“Wishing” is a Japanese song recorded by TWICE. It is the fifth track from their first non-compilation Japanese studio album BDZ and its repackaged version. The track was officially released on September 12, 2018, by Warner Music Japan. The track was one of the songs that were exclusively composed and written for TWICE’s Japanese fanbase. Therefore, there is no Korean version of this song. “Wishing” is a 90’s-inspired, easy listening, soft ballad that tells the story of a girl’s intention to confess her feelings to her crush after they already grew apart from one another. Fans considered “Wishing” one of the most underrated tracks or hidden gems of TWICE as it is quite pleasant to the ears due to the soothing vocals.
Background of “Wishing”
Based on a Korea Herald article published on June 4, 2018, it was first announced in Osaka during TWICE’s second tour TWICELAND Zone 2: Fantasy Park that TWICE would be releasing their first non-compilation Japanese album in autumn. A spoiler video for the album was revealed on September 9, 2020. The video contains an audio snippet of “Wishing.” This was the first time the track was exposed to the public.
The album BDZ, which includes the track “Wishing,” was released on September 12th, 2018. The repackaged version of BDZ was released later towards the end of 2018.
Story of “Wishing”
“Wishing” was composed by Albi Albertsson and Kanata Okajima and arranged by Mussashi (other alias being Albi Albertsson). Albi Albertsson is a Japanese-German songwriter who regularly produces J-pop and K-pop songs. He previously collaborated with producers to produce songs for SM Entertainment’s boy and girl groups such as EXO, Red Velvet, and Girls’ Generation. His signature music style has a European influence with frequent use of syncopation and electronic beats as well as melodic pop hooks. All of these elements are present in “Wishing.” On the other hand, Kanata Okajima is a Tokyo-based, multi-platinum songwriter. She has collaborated with Japanese artists (BoA and Hey!Say!Jump) and Korean artists (BTS, Girls’ Generation, and SHINee). Many of her songs have ranked No. 1 on the Japanese music chart, Oricon. According to TWICE Japan’s promotional video on YouTube, “Wishing” is simply described as “a sad winter ballad.” The song can be described as a slow pop song inspired by Western 90s music. The instrumental of this track is dominated by a smooth synthesizer and slow beating drums which make the song quite enjoyable to listen to. The chorus is indeed very melodic and catchy. This track provides a whole different nuance in comparison to other songs on the album that attempt to present a strong and tough image. Hence, “Wishing” is a bit contrasting in comparison to the majority of the tracks on the album. Most of the tracks in BDZ are quite upbeat. The only song that has a similar vibe to “Wishing” on the album is “Be as One.” The line distribution in this song is quite fair compared to any other track on the album as most members were able to sing about 20-25 seconds of lyrics per person. However, Jeongyeon and Nayeon were the two vocal leads in “Wishing.” They both sang for 30 seconds or about 26 percent of the song. It is also important to note that there is no rap part in this song. The lyrics of “Wishing” were written by Eri Osanai, a Japanese lyricist who also wrote the Japanese versions of TWICE songs like “FANCY” and “Stronger.” The lyrics of “the pure love song” simply tell the story of a girl who thinks about her crush and reminisces about all the good memories she had with him. She wants to convey her feelings to him, but she cannot convey her feelings due to distance. Sadly, TWICE did not shoot an official MV for “Wishing” since it was not the official title track of BDZ. The official audio for “Wishing” was uploaded on YouTube through JYP Entertainment’s official channel on April 30, 2016. As of August 2021, the “Wishing” official audio video has been viewed over 1.1 million times.
“Wishing” Performance
TWICE performed this song live for the first time as part of the BDZ Arena Tour, TWICE’s first Japanese headlining concert from September-October 2018. Based on the setlist, it was the 18th song they sang in the concert. Once TWICE performed “Wishing,” the whole stadium turned pink with the help of the TWICE’s lightstick, also known as the Candy Bong. All members were present for this performance. Each member who performed wore a black T-shirt with “BDZ” written on it. They performed the song with simple choreography while focusing on the vocals. Jihyo and Tzuyu stood out in this performance as they were able to showcase their vocal skills.
TWICE sang “Wishing” again as a part of TWICE Dome Tour #Dreamday. The tour went from late March to early April 2019. This was the performance on their third day of the tour in Tokyo. It was the 25th song they performed at this concert. All members looked pretty wearing black T-shirts with TWICE’s logo paired with dark red mini skirts. Chaeyoung, Tzuyu, and Jihyo were able to impress the audience with their over-the-top singing skills.
“Wishing” Achievements
The song has ranked in top positions on Japanese digital music platform weekly charts. However, “Wishing” ranked low on the Year-End music chart.
“Wishing” Weekly Charts
“Wishing” Year-End Charts
