Waite was born in Lancaster, and was educated at Lancaster Art College (The Storey Institute).
Waite first came to attention as the lead singer and bassist of The Babys, a British rock band which had moderate chart success, including two pop hits that both coincidentally peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, "Isn't It Time" (1977) and "Everytime I Think of You" (1979), and a solid following of their concert tours. Over the course of five years, the band produced five albums ending with the final album On the Edge in October 1980, after which the group disbanded.
Waite subsequently launched his solo career with his 1982 debut album Ignition, which produced the hit single "Change". The Chrysalis 45 failed to chart on Billboard's Hot 100 during its initial release (June 1982) but was a top track on AOR radio stations, as well as a very popular music video on MTV as the 'new' cable channel celebrated its first full year of operation. The song was originally recorded in 1981 by another band, and in 1985 was included on the platinum selling Vision Quest soundtrack. When the single was reissued, it reached the Top 50 on the Hot 100. "Going to the Top" was released as the original follow-up single to "Change".
His next album, No Brakes, resulted in international attention. It was a Top 10 Billboard album in the US due to the smash hit "Missing You" which went to No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.[4] It knocked Tina Turner's "What's Love Got To Do With It?" out of No. 1. For that very reason, Turner later recorded and released Waite's smash song herself. (Turner's single peaked at No. 84 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1996.) "Missing You" also hit No. 1 on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks as well as the Top 10 of Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. No Brakes sold over a million and a half US copies yet has never been certified above the RIAA Gold standard (a record company must apply to the RIAA for such certification). Two more singles from No Brakes followed, including "Tears" which was a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts.
The next album Mask of Smiles followed in 1985 featuring the hit single "Every Step of the Way". Another single, "If Anybody Had a Heart", was released from the soundtrack of the 1986 film About Last Night.... In 1987, Rover's Return was released with the single "These Times Are Hard For Lovers". Waite would have another soundtrack appearance in 1990 from Days of Thunder with "Deal for Life"
In 1988, Waite joined former Babys bandmates Jonathan Cain and Ricky Phillips, along with Neal Schon from Journey and drummer Deen Castronovo, to form the supergroup Bad English. In 1989, the Bad English ballad "When I See You Smile" (penned by Diane Warren) went to No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 and earned a Gold-certified single. Its parent album reached Billboard's Top Five and sold nearly two million copies in the United States alone. Bad English released two albums before tensions amongst the members led to the band's dissolution by 1992.
Waite returned to solo work. He released the album Rough And Tumble. He has continued to tour, such as in 2003 with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band
In 2006, "Missing You" was released as a duet with Alison Krauss and reached the Top 40 on the Country Charts in the United States. Waite appeared with Krauss on The Tonight Show on 5 February 2007 to perform the song. Waite's songs have reappeared in other media as well: 2013 saw "Missing You" featured heavily in the movie Warm Bodies, and "Change" is on the soundtrack of the US movie Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.
In 2008 he recorded a guest vocal on the track "In God's Shadow" from the Keith Reid Project's The Common Thread.
Waite appears as himself and performs two songs in the 2010 feature film, New Day, from L'Oiseau Blanc Films.
In 2011 the title track from his tenth solo album Rough and Tumble went number one on Classic Rock radio.
A longtime resident of New York City, Waite now lives in Santa Monica, California. John Waite is divorced.
Dark Side Of The Sun
John Waite Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Straight into your eyes
As you stood in my shadow
In some loud disguise
You were lookin' straight through me
Like a piece of glass
Out of step with the fashion
I've been living
On the dark side of the sun
Waiting for something
That would never come
Feeling restless and jaded
My heartbeat paralyzed
Like some refugee hero
To beat denounced and denied
In some rock and roll wasteland
In a thousand hours
While Madonnas keep smiling
Present them with the flowers
I've been living
On the dark side of the sun
Waiting for something
That would never come
And I've been running down the shadows
Like a street gang to survive
Hoping for something to keep me alive
I looked over my shoulder
Fire in my eyes
We were looking for justice
What we got was a great big surprise
We've been living
On the dark side of the sun
Waiting for something
That would never come
And we've been running from the shadows
Like some street gang to survive
Waiting for something to keep us alive
Whoa-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh
Been living on the dark side
Whoa-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh
And I've been running from the shadows
Whoa-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh
In John Waite's song "Dark Side of the Sun," the lyrics describe a sense of detachment and disillusionment with society. The singer sees someone in their shadow, standing in a loud disguise, looking straight through them. This person is out of step with the fashion, which always passes. The singer describes living on the dark side of the sun, waiting for something that would never come. They feel restless and jaded, like some refugee hero, beaten, denounced, and denied. The song paints a picture of a world where the only way to survive is by running from the shadows like a street gang.
The lyrics also touch on the discrepancy between what people hope for and what they actually get. The singer, alongside others, were looking for justice and got a great big surprise instead. They were waiting for something to keep them alive, but that something would never come. The song speaks to the disillusionment and frustration that many people feel in society, where they are constantly waiting for something that may never arrive.
Line by Line Meaning
I looked over my shoulder
I turned around to see what was behind me
Straight into your eyes
And I saw you looking at me
As you stood in my shadow
You were standing right behind me
In some loud disguise
Wearing something that made you stand out
You were lookin' straight through me
You were staring at me with complete attention
Like a piece of glass
As if I were transparent to you
Out of step with the fashion
I don't follow current trends
Fashions always pass
But trends always die out eventually
I've been living
I have been surviving
On the dark side of the sun
In a place where it feels like there is no hope
Waiting for something
Hoping for a change or improvement in my situation
That would never come
But it never arrived
Feeling restless and jaded
I feel bored and tired
My heartbeat paralyzed
I feel so stuck that my heart rate is slowed down
Like some refugee hero
Like someone who is seeking safety but is still a noble person
To beat denounced and denied
Who is mistreated and unaccepted
In some rock and roll wasteland
In a place where rock and roll is the only hope
In a thousand hours
Through many hours
While Madonnas keep smiling
While some celebrities, like Madonna, are still happy
Present them with the flowers
Receive affection and gifts
And I've been running down the shadows
I have been trying to avoid the darkness that has been following me
Like a street gang to survive
Like a group who has to work together to make it through difficult times
Hoping for something to keep me alive
Trying to find something that will keep me going
Fire in my eyes
Determination in my gaze
We were looking for justice
We wanted to be treated fairly
What we got was a great big surprise
But we found out that reality is not always what we expect
And we've been running from the shadows
We have been trying to avoid the dark and difficult parts of our journey
Like some street gang to survive
Like a group who has to work together to make it through difficult times
Waiting for something to keep us alive
Trying to find something that will keep us going
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JEAN BEAUVOIR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind