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.
How Did I Get by Without You?
John Waite Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I thought I knew
Everything about
this great big world
Until I met you
Into my life
Like a brand new sun
Now I find my home
Wherever you are
It's hard to say it
Cause I hide things so good
But you make me say it
Like only you could
I love you
More than any man could ever say
I need you
Baby let me count the ways
And I'll be here
I believe in everything you do
So how did I get by without you
For the longest time
Playing games of solitaire
Taking my wine
But now I'm with you baby
And I can dream out loud
You're as pretty as a picture
And you make me so proud
It's hard to say it
Cause I hide things so good
But you make me say it
Like only you could
I love you
More than any words could ever say
I need you
Baby let me count the ways
And I'll be here
There¹s nothing in this world I couldn't do
So how did I get by without you
You love me
Now I know that I'm the lucky guy
You've got me
And there's nowhere I can hide
So I'll be here
I believe that all my dreams came true
So how did I get by without you
In the morning light
To see you wake up next to me
It¹s a beautiful sight
Now everything's alright
Yeah
I love you
More than any words could ever say
I need you
Baby let me count the ways
And I'll be here
I believe in everything you do
So how did I get by without you
You love me
Now I know that I'm the lucky guy
You've got me
And there's nowhere I can hide
So I'll stay here
I believe in everything you do
So how did I get by without you
How did I get by
How did I get by without you in my world
How did I get by without you as my girl
You're beautiful
Beautiful
So how did I get by without you
Without you
Without you
The lyrics of John Waite's song "How Did I Get By Without You" express the singer’s initial ignorance of the world prior to meeting his beloved. He thought he knew all there was, but after meeting her, his eyes were opened to a new world. The phrase "Into my life like a brand new sun" is highly symbolic, illustrating the profound effect that his love has had on him. The singer now feels at home, as if he has found his purpose inside his love interest's eyes.
The singer of the song still has a hard time confessing his love to his partner because of his tendency to keep things hidden. However, he acknowledges that his partner is the only person who has ever made him openly and honestly voice his emotions. He loves her more than he can ever express, and he needs her like the air he breathes. He believes in his partner's abilities, and he wouldn't be able to do anything without her by his side. The lyrics also mention the singer's joy in witnessing his love wake up next to him, and he finds her to be a beautiful sight that makes everything right.
Line by Line Meaning
There was a time
There was a time when I thought I knew everything about this great big world
When I thought I knew
When I thought I knew everything about this great big world
Everything about
Everything about this great big world
this great big world
The world that I lived in and thought I knew completely
Until I met you
Until I met you who changed everything I knew about the world
Into my life
Into my life that previously only consisted of things I knew and was comfortable with
Like a brand new sun
Like a brand new sun that brought light and warmth into my life
Now I find my home
Now I find my home in you
inside your eyes
Inside your eyes, which are the windows to your soul
Wherever you are
No matter where you are
It's hard to say it
It's hard for me to say
Cause I hide things so good
Because I'm good at hiding my feelings
But you make me say it
But you make me express my feelings
Like only you could
In a way that only you can
I love you
I love you deeply and sincerely
More than any man could ever say
More than any man could possibly express
I need you
I need you deeply and cannot imagine my life without you
Baby let me count the ways
Let me express the many ways in which I need you
And I'll be here
I'll always be here for you
I believe in everything you do
I have faith in everything that you do
So how did I get by without you
I cannot imagine how I managed to live without you before
For the longest time
For the longest time before I met you
Playing games of solitaire
Spending my time alone and feeling self-sufficient
Taking my wine
Drinking wine every day
But now I'm with you baby
But now that I'm with you, everything has changed for the better
And I can dream out loud
And I can now openly express my deepest desires and dreams
You're as pretty as a picture
You're incredibly beautiful
And you make me so proud
And you make me feel incredibly proud to be with you
There¹s nothing in this world I couldn't do
There's nothing in this world that I cannot do with you by my side
You love me
You love me unconditionally
Now I know that I'm the lucky guy
Now I know that I'm the luckiest man in the world to have you
You've got me
You have my heart and my love
And there's nowhere I can hide
And there's nowhere I can hide from your love and influence
So I'll be here
So I'll always be here for you
I believe that all my dreams came true
I believe that all my dreams came true because of you
In the morning light
In the light of a new day
To see you wake up next to me
To see you wake up next to me and start my day with you
It¹s a beautiful sight
It's a beautiful sight to see you wake up and start our day together
Now everything's alright
Now everything is alright because I have you
You're beautiful
You're incredibly beautiful
So how did I get by without you
I cannot imagine how I managed to live without you before
Without you
Without you in my life
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: PIERCE, SPIRO, WAITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
SOFT ROCK
There was a time
When I thought I knew
Everything about
This great big world
Until I met you
Into my life
Like a brand new sun
Now I find my home
Inside your eyes
Wherever you are
It's hard to say it
Cause I hide things so good
But you make me say it
Like only you could
I love you
More than any man could ever say
I need you
Baby let me count the ways
And I'll be here
I believe in everything you do
So how did I get by without you
For the longest time
Playing games of solitaire
Taking my wine
But now I'm with you baby
And I can dream out loud
You're as pretty as a picture
And you make me so proud
It's hard to say it
Cause I hide things so good
But you make me say it
Like only you could
I love you
More than any man could ever say
I need you
Baby let me count the ways
And I'll be here
There? s nothing in this world I couldn't do
So how did I get by without you
You love me
Now I know that I'm the lucky guy
You've got me
And there's nowhere I can hide
So I'll be here
I believe that all my dreams came true
So how did I get by without you
In the morning light
To see you wake up next to me
It? s a beautiful sight
Now everything's alright
Yeah
I love you
More than any words could ever say
I need you
Baby let me count the ways
And I'll be here
I believe in everything you do
So how did I get by without you
You love me
Now I know that I'm the lucky guy
You've got me
And there's nowhere I can hide
So I'll stay here
I believe in everything you do
So how did I get by without you
How did I get by
How did I get by without you in my world
How did I get by without you as my girl
You're beautiful
Beautiful
So how did I get by without you
Without you
Without you
Marc Moingeon
How many times I've listened to this song and to the whole Temple Bar album, hundreds of times. Often while driving, on holidays or ... not. John Waite has got this special texture in his voice that makes it so pleasant. He should have achieved much more success with this album and the two next.
Bryan Godsey
Temple Bar is a great unknown album. If you like John Waite, listen to it a few times. Its one of my favorites.
Kathy Walker
Absolutely.
BrooklynBabe78
Mine too buddy a beautiful song albeit a little bit underrated John Waite is absolutely brilliant no question about that
Marc Moingeon
Same for me. a pity the record company went bankrupt and this album has bene unavailable for a long time, i think, while it's really good, from start to end. John sang very well, all the songs have got a good melody, are well arranged and played, and the general sound is warm and clear... It's a top notch production... Really, why Bon Jovi sells millions and not John Waite ?
Akshay Dalal
Indeed man I just love that one..
Timmy Warren
I don't understand how this song wasn't bigger and didn't go to number 1. What a gem of a song . Your the greatest John Waite.
Michael Greene
John Waite knows how to caress a song. He's practically making love to the words. Lyrical masterpiece!!
BrooklynBabe78
@Sharilynne Crocker are you serious
Vicente Alanoca
No sé, yo hablo castellano. Me gusta mucho. Jhon waite.