Song of the Day 5/6: Go West, “The King of Wishful Thinking”
You have to feel a bit sorry for Charles III. Not only does he have to start a new job at age 74, he has to listen to an endless debate about whether the job should continue to exist. My guess is yes: the royal family reportedly generates the equivalent of nearly $2 billion annually in tourist revenue. Anyone who thinks that will be outweighed by other considerations is engaging in some wishful thinking.
This song was the biggest US hit for British synth-pop duo Go West. It reached No. 8 on the Hot 100 in 1990 after it was featured on the soundtrack of the Julia Roberts movie “Pretty Woman.”
The video was nominated for as the best of the year for the 1991 Brit Awards, and must have made a lasting impression on some youngsters. Jimmy Fallon, for example. A few years back he enlisted Paul Rudd to recreate it with him. It’s not quite shot-for-shot — there’s no dancing elephant or dancing pope — but it does illustrate Fallon’s pop-music nerditude.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af6L1jBZGYA
Poor Charles did not look particularly regal or noble: he looked sad and defeated, like a whipped puppy.