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.
Someone Like You
John Waite Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For someone exactly like you
I've been travelin' all around the world
Waitin' for you to come through
Someone like you
To make it all worthwhile
Someone like you
To keep me satisfied
Just like you
I've been traveling a hard road
Baby looking for someone exactly like you
I've been carrying this heavy load
Waiting for your light to some shining through
Someone like you
Could make it all worthwhile
Someone like you baby
To keep me satisfied
Someone exactly like you
Just like you
Yeah baby
Just like you
And I've been doing some real soul-searching
Tryin' to find out where you're at
And I've been up and down this highway
To all kinds of foreign lands
Someone like you
To make it all worthwhile
And someone like you
To keep me so satisfied
Someone exactly like you
Just like you
Someone like you
Could make it all worthwhile
Someone like you
Could keep me so satisfied
Someone exactly like you
Yes someone exactly like you
Just like you
I've been searching
For such a long time
Marching to the beat
Of a different drum
And now I realize
The best is yet to come
Someone just like you
Someone just like you
The lyrics of John Waite's "Someone Like You" are an expression of someone who has been on a long journey in search of love. The repetition of the phrase "someone like you" serves as a motif throughout the song, emphasizing the singer's deep desire for a specific person who can make his efforts worthwhile and satisfy him. The lines "I've been traveling a hard road" and "I've been carrying this heavy load" suggest that his search has not been easy, but he has persevered in hopes of finding the person he is looking for.
The songwriter also reveals that he has been doing some deep introspection to find the person he is searching for, trying to match their wavelength with his. The phrase "marching to the beat of a different drum" in the final verse emphasizes that the singer may have felt somewhat different or out of sync with society, making it even harder for him to find someone suitable. However, he has finally realized that someone like his true love is worth the effort, and the best is yet to come.
Overall, John Waite's "Someone Like You" expresses the longing for true love that so many people can relate to. It reveals the ups and downs of searching for a special someone, showing the singer's dedication to the search, the disappointments felt along the way, and the eventual hope of finding someone who can make everything worthwhile.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been searchin' for a long time
I have been looking for a while
For someone exactly like you
A person I think is similar to you
I've been travelin' all around the world
I have gone around the globe
Waitin' for you to come through
Hoping for your presence
Someone like you
A person who I think is like you
To make it all worthwhile
To make everything worth it
Someone like you
A person who I think is like you
To keep me satisfied
To make me happy
Someone exactly like you
A person who is precisely like you
Just like you
Same as you
I've been traveling a hard road
I have had a challenging journey
Baby looking for someone exactly like you
Dear, I am looking for someone like you
I've been carrying this heavy load
I have been bearing a heavy burden
Waiting for your light to some shining through
Eagerly waiting for your light to shine through
Someone like you
A person who I think is like you
Could make it all worthwhile
Can make everything worth it
Someone like you baby
A person who I think is like you, love
To keep me satisfied
To keep me happy
Someone exactly like you
A person who is precisely like you
Just like you
Same as you
Yeah baby
Yes, love
Just like you
Same as you
And I've been doing some real soul-searching
I have been introspecting
Tryin' to find out where you're at
Attempting to locate where you are
And I've been up and down this highway
I have traveled through this road many times
To all kinds of foreign lands
To several foreign places
Someone like you
A person who I think is like you
To make it all worthwhile
To make everything worth it
And someone like you
A person who I think is like you
To keep me so satisfied
To keep me very happy
Someone exactly like you
A person who is precisely like you
Just like you
Same as you
Someone like you
A person who I think is like you
Could make it all worthwhile
Can make everything worth it
Someone like you
A person who I think is like you
Could keep me so satisfied
Can keep me very happy
Someone exactly like you
A person who is precisely like you
Yes someone exactly like you
Yes, a person who is precisely like you
Just like you
Same as you
I've been searching
I have been looking
For such a long time
For a while
Marching to the beat
Following a rhythm
Of a different drum
Of a unique way
And now I realize
Now I understand
The best is yet to come
The most exceptional is about to occur
Someone just like you
A person who is like you
Someone just like you
A person who is like you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG Rights Management
Written by: Van Morrison
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Voo
too beautiful for words. I weep with longing.............
Bunny Towne
John Waite is one of the 80's singers that stayed around.Hes got a great voice and for 63 now he still a hunk!Love ya John.Your awesome ou sing so great especially love songs.I love your new cd "Rough & Tumble".Don't ever stop making new cds.
Yvette Dowdy
You mean 70's singer, don't you?
Alejandro Harnell
Beautiful song! Great cover, John Waite is one of my favourites singers! His sings with too much soul.
Pat W
I adore john waite. beautiful song.
deflep007
one of the best singers in my generation..great wedding song
Emi Karlina van den berg Dakri
Love this song
Bunny Towne
Love John Waite.Hes got a fantastic voice even today .His cd came out in 2012--I think.Sounds great.John love ya and today your still looking good.
Alejandro Harnell
Bunny Towne this song is from tje album Temple Bar of 1995, first album after Bad English and a fantastic one!!!
fabian elorza
viejos son los trapos estos son cantantes de los buenos de antes de la epoca ochentosa