“Wish You Were Here” by Lukas Graham (ft. Khalid)

“Wish You Were Here” is a friendship song, one of those where the addressee is a loved one from times past which the vocalist(s) has since lost meaningful contact with. The way Lukas Graham has explained the sentiment behind this piece sorta makes it sound like it was inspired by celebrity, i.e. the fact that being out on the road as a musician for instance does not afford one the opportunities to keep in touch with others back home like they used to. And that particular idea also kinda comes through in the second verse.

But this isn’t really one of those blowing-up-has-taken-me-away-from-home type of songs. Rather there is a more general applicability, or let’s say ambiguity in terms of what’s being put forth. In other words, the vocalist never specifies what it is that compelled him to venture out to begin with. 

But what we are able to ascertain is that the addressee is someone whose friendship he really values, and he’s been separated from this person “all these years”. Moreover, since then he has come to realize that the quality of the friends he has made doesn’t match up to the realness of this individual. 

So of course, this is someone whom the singer would be missing. And that’s why the thesis sentiment of this piece revolves around his “wish” that the addressee “were here” with him.

Lukas Graham

Lukas Graham is a small band of pop musicians – consisting of Lukas Forchhammer, Magnus Larsson and Mark Falgren – hailing from Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. 

This act, which has been around since the early 2010s, has proven extremely successful in their homeland. They also achieved notoriety abroad via their second LP, 2015’s “Lukas Graham (Blue Album)”. The said album has been certified platinum by the RIAA. Additionally, it peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200. It is from this album the band’s global hit song “7 Years” can be found.

“Wish You Were Here”

“Wish You Were Here” is the band’s first team-up with American singer Khalid. It was officially released on 19 August 2022.

This track was produced by Andrew DeRoberts and Ryan Tedder, both of whom also co-wrote the song with Aldea, Lukas Graham and Khalid.