by the band: 'Wishing' and 'I ran'. So where does this come from?

The single was made by Tonpress, which is a wellknown Polish record label from the Eighties. It belonged to Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza (The National Publishing Agency), one of many government-controlled publishing units in Poland during that time. Tonpress was disactivated in 1990, when the new democratic Polish government decided to discontinue running many of the state-controlled publishing houses and agencies. Tonpress' Polish catalogue was split between various private-owned music labels.

My collection: 7" single no. 2578
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, December 16, 1995
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Wishing (If I had a photograph of you)' / 'I ran'

The more you live the more you love - A flock of seagulls

For their synth-heavy music, their strange lyrics, but mostly for their weird hairdos, A Flock of Seagulls have always been identified with the naff side of the decade of the Eighties. I remember seeing the music video for 'The more you live, the more you love' on a daily basis in 1984, and in the end getting quite sick of it. I knew every frame of the video, every note in the song. Of course, later on I wanted to have the single, but I had to search for it for a couple of years.

The single was the first out of three singles taken from the band's third album 'The story of a young heart'. It reached number 17 in the Dutch Top 40, number 26 in the UK singles chart and number 56 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2023
Found: London, October 17, 1993
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'The more you live the more you love' / 'Lost control'

Wishing (If I had a photograph of you) - A Flock of seagulls

'Wishing (If I had a photograph of you)' was the opening track on A Flock of Seagulls' second album 'Listen'. The synth-heavy track holds the rare distinction of having been performed almost entirely on the black keys of a keyboard. The original version of this song clocked in at nearly 14 minutes. Obviously, it was edited down to four minutes for the single release.

The single peaked at number 10 in the UK singles chart in November 1982. Six months later it charted in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it reached number 26.

My collection: 7" single no. 171
Found: Studio Echo, Den Haag, 1982
Cost: 5,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Wishing (If I had a photograph of you)' / 'Committed'

I ran - A flock of seagulls

'I ran' was the third single of A flock of seagulls, taken from their self-titled debut album. The single peaked at number 1 in Australia, number 43 in the UK singles chart and number 9 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

In an interview, band member Mike Score said that he resents the song, but plays it live because people enjoy it.

My collection: 7" single no. 863
Found: All that music, Leiden, June 2, 1989
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'I ran' / 'Pick me up'