"I Can't Wait" | ||||
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Single by Stevie Nicks | ||||
from the album Rock a Little | ||||
B-side |
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Released | December 1985 | |||
Recorded | 1985 | |||
Studio | The Village (West Los Angeles, California) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | Modern | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Stevie Nicks singles chronology | ||||
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"I Can't Wait" is a song by American singer and songwriter Stevie Nicks from her third solo studio album Rock a Little (1985). Written by Nicks, Rick Nowels, and Eric Pressly, the song was released as the album's lead single in Australia, the United Kingdom and Ireland, and as the second single in the United States and Germany.
"I Can't Wait" was recorded in 1985 at The Village studio in West Los Angeles and was written by Nicks, Rick Nowels, and Eric Pressly. The song was produced by Nowles and Jimmy Iovine, who had worked with Nicks since her 1981 Bella Donna album but later left the Rock a Little project.
Nicks explained the song in depth in the liner notes of her 1991 compilation album Timespace: The Best of Stevie Nicks : [1]
"To understand this song, you sort of have to let yourself go a little crazy. Love is blind, it never works out, but you just have to have it. I think this was about the most exciting song that I had ever heard. My friend, Rick, whom I had known since I was 18 and he was 13, brought over this track with this incredible percussion thing, and gave it to me asking me if I would listen to it and consider writing a song for it. I listened to the song once, and pretended not to be that knocked out, but the second Rick left, I ran in my little recording studio and wrote 'I Can't Wait.' It took all night, and I think it is all about how electric I felt about this music. And that night, that SATURDAY night, Rick and I went into a BIG studio and recorded it. I sang it only once, and have never sung it since in the studio. Some vocals are magic and simply not able to beat. So I let go of it, as new to me as it was; but you know, now when I hear it on the radio, this incredible feeling comes over me, like something really incredible is about to happen."
"I Can't Wait" first charted in Australia, debuting on the Kent Music Report chart on 13 January 1986, [2] peaking at No. 20 in February. [3] The single first entered the UK Singles Chart on 25 January 1986, peaking at No. 54 in early February; Nicks' first single to chart in the UK since "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" in 1981. [4] "I Can't Wait" spent a week on the Irish Singles Chart peaking at No. 29 on 23 January 1986. [5] In New Zealand, the single entered the chart on 16 February 1986, peaking at No. 39 the following week. [6] In the United States, the single peaked inside the top 20, peaking at No. 16 for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and is one of only four of Nicks' singles to enter the Dance Club Songs chart, peaking inside the top 30. [7] In Germany, "I Can't Wait" entered the chart in early May 1986, peaking at No. 58 two weeks later. [8]
The single's American chart run coincided with that of a Nu Shooz song also titled "I Can't Wait".
The song was re-issued as a single in the UK and Europe in October 1991, to promote the Timespace: The Best of Stevie Nicks compilation album. The single peaked marginally higher in the UK on this release, at No. 47 in November 1991. [4]
The music video for "I Can't Wait" was directed by Marty Callner. The music video features Nicks, her brother Christopher, Sharon Celani, and Lori Perry-Nicks (Nicks’ longtime back-up singers), choreographer Brad Jeffries and a cheeky Mick Fleetwood on a stage and on a set of stairs.
Nicks also performs parts by herself in a small room which could be a interpreted as a prison cell. Nicks is primarily dressed in black and sings the song in front of a microphone and sometimes a tambourine, which goes back to Nicks' trademark image of her performances of "Rhiannon" with Fleetwood Mac.
Nicks says that she did drugs on the set of all her videos of the era, however, regarding the video for "I Can't Wait" she said in I Want My MTV: [9]
"I look at that video, I look at my eyes, and I say to myself, 'Could you have laid off the pot, the coke and the tequila for three days, so you could have looked a little better? It just makes me want to go back into that video and stab myself."
An earlier, alternative edit of the music video aired in Australia, [10] due to the single's earlier release there.
"I Can't Wait" was performed for the first time on the Rock a Little tour in 1986 and this was the only tour to feature the song. [11]
An extended mix of "I Can't Wait" was released towards the end of 1985 in most territories such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany. The extended mix also included the standard version of the song and the Rock a Little album track "Rock a Little (Go Ahead Lily)". The 7" single release simply featured the standard version and "Rock a Little (Go Ahead Lily)". [12] A 1986 release in the US featured a b-side "The Nightmare", the release was called The Nightmare extended mix. [13]
The 5-track U.S. 12" release of "I Can't Wait", in one of the most iconic picture sleeves of Nicks' career, includes:
Side A
Side B
Rock Mix by Chris Lord-Alge, Dub Rock Mix by Steve Thompson, Dance Mix and Dub Dance Mix by Michael Barbiero
The song appears in original form on the aforementioned 1991 Timespace album as well as the 2007 greatest hits album Crystal Visions – The Very Best of Stevie Nicks . It was re-released off of Timespace in the UK, reaching number 47 on its component chart.
The song was featured in the 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V on the in-game radio station Los Santos Rock Radio. [14]
Chart (1986) | Peak position |
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Australia (Kent Music Report) [3] | 20 |
Canada Top Singles (RPM) [15] | 43 |
Germany (GfK) [8] | 58 |
Ireland (Irish Singles Chart) [5] | 29 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [6] | 39 |
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) [4] | 54 |
US Billboard Hot 100 | 16 |
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard) | 26 |
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard) | 6 |
Chart (1991) | Peak position |
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) [4] | 47 |
Stephanie Lynn Nicks is an American singer, songwriter, and producer known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist.
Richard Wright Nowels Jr. is an American songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and arranger. He has co-written and co-produced over 90 hit singles with multiple artists and albums his songs have appeared on have sold over 250 million copies. In 2020, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
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Rock a Little is the third solo studio album by American singer and songwriter Stevie Nicks, released on November 18, 1985, by Modern Records.
The Other Side of the Mirror is the fourth solo studio album by American singer and songwriter Stevie Nicks. Released on May 11, 1989, through the Modern Records label, the album was recorded in Los Angeles, California, mixed in Buckinghamshire, England, and is loosely based around the theme of Lewis Carroll's novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865).
"Talk to Me" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Stevie Nicks for her third solo studio album Rock a Little (1985). Written by Chas Sandford, the song was released as the lead single from the album in October 1985, through Modern Records. The single became a big hit for Nicks, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks and peaking at number one on the Billboard Top Mainstream Rock Songs chart for two weeks in 1985.
"Rooms on Fire" is a song by American singer and songwriter Stevie Nicks from her fourth solo studio album The Other Side of the Mirror (1989). Written by Nicks and Rick Nowels, and produced by Rupert Hine, the song was released on April 24, 1989, by the Modern label, as the lead single from The Other Side of the Mirror. The 12-inch single was released in a limited-edition poster sleeve in certain territories.
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Street Angel is the fifth studio album by American singer and songwriter Stevie Nicks. Released in 1994, the album peaked at No. 45 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and has been certified Gold by the RIAA for shipments of over 500,000 copies.
"Big Love" is a song written by Lindsey Buckingham and performed by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac. The song first appeared on the band's 1987 album Tango in the Night. The song was the first single to be released from the album, reaching number 5 in the US and number nine in the UK. The single was also a hit on the American dance charts, where the song peaked at number 7.
"Naked Without You" is a song by British band Roachford, released in 1998 as the third and final single from their 1997 album Feel. The song was co-written by Andrew Roachford, Rick Nowels and Billy Steinberg. It reached No. 53 on the UK Singles Chart.
25 Years – The Chain is a box set by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac originally released on 24 November 1992. The set contains four CDs, covering the history of the band from its formation in 1967 to 1992. The set features several previously unreleased studio tracks, new mixes, live recordings, and a slightly different mix of their international hit single "Tusk".
This is the solo discography of the American singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks.
"Stand Back" is a song by American singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks from her second solo studio album The Wild Heart (1983). The song was released as the lead single from the album in May 1983 and reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Top Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in August of that year. "Stand Back" has been a staple in Nicks' live shows since its pre-album debut at the 1983 US Festival, and it has also been included in the Fleetwood Mac tour set lists since 1987.
Sandy Stewart is a songwriter, singer and keyboardist from Houston, Texas, USA. She is mostly known for her album Cat Dancer, and her association with Fleetwood Mac vocalist and solo act Stevie Nicks. Sandy's first single, "Saddest Victory" was released in 1984. Its video played on MTV for several weeks, but the song never was a big hit. The single peaked at No. 105 in the Bubbling Under Hot 100. Sandy and Stevie Nicks also sang a duet for the song "I Pretend", which also was featured on Cat Dancer. A 12" single was also released to promote Cat Dancer. The single featured a large close-up photo of Sandy on its album cover.
"Family Man" is a song by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac from their 1987 studio album Tango in the Night. The song was written by Lindsey Buckingham and producer Richard Dashut. In the US, the song was released as the fifth single from the album as the follow-up to "Everywhere". It charted in April 1988, and reached No. 90 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
"Life in a Northern Town" is the debut single by British band The Dream Academy, released in March 1985. It appears on the band's self-titled debut studio album, The Dream Academy. The song was written as an elegy to British folk musician Nick Drake. Written by band members Nick Laird-Clowes and Gilbert Gabriel, the song was produced by Laird-Clowes with help from Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour. The single reached No. 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1986 and reached No. 15 on the UK charts. It is the band's highest charting single in the UK, the US, and Ireland.
"Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You?" is a song written by Stevie Nicks and Keith Olsen off the 1985 album Rock a Little. The song was also released as a single in 1986, peaking at No. 60 for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100.
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