His most well known playing is on the 1987 Whitesnake self titled album, also known simply as 1987. For the Whitesnake record John Sykes used two Mesa Boogie Coliseum heads and his favorite Gibson Les Paul Custom guitar.
Sykes fell victim to Whitesnake's revolving door; he was fired near the end of the 1987 recording sessions, but managed to record all his parts, save for the solo on "Here I Go Again" which was added later by Adrian Vandenberg.
This was Whitesnake's most successful recording, selling over 20 million copies worldwide. Songs like "Still of the Night", "Is This Love", "Give Me All Your Love", and particularly "Here I Go Again" were all hits, with the album reaching #2 on the Billboard Top 200.
Hoping to capitalize upon the success of 1987, Geffen Records signed Sykes to form a new band. After auditioning several vocalists (including Tony Martin and Ray Gillen), Sykes was encouraged to handle vocal duties himself. With fretless bassist Tony Franklin and drummer Carmine Appice, Blue Murder was formed.
Their self titled debut did moderately well, with "Valley of the Kings" receiving substantial airplay on MTV's Headbanger's Ball, the follow-up Nothing But Trouble received no promotion from Geffen and died quickly. A live recording, Screaming Blue Murder, was to be the band's final release.
Sykes has since recorded several solo albums, including Loveland, 20th Century, and Nuclear Cowboy. His latest album is a new live recording titled Bad Boy Live, which covers a large swath of his career, from the Thin Lizzy days through his most recent solo efforts.
In 1999, John Sykes' solo song "Cautionary Warning" was used in the anime series Black Heaven. The footage accompanying the song was rotoscoped from one of Sykes' concerts, which was a very striking statement for use in previews. Sykes' involvement in the series was the key feature of Pioneer USA's marketing.
In 2006, he got his own signature Gibson Les Paul Custom which was modeled after his favorite guitar, and has used it when touring with Thin Lizzy all around the UK and Ireland.
After over a decade fronting the reformed Thin Lizzy, John announced his departure from the band in June 2009.
Solo albums
As Sykes - Out of My Tree (1995)
As John Sykes - Loveland (1997)
As Sykes - 20th Century (1997)
As Sykes - Nuclear Cowboy (2000)
As John Sykes - Bad Boy Live! (2004)
As John Sykes - Sy-Ops (2021)
I'll Be Waiting
John Sykes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When all the love you gave was just a game
Still I loved you
And now that you say it's over
You'll be on your merry way
But I'll be here alone and thinking of you
I'll be walking down the lonely road again
Ahh daa daa oh
If you search but can't find you lucky star
And the rainbow that you're chasing seems so far
And you never find the one you're dreaming of
I'll be waiting
Knowing her ghost still haunts me
I wonder if I'll ever break these chains around my heart
Are you still thinking of me
I will remember you
With all the love
The love that tore me apart
I'll be walking down the lonely road again
And I'm feeling like I lost my only friend
Ahh daa daa
If you search but don't find you lucky star
And the rainbow that you're chasing seems so far
And you never find the one you're dreaming of
I'll be waiting
The lyrics of John Sykes's song "I'll Be Waiting" depicts a tale of unrequited love where the singer still has strong feelings for someone who has just ended their relationship, revealing that their love might have been a game to them. The singer is struggling to mend his broken heart and move on from the memories they had shared. The lyrics show that even though the relationship has ended, it is difficult to let go of the feelings altogether. The phrase "I'll be waiting" could indicate that the singer will be waiting for his former partner to come back or that he will be waiting for someone new to come and make him forget his past.
The lyrics in the song reveal the emotional turmoil that the singer is experiencing after the breakup. The lines "I'll be walking down the lonely road again, feeling like I lost my only friend" depicts the isolation and despair that the singer is feeling. The lyrics also suggest that the relationship was not a healthy one; it was one-sided, and only the singer had real feelings. This is revealed in the line "all the love you gave was just a game." The song, therefore, serves as a reminder that love isn't always perfect, and one may experience heartaches that may last long or even linger for eternity.
Line by Line Meaning
How can you say you're sorry
I am questioning the sincerity of your apology
When all the love you gave was just a game
I believe your love was insincere and just a way to manipulate me
Still I loved you
Despite your deception, I still cared deeply for you
And now that you say it's over
You have ended our relationship
You'll be on your merry way
You will continue with your life without me
But I'll be here alone and thinking of you
I will be left behind, missing you
If you search but can't find your lucky star
If you are struggling to find the love you desire
And the rainbow that you're chasing seems so far
If your pursuit of happiness seems out of reach
And you never find the one you're dreaming of
If you are unable to find the person you have been longing for
I'll be waiting
I will be here, waiting for you if you ever need me
Knowing her ghost still haunts me
I am still haunted by the memory of my past love
I wonder if I'll ever break these chains around my heart
I question if I will ever be able to move on from the pain and heartbreak
Are you still thinking of me
I am curious if you still think about me
I will remember you
I will always remember the love we shared
With all the love
Despite our ending, I still hold love for you
The love that tore me apart
However, that same love brought me immense pain and heartache
I'll be walking down the lonely road again
I will once again find myself alone, without you by my side
And I'm feeling like I lost my only friend
I feel as though I lost the one person who was always there for me
Ahh daa daa oh
Non-lyrical vocalization
Contributed by Harper N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Dan Opus
Hermosa canción y extraordinaria interpretación!
Freya2023
Beautiful singing and playing by awesome Mr .Sykes ❤
Kerrilee Lawrence
💗💗💗