"I Wish You Well" is the first single released from Canadian singer Tom Cochrane's 1995 album Ragged Ass Road. Inspired by Cochrane's experiences during the years following the success of his album Mad Mad World, the song was released in August 1995 as his first single since 1992. It became only the second song—and the first by a Canadian artist—to debut atop the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart, giving Cochrane his second number-one single in his home country, and it also reached number three on the RPMAdult Contemporary chart. Outside Canada, "I Wish You Well" managed to find fleeting chart success in the United Kingdom and the United States.
Background
"I Wish You Well" was written by Tom Cochrane, inspired by the turmoil he experienced after the success of Mad Mad World and the touring to support the album. Described by Cochrane as "a blur", this period left his home life in a state of disorder, including a year in which he separated with his wife, Kathleen. According to Cochrane, "I Wish You Well" and Ragged Ass Road addresses these issues and what he learned from the period.
Chart performance
Released as a single in August 1995, "I Wish You Well" debuted at number one on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart on September 4, 1995, becoming the second song in the chart's history to accomplish this feat, after Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in 1985. It was also the first song by a Canadian artist to debut at number one. The single stayed at the summit for another week, then dropped to number seven on September 18. It stayed in the top 100 for 26 weeks, last appearing at number 98 on February 26, 1996. It was the fourth most successful single of 1995 in Canada, and it also peaked at number three on the RPMAdult Contemporary chart on October 9, 1995. The song did not make a substantial commercial impact outside Canada, charting only in the United Kingdom and the United States. In the latter country, it peaked at number one on the BillboardBubbling Under Hot 100 on November 18, 1995. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted and peaked at number 93 on October 15, 1995, then left the top 100 the next week.
