Wishing for another Liverpool hit -its liverpool song now available to download
• New version ‘scores’ with Seagull Mike
The song which helped launch the ‘it’s liverpool’ campaign is now available to buy following huge demand by radio listeners in the city.
Wishing (If I had a Photograph of You), which reached the UK Top 10 for Liverpool band, A Flock of Seagulls, in 1982, was newly arranged and sung by Liverpool musician, Kate Smith, especially for the it’s liverpool campaign film.
And since the campaign’s launch, Kate’s version of ‘Wishing’ has been wowing listeners on Liverpool’s radio stations and on youtube, where the film of stunning Liverpool images has clocked up nearly 15,000 views: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ6Pkx80Fio
Now Wishing (If I had a Photograph of You) by Kate Smith is available on itunes for just 79p and she will be interviewed after playing the song live on the Billy Butler Show, BBC Radio Merseyside from 3pm on Thursday, October 6.
And the version has even reached the ears of the song’s composer and Seagull’s lead singer, Mike Score, who now lives in Florida. He said: “I like this new version of my song "Wishing" and glad it’s not just a direct copy of the original, but been used instead to inspire a totally new sound.
“Kate's voice sounds lovely and the whole thing is quite different to anything I would have ever thought of.”
Kate Smith, who is a graduate of Liverpool University where she studied music, said: “I’m really pleased with the reaction to the song which is by one of Liverpool’s famous bands. It was an exciting project to work on and it’s a great campaign.
I’m not from here, but came to the city from York to study and have never left. It’s a fantastic place to be a musician. There’s always so much going on creatively – it’s very diverse”.
Kate is involved with a broad spectrum of artists and projects nationwide, though the bulk of her writing and performing happens with her own group DNA Orchestra, the three-piece female a cappella trio Barbieshop and electronic outfit Capac - whose member Gary Saloman also worked on and recorded the new version of ‘Wishing’.
The campaign film was shot and edited by Liverpool production company, Mocha, who recruited Kate’s vocal talents. Phil Halpin, from Mocha.tv, said: “Kate’s version exceeded all our expectations. She has an amazing voice and the song sets the perfect tone for the film.
“We're delighted with how well the film and its soundtrack have been received. There seems to have been a real resonance for Liverpudlians and those who know or love the city. We hope Kate's involvement with the film gets her talent the recognition it deserves."
The it’s Liverpool, I’m liverpool campaign is the first expression of the emerging Liverpool Plan which is an unprecedented collaboration of private and public sector stakeholders to create and resource opportunities to build on the city’s renaissance as a great place to live, work, invest, study and visit.
It concentrates on activities that provide a significant, transformational impact on Liverpool’s visitor economy, potential for investment, business activities or quality of life.
Max Steinberg, chief executive of Liverpool Vision, said: “The underlying message of the campaign is that Liverpool is a city that rewards investigation and we used surprising facts and creative expressions that challenge and confound expectations about our city.
“Likewise we wanted to use a track that wasn’t obviously Liverpool but one that dovetailed perfectly with the campaign message. I remember well the original version of Wishing, but Kate Smith’s treatment is outstanding and beautiful and I’m not at all surprised at the reaction it has had.
“It would be wonderful if we had another Liverpool hit on our hands, not just for the campaign, but for Kate herself, who actually is an embodiment of the campaign, having come here as a student and fallen in love with the city.
“It would also be a fitting reward for all those who have worked so hard to tell the city’s remarkable story in this different way and another great addition to the canon of music that has made Liverpool the official world capital of pop.”
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