The Waiting (song)

Last updated
"The Waiting"
TP - The Waiting single.JPG
Single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
from the album Hard Promises
B-side "Nightwatchman"
ReleasedApril 20, 1981
RecordedEarly 1981
Genre
Length4:01
Label Backstreet
Songwriter(s) Tom Petty
Producer(s) Tom Petty, Jimmy Iovine
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers singles chronology
"Even the Losers"
(1980)
"The Waiting"
(1981)
"A Woman in Love (It's Not Me)"
(1981)
Music video
"The Waiting" on YouTube

"The Waiting" is the lead single from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' album Hard Promises released in 1981. The song peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and #1 on the magazine's new Rock Tracks chart, where it remained for six consecutive weeks during the summer of 1981. [3]

Contents

Background

Frontman Tom Petty explained that the song's title was inspired by a quote from fellow musician Janis Joplin, who once said of touring, "I love being onstage and everything else is just waiting." [4] He recalled:

That's where I think I got it from ... [Roger] McGuinn swears that he said it to me. Maybe he did. I don't think so. I think I got it from the Janis Joplin quote. That's where it stuck in my mind. I don't think she said, 'The waiting is the hardest part,' but it was something to that effect: 'Everything else is just waiting.' And so that's where that came from. [4]

Reception

Record World praised Petty's vocal performance and said that "Those guitars ring, soar & jingle-jangle with enough rock n' roll passion to warm the most jaded heart." [5]

Covers

The song was used in The Simpsons episode "The Cartridge Family", during a sequence where Homer was subjected to a five-day waiting period after buying a gun.

"The Waiting" was used in a promotional spot for the fifth season of the hit television comedy series, The Office . [6]

The song is played at Philadelphia Flyers and Wisconsin Badgers home games, when a goal or other play is under review by officials.

Petty performed the song on It's Garry Shandling's Show in 1987.

The song was used on Chicago television news in 1995, as the public awaited news of Michael Jordan's return to the NBA.

Comedian Steve Goodie wrote and recorded a parody of the song titled "Ned Beatty Had the Hardest Part," which became a staple on radio morning shows, like The Bob & Tom Show , in the mid-1990s.

When the Houston Astros won the 2017 World Series, the song was played on FOX after the trophy presentation.

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1981)Peak
position
Canadian RPM Top Singles6
New Zealand Singles Chart27
U.S. Billboard Top Tracks1
U.S. Billboard Hot 10019
U.S. Cashbox Top 10014

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janis Joplin</span> American singer (1943–1970)

Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer and musician. One of the most successful and widely known rock stars of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and "electric" stage presence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers</span> American rock band

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers was an American rock band from Gainesville, Florida. Formed in 1976, the band originally comprised lead singer and rhythm guitarist Tom Petty, lead guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer Stan Lynch and bassist Ron Blair. In 1982, Blair, weary of the touring lifestyle, departed the band. His replacement, Howie Epstein, stayed with the band for the next two decades. In 1991, Scott Thurston joined the band as a multi-instrumentalist—mostly on rhythm guitar and second keyboard. In 1994, Steve Ferrone replaced Lynch on drums. Blair returned to the Heartbreakers in 2002, the year before Epstein's death. The band had a long string of hit singles including "Breakdown", "American Girl", "Refugee", "The Waiting", "Learning to Fly", and "Mary Jane's Last Dance", among many others, that stretched over several decades of work.

<i>Damn the Torpedoes</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Damn the Torpedoes is the third studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released on October 19, 1979. This was the first of three Petty albums originally released by the Backstreet Records label, distributed by MCA Records. It built on the commercial success and critical acclaim of his two previous albums and reached #2 on the Billboard album chart. The album went on to become certified Triple Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Tom Petty album) 1993 greatest hits album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Greatest Hits is a compilation album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released in 1993. It is Petty's best-selling album to date and was certified 12× Platinum by the RIAA on April 28, 2015. The single "Mary Jane's Last Dance" became one of Petty's most popular songs, reaching No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The other new song on the album is a cover of the Thunderclap Newman hit "Something in the Air". The album contains no songs from 1987's Let Me Up . However, three songs from Petty's 1989 solo album Full Moon Fever were included.

<i>Bad for Good</i> 1981 studio album by Jim Steinman

Bad for Good is the only studio album by American songwriter Jim Steinman. Steinman wrote all of the songs and performed on most, although Rory Dodd contributed lead vocals on some tracks.

<i>Playback</i> (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album) 1995 box set by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Playback is a box set compilation by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released in 1995. It contains popular album tracks, B-sides, previously unreleased outtakes, and early songs by Petty's previous band Mudcrutch.

<i>Into the Great Wide Open</i> 1991 studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Into the Great Wide Open is the eighth studio album by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released in July 1991. The album was the band's last with MCA Records. The album was the second Petty produced with Jeff Lynne after the success of Full Moon Fever.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Jane's Last Dance</span> 1993 single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

"Mary Jane's Last Dance" is a song written by Tom Petty and recorded by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was recorded while Petty was recording his Wildflowers album and was produced by Rick Rubin, guitarist Mike Campbell, and Petty. The sessions would prove to be the last to include drummer Stan Lynch before his eventual departure in 1994. This song was first released as part of the Greatest Hits album in 1993. It rose to No. 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Petty's first Billboard top-20 hit of the 1990s, and also topped the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart for two weeks. Internationally, the song reached No. 2 in Portugal and No. 5 in Canada.

<i>Rock a Little</i> 1985 studio album by Stevie Nicks

Rock a Little is the third solo studio album by the American singer and songwriter Stevie Nicks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piece of My Heart</span> 1967 single by Erma Franklin

"Piece of My Heart" is a romantic soul love song written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns, originally recorded by Erma Franklin in 1967. Franklin's single peaked in December 1967 at number 10 on the Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart in the United States.

<i>I Got Dem Ol Kozmic Blues Again Mama!</i> 1969 studio album by Janis Joplin

I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! is the debut solo and third studio album overall by American singer-songwriter Janis Joplin, released on September 11, 1969. It was the first album which Joplin recorded after leaving her former band, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and the only solo album released during her lifetime.

<i>Pack Up the Plantation: Live!</i> 1985 live album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Pack Up the Plantation: Live! is the first official live album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released in November 1985. It was primarily recorded at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles during their 1985 tour but also includes several tracks from previous tours. It was released as a double LP or single cassette and compact disc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Refugee (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song)</span> 1980 single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

"Refugee" is a song recorded by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, was released in January 1980 as the second single from their album Damn the Torpedoes, and peaking at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The song is in compound AABA form.

"Green Grass and High Tides" is a song by the Southern rock band Outlaws. It is the tenth and final track on the band's debut album, Outlaws. The song is one of their best known, and has received extensive play on album-oriented radio stations, although it was never released as a single. The song is notable for having two extended guitar solos that stretch the song to nearly 10 minutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stop Draggin' My Heart Around</span> 1981 single by Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty

"Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" is a song recorded by Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and released as the first single from Nicks' debut solo album Bella Donna (1981). The track is the album's only song that was neither written nor co-written by Nicks. Written by Tom Petty and Mike Campbell as a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song, Jimmy Iovine, who was also working for Stevie Nicks at the time, arranged for her to sing on it. Petty sang with Nicks in the chorus and bridge, while his entire band played on the song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Here Comes My Girl</span> 1980 single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

"Here Comes My Girl" is a song written by Tom Petty and Mike Campbell, and recorded by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, their third single from their breakthrough hit 1979 album, Damn the Torpedoes. It peaked at number 59 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on May 24, 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jammin' Me</span> 1987 single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

"Jammin' Me" is a song by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, co-written by Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Mike Campbell. The heartland rock tune first appeared on the band's 1987 album Let Me Up , and was later included on Petty's 'best of' albums Playback and Anthology: Through the Years.

<i>The Live Anthology</i> 2009 live album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

The Live Anthology is a live box set by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The box set was released by Reprise Records on November 23, 2009, in a number of formats, with the standard CD and download formats, composed of 48 tracks.

<i>An American Treasure</i> 2018 Tom Petty compilation album

An American Treasure is a 2018 compilation album and box set of Tom Petty, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch released by Reprise Records on September 28, 2018. The set includes several rare and unreleased songs alongside more obscure album tracks that showcase Petty's songwriting. The majority of the content is Heartbreakers material but there are also several solo songs and some recordings by Mudcrutch. Critical reception has been positive.

<i>The Best of Everything</i> (album) 2019 greatest hits album by Tom Petty

The Best of Everything is a 2019 greatest hits album with recordings made by Tom Petty, with his backing band The Heartbreakers, as a solo artist, and with Mudcrutch. It was released on March 1.

References

  1. Pollock, Bruce (18 March 2014). Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs for the Rock and Roll Era. Taylor & Francis. p. 1757. ISBN   978-1-135-46303-8.
  2. Elbel, Jeff (June 30, 2017). "Not even the rain can steal Tom Petty's thunder in Wrigley Field". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  3. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 490.
  4. 1 2 Lifton, Dave. "How Janis Joplin Inspired Tom Petty's 'The Waiting'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  5. "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. May 2, 1981. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  6. YouTube clip - NBC promo for the 5th season of The Office, featuring "The Waiting"