He has never toured the United States, where he is best known for the 1978 single "Fool (If You Think It's Over)", which reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, earning him a Grammy nomination as Best New Artist in 1978. A decade later, "Working On It" topped the Mainstream Rock chart. He has sold more than 40 million records worldwide.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Rea
Studio albums
Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? (Magnet, 1978)
Deltics (Magnet, 1979)
Tennis (Magnet, 1980)
Chris Rea (Magnet, 1981)
Water Sign (Magnet, 1983)
Wired to the Moon (Magnet, 1984)
Shamrock Diaries (Magnet, 1985)
On the Beach (Magnet, 1986)
Dancing with Strangers (Magnet, 1987)
The Road to Hell (WEA, 1989)
Auberge (EastWest, 1991)
God's Great Banana Skin (EastWest, 1992)
Espresso Logic (EastWest, 1993)
La Passione (soundtrack, EastWest, 1996)
The Blue Cafe (EastWest, 1998)
The Road to Hell: Part 2 (EastWest, 1999)
King of the Beach (EastWest, 2000)
Dancing Down the Stony Road/Stony Road (Jazzee Blue, 2002
Blue Street (Five Guitars) (Jazzee Blue, 2003)
Hofner Blue Notes (Jazzee Blue, 2003)
The Blue Jukebox (Jazzee Blue, 2004)
Blue Guitars (Jazzee Blue, 2005)
The Return of the Fabulous Hofner Bluenotes (Jazzee Blue, 2008)
Santo Spirito Blues (Jazzee Blue, 2011)
Road Songs for Lovers (Jazzee Blue, 2017)
One Fine Day (Rhino, limited release, 2019)
Waiting For Love
Chris Rea Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Out on the street
Certain kind of sad eyes
Seemed so strong and so deep
I say where are you going?
What do you do?
I need to find out
Why I’m so affected by you
Came from this battered soul
He said I’m waiting for love
Oh I’m waiting for love
There were tears in his eyes
All the different kind
So full of lies
But refusing to shine
They burned like a fire
Of what could have been
If only we’d looked
Maybe we could have seen
Voice of an angel
Came from this battered soul
He said I’m waiting for love
I’m waiting for love
Oh I’m waiting for love
Yeah, I’m waiting for love
Nobody knows, nobody cares
Everyone wants it
But nobody shares
I’m waiting for love
He said I’m waiting for love
Oh I’m waiting for love
In Chris Rea's song Waiting for Love, the singer encounters an old soul on the street with sad eyes that seem strong and deep. When he asks the old soul what he's doing, the old soul responds with a voice of an angel that he's waiting for love. The tears in his eyes tell a story of all the lost chances and unfulfilled dreams that could have been if they just looked closely hoping to find true love. The old soul sings with an almost desperate tone, for love is something everyone wants but nobody shares. It's as if the old soul is searching for something that he knows might never come, but he's still waiting, refusing to give up his hope.
The lyrics of the song convey the universal yearning for love that every person feels in their heart. The old soul represents many people who are searching for love but can't find it. The "voice of an angel" that comes from the old soul signifies that sometimes you find beauty in the least expected places. The lyrics convey the message that true love is something that's hard to come by and worth waiting for.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw an old soul
The singer saw and observed an elderly person.
Out on the street
This person was in a public area.
Certain kind of sad eyes
The elderly person had a distinctively unhappy look in their eyes.
Seemed so strong and so deep
The emotional distress they exhibited seemed extremely serious and intense.
I say where are you going?
The artist asked the elderly person where they were headed.
What do you do?
The singer also inquired about the person's profession or daily activities.
I need to find out
The singer desired to learn more about this person.
Why I’m so affected by you
The artist was curious why they felt such a strong emotional response to the elderly person.
A voice of an angel
The artist noted that the elderly person's voice was highly melodic and soothing.
Came from this battered soul
Despite their pleasant voice, the elderly person seemed physically and emotionally worn out.
He said I’m waiting for love
The elderly person told the singer that they were waiting for love.
There were tears in his eyes
The artist observed that the elderly person was crying.
All the different kind
The elderly person was shedding different types of tears.
So full of lies
The elderly person's tears involved a sense of dishonesty or deceitfulness.
But refusing to shine
Despite the potential for joy or happiness, the elderly person appeared to choose darkness instead.
They burned like a fire
The tears were highly emotional and charged.
Of what could have been
The tears seemed to represent lost opportunities or missed chances.
If only we’d looked
The singer acknowledges that they did not previously take notice of the elderly person and their feelings.
Maybe we could have seen
If they had paid attention, they could have noticed the elderly person's suffering sooner.
Nobody knows, nobody cares
The elderly person feels ignored and unimportant to others.
Everyone wants it
People desire love, but often fail to recognize or provide it to others.
But nobody shares
Despite wanting love, people often keep their own love inside of them.
Oh I’m waiting for love
The elderly person reiterates that they are waiting for love.
Yeah, I’m waiting for love
The elderly person confirms that they are still waiting for love.
Contributed by Anthony H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.