John Waite was born in Lancashire in the UK and studied at Art College. He first experienced some moderate success in the late 70s as the bassist and singer of the British Rock band The Babys.
They had two notable singles. The first was “Isn’t It Time” from 1977. That song reached #1 in Australia, #8 in Canada, and #13 in America, but only #45 in the UK. A year later, they followed that up with “Every Time I Think of You.” That single reached #6 in Australia, #8 in Canada, and #13 in America. It failed to chart in the UK. The band split up in 1980, and Waite launched a solo career in 1982.
For some reason…
Waite’s work was always appreciated more in America than in his home country. His music can be described as being varied in style but always with heartfelt lyrics. And, always, with that easy-to-distinguish voice.
Some of his music has been used in films and TV for many years. And, although the hit records dried up, he still made some very good albums. So we are looking back on 40 years of recordings for this list of the Top 10 John Waite songs.
John Waite fans will be asking which ones I am going to miss out on, as I can only choose ten. There are bound to be some excluded, so I apologize for that in advance. So, let’s get going with my choices for John Waite’s top 10 songs.
27 Best John Waite Songs of All Time
1 Every Step Of The Way
Let’s start with this song from his album, Mask Of Smiles, released in 1985. It reached #25 in America and #39 in Canada. A simple Pop-Rock song that talks about emotions and feelings for people.
He is saying that sometimes we can over-analyze how we feel to understand it. But we don’t need to do that. “Don’t try to work it out – Just let it be / Emotion has no price – And love is free.”
2 Act Of Love
A song that wasn’t released as a single but was included on his Rover’s Return album from 1987. Another Pop-Rock song made for the American market. It has a nice piano groove reminiscent of Supertramp that defines the tempo.
Rover’s Return was his fourth studio album, but it was not what you would call commercially successful. Although, it did reach #30 on the Swedish chart. It peaked at #77 in America and just crept into the Top 100 in Australia at #99. It failed to make the album chart in the UK. This was his last album release that made any sort of impact on any chart.
3 Someone Like You
The follow-up to Rover’s Return was Temple Bar, from which this song is taken. It was written by Van Morrison and was released in 1995. “Someone Like You” wasn’t released as a single, but it was used in the Julia Roberts film Pretty Woman. It is a song that came out of his divorce from his first wife and how hard it is sometimes just to move on.
4 In Dreams
This song was written by Waite along with Mark Spiro and is another track from the Temple Bar album from 1995. It was included in the soundtrack to the film, True Romance. It wasn’t released as a single but is worth its place on this list because it is such a great John Waite song.
Much more of a power ballad than a Pop song with some very meaningful lyrics. “That in my life – I still believe in dreams – Where you are is where I’ll be – It’s all that really matters to me.”
5 Deal For Life
It hadn’t been easy for him to make any sort of impression on the chart in his home country over the years. However, this song did manage to break into the Top 100 in the UK but peaked at #80.
He didn’t write the song, it was written by English bassist Martin Page and Bernie Taupin (yes him). It was included as part of the soundtrack to the film Days Of Thunder.
Some British music critics slammed the song…
One even called it an “anonymous American gawk.” I consider that a little unfair. His music was better appreciated “across the pond,” so why shouldn’t he write and perform songs for that marketplace? The British record-buying public and the critics had largely turned their back on him, so what was he supposed to do?
At the time, it was different from what was being produced in the UK. But he didn’t write it, and it was always going to be a bit “cheesy” because it came from what was a “cheesy” film. Take the association with the film away, and you have a decent song that he sings very well.
6 Change
Let’s go back to the very beginning with this track taken from his first album, Ignition. The album was released in 1982 and reached #82 on the American Album chart.
It is an interesting song in that it talks about the one thing that doesn’t change – changes. Changes are forever around us, and it highlights some of the worst aspects of our human existence, greed is just one. “We always wish for money – We always wish for fame – We think we have the answers – Some things ain’t ever gonna change.”
The song goes on to talk about love being the only thing that doesn’t change. I think that he is referring to our inherent ability to be able to love rather than an individual relationship which often breaks down. The song was written by Waite with Mark Spiro and Billy Steinberg.
7 Restless Heart
Another song John Waite wrote with help from Mark Spiro. It was included on his second album, No Brakes, which many consider his best, and was the third single released from that album.
The song was a modest success reaching #59 on the American chart. It’s about a man reflecting on his life and trying to find some peace. Instead, he appears to be rather confused, “I look in the mirror – I see those lines on my face – All of my dreams are gone.” A song with a Country Rock feel to it. So, it is no surprise it did okay on the American chart.
8 These Times Are Hard For Lovers
Back to the 1987 album Rover’s Return for this track. It was written by Waite and Desmond Child and was the opening track on the album.
Chart-wise, it did better than some others, reaching #53 in America and #59 in Australia. It even achieved #77 in the UK. A “Power-Pop” song with elements of Roxette about it. As such, it’s considered one of the most popular John Waite songs.
9 Tears
Another track from the album, No Brakes released in 1984. This was the follow-up single to the top song on this list. It was going to be a hard call to emulate that song’s success, and reached #37 in America and #45 in Canada. The song was written by Adam Mitchell and Vinnie Cusano. Another Power-Pop song with all that you would expect musically.
10 Missing You
No other place to finish this list of the Top 10 John Waite songs. When you consider the chart performances of the majority of his songs, this one seems to have come from nowhere. It was another song from the 1984 No Brakes album.
This is easily the most successful John Waite song, reaching #1 in America and Canada, and #5 in Australia. It even did well in the UK, peaking at #9. It is a song that most will immediately recognize with its recognizable hook and guitar accompaniment.
The song is about a man who seems to be in a state of denial after the end of a relationship. He is trying to convince himself he doesn’t miss the lady, when in fact, she is all he can think about. Stylistically, it is a long way from most of the other tracks on this list, and it is not surprising it was such a successful song for him. The song was written by Waite, Chris Sandford, and Mark Leonard.
11When I See You Smile
12Best of What I Got
13Don’t Lose Any Sleep
14How Did I Get By Without You?
15If You Ever Get Lonely
16Head First
17Bluebird Cafe
18Evil
19Love Collision
20A Piece of the Action
21Love’s Goin’ Out of Style
22Saturday Night
23Always Be Your Man
24Love’s a Mystery
25Ain’t No Sunshine
26World in a Bottle
27Dreams Come True
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Top 27 John Waite Songs – Final Thoughts
It has been a strange journey for John Waite, and I suppose there was a reason he decided to try his hand in America. Indeed, after a while, his music has taken a more “Americana” feel to it, but I suppose that was only to be expected.
Thankfully, he left us some good lyrics and some interesting songs that are worth listening to. The album, Essential John Waite, is probably a good place to start. There you will hear some from this list, along with more of the greatest John Waite songs that I didn’t have room to include here.
Until next time, happy listening.
