Wonderful Life

"Wonderful Life" is a song by British singer Black from his 1987 album of the same name. Written by Black himself, the song was released twice as a single and was successful the second time, becoming a top ten hit in Switzerland, Germany, UK, France, Austria and Italy.



Contents
[hide]  *1 Single release  ==Single release[ edit] == First released in 1986 by Ugly Man Records, it initially peaked at no. 72 on the UK Singles Chart.[1]  The band then decided to re-release the song with a new record company, A&M Records after the success of "Sweetest Smile". The single then reached a higher peak of no. 8 on the UK Singles Chart in August 1987.[2] ==Music video[ edit] == The music video was shot in black and white around the English seaside resort of New Brighton, near Black's hometown Liverpool, and features New Brighton Lighthouse and Promenade. It was directed by Gerard De Thame, husband of Rachel De Thame, and won an award at the NY Film Festival in 1988.[3] ==Use in the media[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.399999618530273px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">In 1990, the song featured in a UK television advertisement for Cadbury's Strollers.
 * 2 Music video
 * 3 Use in the media
 * 4 Formats and track listings
 * 5 Charts and certifications
 * 5.1 Weekly charts
 * 5.2 Year-end charts
 * 5.3 Certifications
 * 5.4 Chart successions
 * 6 Cover versions
 * 6.1 Mathilde Santing version
 * 6.1.1 Chart performance
 * 6.2 Tina Cousins version
 * 6.2.1 Chart performance
 * 6.3 Other cover versions
 * 7 References
 * 8 External links

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.399999618530273px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">In 1994, it was the soundtrack to a British television advertisement for Standard Life insurance, which rekindled interest in the song. The decision to re-release the track to take advantage of the renewed interest was rather delayed, and this time the song did not appear in the Top 40.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.399999618530273px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">In 2008, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime developed a public service announcement which features the song in order to raise awareness of human trafficking among those who are vulnerable to trafficking, and those who are empowered to act against it.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.399999618530273px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">In 2009 it was used by Emirates Airlines to promote air travel to Dubai.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[4]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.399999618530273px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The song featured in the soundtrack of Gurinder Chadha's 2010 film It's a Wonderful Afterlife.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.399999618530273px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">In season 4, episode 14 of the U.S. series Queer as Folk (2004), the song eerily accompanies the main character's struggle to finish a 500-mile bicycle tour in spite of a broken collarbone.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.399999618530273px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The song was also used in a French TV advertisement for the Fleury Michon ham,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[5]  but not sung by Black.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.399999618530273px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">It is also used by Romanian music radio station Romantic FM in certain bumpers.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.399999618530273px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The songs music and lyrics were used in a 2010 TV commercial by ZAIN telecommunication company. It was used to promote donation for Palestinian refugees with a slogan: "They live for the hope.. You build." ==Formats and track listings<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ==Charts and certifications<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ===Chart successions<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === ==Cover versions<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ===Mathilde Santing version<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.399999618530273px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Dutch singer Mathilde Santing recorded her own cover version of "Wonderful Life" on her 1999 album To Others to One. It was released as a maxi single and was used in a television advertisement for Interpolis, a Dutch insurance company.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[27]  In addition to the album To Others to One, it is also on the albums 20 jaar hits 1981-2001 (Muziek 20 Daagse 2001) and 100 Love Songs [2008]. ====Chart performance<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==== ===Tina Cousins version<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.399999618530273px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">British singer Tina Cousins recorded a cover version of the song for her second studio album Mastermind. This version had moderate success, peaking at number 17 on the Australian Singles Chart and at number 58 on the UK Singles Chart. In 2005, a dance and a ballad of this cover version were used in the Australian miniseries "The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant" on Channel 10. Since 2007, both the dance and ballad versions of Tina Cousins' cover of the song have been used at the Hoyts cinemas in Australia directly prior to the start of a movie. Now only the ballad version is used.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="line-height:1;white-space:nowrap;">[citation needed]  In 2008, this song featured in an UN TV spot ad raising awareness of Human Trafficking. ====Chart performance<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==== ===Other cover versions<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.399999618530273px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Macedonian alternative rock band Arhangel recorded an alternative rock version of the song for their 1993 album Arhangel 2. Former German rock band Hyperchild covered the song for their album "Easily" and released it as a single in 2000. Serbian punk rock band [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KBO! KBO!] recorded a version of the song on their 2001 cover album (Ne) Menjajte Stanicu ((Do Not) Change the Station). French Neofolk band Oraison released a cover on their demo tape. Spanish singer Rosa López recorded a Spanish cover of the song entitled "Bella Vida" on her 2008 album Promesas. It was also released as the second single from the album. In 2009, German techno group Scooter sampled the song on their single "The Sound Above My Hair". In 2011 Kim Wilde covered the song in the album Snapshots. In 2011, the song featured on the Christmas albumFunny Looking Angels by Smith & Burrows, a collaboration between Tom Smith (Editors) and Andy Burrows (We Are Scientists and ex-Razorlight).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[33]  Slow Moving Milliecovered the song on her album Renditions.
 * 7" single
 * 1) "Wonderful Life" — 4:49
 * 2) "Life Calls" — 3:51
 * 12" maxi single
 * 1) "Wonderful Life" — 4:49
 * 2) "Life Calls" — 3:51
 * 3) "Had Enough" — 4:58
 * 4) "All We Need Is the Money" — 4:23

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.399999618530273px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Various other cover versions have been produced, by artists including Seeed, TJ Davis, Tony Hadley, Giuliano Palma & the Bluebeaters, Jono McCleery, Ace of Base,Lara Fabian, Myslovitz, Carrion, Adelmo "Zucchero" Fornaciari, and Csézy.