"Wishing on a Star" is a 1978 hit single by Rose Royce for Whitfield Records.

Included on their second album, Rose Royce II: In Full Bloom, "Wishing on a Star" is a slow ballad written by former Undisputed Truth member Billie Rae Calvin and produced by Norman Whitfield. The lyrics concern a woman longing for the return of an ex-lover so that they can resume their relationship. The original version of "Wishing on a Star" was not a big hit in the US, peaking at number 52 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, despite this, the song was played every Saturday at 12 Noon on Kiss 108 in Boston for over two decades, with playing ceasing around 2004. The song was a big chart hit in the United Kingdom, reaching number three in March 1978. The parent album, In Full Bloom, was also successful as a whole. The single was re-released as the X Factor's charity single for 2011. The single features JLS and One Direction.

The song was rerecorded by Miriam Stockley and used as the theme tune to the US television mini-series The 10th Kingdom, released in 2000.

Fresh 4 version

The British DJ and production group, Fresh 4, and released their recording in September 1989. It was produced by Smith & Mighty and featured Lizz E, and became the group's only notable UK hit. It peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.[2]

The group's debut studio album that would have featured this song was never released, as a result of disagreements with the record label.[3]


The Cover Girls recorded a hit cover of the song in 1992 off their third album Here It Is. It was the first single featuring new lead singer Michelle Valentine. The band's version surpassed the success of the original, peaking at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where the original had failed to chart, and became the 49th biggest single of 1992 in America.[4] While the group had had success in America up to that point, the single was their first single to become a hit when it was released in Europe, peaking at #6 in the Netherlands and at #38 in the UK.[5]

The Cover Girls also recorded a Spanish version of the song. The original version of the song featured Michelle Valentine on lead vocals but the Spanish version featured both Valentine and Evelyn Escalera sharing lead vocals.

American artist Randy Crawford recorded a cover of the song for her 1998 album Every Kind of Mood: Randy, Randi, Randee. The song, produced by Mousse T. like most of the album, was given an uptempo house makeover. Released as the third single off the album in September 1998, it proved to be the most successful, achieving minor chart placings in Europe and becoming a top 20 dance hit in the USA.