Song #658: "Wishing Well" by Terence Trent D'Arby

Date: May 7, 1988
Weeks: 1

Ah, there's that flute tune that has randomly popped into my head ever since this song was originally popular. That's an earworm that will definitely stick with you, long after the rest of the song has faded from memory. And here I am subjecting myself to it over and over again for the sake of the review. That's going to stick with me.

Terence Trent D'Arby's singing style is filled with Michael-Jackson-style interjections of the kind that only Michael Jackson really ever got away with. I can see why other singers in the 80s would try to emulate his style, but where Michael Jackson songs feel classic, most singers emulating his style feel dated. When D'Arby stops showing off his voice and sings straight, his voice is overly gravelly. It's not that bad, and he's clearly a talented singer, but he's overperforming for the rather simple musical accompaniment. It's a bad match.

The music is very simple. The drum beat is laid down early on and doesn't vary. There's some pretty minimal bass and some guitar accents throughout. The music in the verses in particular is very minimal and relies on the vocals to carry it. There's plenty of backup singing, but it's kind of disorganized and random, accenting unusual things at odd times.

Then there's that flute tune. It's basic, simple, repetitive, and inelegant. The entire song is built around it, so it's disappointing that it's not terribly interesting. And it's further disappointing that it gets lodged into your brain, to frustrate you with its catchy simpleness long after the song is over.

As for the lyrics, well... First I was reading some lyrics on a lyric site that claimed the chorus included the line "A wishing well of crocodile cheers." I scoffed. "Surely," I thought, "this lyric site has misheard a lyric that was meant to be 'crocodile tears,' because crocodile tears are a regular feature in metaphors, whereas I've never heard of 'crocodile cheers.'" So I listened closely to the song. Not only does the lyric indeed sound like "crocodile cheers," but it's written to rhyme with "butterfly tears." The distinction between "tears" and "cheers" is quite clear. So it's definitely "crocodile cheers." And yet I'm no closer to understanding what a wishing well of crocodile cheers means.

That should give you a sense of how nonsensical the lyrics are. Overall, the song seems to be a love song, based on lyrics like "I'm falling in love with you." But I'm still not sure I understand the real meaning.

My verdict: Don't like it. It's silly without actually being funny, and the singer isn't well-matched to the music.