Songfacts®:

• In the days before smart phones, many of us spent lonely nights at home hoping the phone would ring. If it did, it was often a telemarketer or someone calling for another family member, but there was always that hope that someone special would be on the other end of the line. That's the scenario played out in this song, where the singer has broken up with her guy. It's not working out well for her - she's sitting at home, trying to pass the time without thinking about him, but it's no use.
• The lyric evokes pure loneliness, but the beat is really chipper and danceable. Exposé got their start making freestyle dance music but also had a lot of success with ballads, including their #1 hit "Seasons Change." "I Wish The Phone Would Ring" was the first single from their third album, which ended up being their last. By this time, they had cultivated a more adult audience. Their next single, the Diane Warren composition "I'll Never Get Over You Getting Over Me," was a slow song and their last big hit. In 1995 they released another Diane Warren song, "I'll Say Good-Bye for the Two of Us," for the movie Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home, but soon after, Arista Records dropped them and the group disbanded. Their three albums produced an impressive eight Top 10 hits.
• This was written by the team of Michael Jay and Marvin Morrow, who also wrote "More Than You Know" by Martika and "If I Say Yes" by Five Star.
• Exposé lost some momentum by waiting three years between their second and third albums. After issuing their second album in 1989, group member Gioia Bruno developed problems with her voice and ended up leaving the group, which contributed to the lag. She was replaced by Kelly Moneymaker, but their primary lead singer remained Jeanette Jurado, who took that lead on "I Wish The Phone Would Ring." Every original member of the group was replaced before they released their first album in 1987.