Wishing You Were Here (Chicago/Beach Boys)

Sun, 23 Mar 2025 07:48:42 +0000

"Wishing You Were Here" was included in Chicago's 1991 four-CD compilation of music from the group's first twelve years, Group Portrait. In a review published by the Chicago Reader, rock music critic Bill Wyman was generally dismissive of Group Portrait, calling it "an altogether fitting testament to Chicago's hippie self-absorption and dopey excesses." He did single out "Wishing You Were Here", however, saying it "stood out creatively from the band's usual unsubtle approach", that it was "to [his] mind Chicago's most notable performance", and that its songwriter, Cetera, "stands out as the most interesting person in the group." Cash Box said of it "a moving ballad the abounding harmonies with the Beach Boys helping out are superb and the musicianship augments the beautifully lyrical picture the group paints