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.
St. Patrick's Day
John Waite Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the doorway where they kiss
She whispers with her eyes
Will you have me
And he winks a roguish smile
And he lights a cigarette
Thinking, what the hell took you so long
To find me
'Cause all I want is what you are
And all I see is you
Emerald Cross, ringing bells
Banners wavin' shamrocks flyin'
The parade passes by
Marching bands
To the sound of drummers drummin'
Tooraloorah-lay
On St. Patrick's Day
Nananana yeah
Well she packed her bags and left
For the New World far away
Knowing there's no reason
For returnin'
And he comes from the Bronx
Sharp and tough and cool
And he's about to get a lesson
Well worth learnin'
Saying, all I want
Is what you are
And all I see is you
Emerald Cross, ringing bells
Banners wavin' shamrocks flyin'
The parade passes by
Marching bands
To the sound of drummers drummin'
It's Celtics all the way
On St. Patrick's Day
Nanananana yeah
Yeah
Nananana
Oh
Two spirits fly away
On St. Patrick's Day
Today
In the doorway where they stand
Her sunglasses fall away
He sees her now
Her skin as white as cream
And her red hair tumbles down
As she looks up at the sky
He says, Jesus Christ Mary
Your eyes are green
And all he sees
Is blazin' light
And Romeo meets Juliet
Tonight
Emerald Cross, ringing bells
Banners wavin' shamrocks flyin'
The parade passes by
Raise your hands
For Beckett, Yeats
And Bobby Sands
In a state of grace
On St. Patrick's Day
Nanananana yeah
Right
Nananana
Yeah
Two spirits find a way
On St. Patrick's Day
On St. Patrick's Day
Nananana yeah, alright
Spirit flies away
Nanananana yeah
Two spirits
Find the light
Nanananana yeah
Tonight
Two spirits fly away
On St. Patrick's Day
On St. Patrick's Day
The song "St. Patrick's Day" by John Waite narrates the story of two lovers who meet during the St. Patrick's Day parade. The couple leaves the crowd and stands at the doorway, where they share a kiss. The woman asks if he will have her, and he replies with a roguish smile, lighting a cigarette. The man had been waiting for the woman and says, "what the hell took you so long to find me," indicating he had been waiting for this moment.
The song takes place in the past, where the woman packs her bags and leaves for the New World far away, with the man from the Bronx. The man and woman, known as two spirits or lovers, unite on St. Patrick's Day. They stand in the doorway with her sunglasses falling away, revealing her green eyes. The man remarks about her eyes, and they both see a "blazing light." As the parade passes by, the couple's spirits find a way, achieving the light and finding love.
Waite's "St. Patrick's Day" is a romantic song that describes the beauty of the Irish holiday where love and spirits come alive. The lyrics and melody perfectly capture the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, which is about uniting people, celebrating Irish culture, and finding love.
Line by Line Meaning
Well he pulls her from the crowd
To the doorway where they kiss
She whispers with her eyes
Will you have me
And he winks a roguish smile
And he lights a cigarette
Thinking, what the hell took you so long
To find me
A man pulls a woman out of a group of people to kiss her in the doorway. She asks him with her eyes if he'll accept her love. He smiles and lights a cigarette, surprised it took her so long to find him.
'Cause all I want is what you are
And all I see is you
Emerald Cross, ringing bells
Banners wavin' shamrocks flyin'
The parade passes by
Marching bands
To the sound of drummers drummin'
Tooraloorah-lay
On St. Patrick's Day
Nananana yeah
The man expresses his love for the woman and sees only her amidst all the St. Patrick's Day celebrations around them, including the parade and marching bands. He sings a celebratory tune.
Well she packed her bags and left
For the New World far away
Knowing there's no reason
For returnin'
And he comes from the Bronx
Sharp and tough and cool
And he's about to get a lesson
Well worth learnin'
The woman left her home and traveled far for a new life. She knows there's nothing left for her there. The man is from the Bronx and is typically tough and cool, but he's about to learn something valuable.
Saying, all I want
Is what you are
And all I see is you
Emerald Cross, ringing bells
Banners wavin' shamrocks flyin'
The parade passes by
Marching bands
To the sound of drummers drummin'
It's Celtics all the way
On St. Patrick's Day
The man reiterates that he wants the woman and sees only her in the midst of the festivities. He joins in the parade and listens to the sounds of the marching bands as he celebrates the Celtics win on St. Patrick's Day.
In the doorway where they stand
Her sunglasses fall away
He sees her now
Her skin as white as cream
And her red hair tumbles down
As she looks up at the sky
He says, Jesus Christ Mary
Your eyes are green
As they stand in the doorway, the woman's sunglasses fall away revealing her true beauty. He sees her pale skin and her red flowing hair. She looks up and he remarks that her striking green eyes resemble that of a religious figure.
And all he sees
Is blazin' light
And Romeo meets Juliet
Tonight
All the man can see is her radiance, and compares their meeting to that of Romeo and Juliet.
Emerald Cross, ringing bells
Banners wavin' shamrocks flyin'
The parade passes by
Raise your hands
For Beckett, Yeats
And Bobby Sands
In a state of grace
On St. Patrick's Day
Nanananana yeah
Right
Nananana
Yeah
As the parade passes by, they celebrate Irish literary figures and political icons such as Beckett, Yeats, and Bobby Sands, raising their hands in their honor on this day of grace.
Two spirits find a way
On St. Patrick's Day
On St. Patrick's Day
Nananana yeah, alright
Spirit flies away
Nanananana yeah
Two spirits
Find the light
Nanananana yeah
Tonight
Two spirits fly away
On St. Patrick's Day
On St. Patrick's Day
The song ends with the suggestion that the two lovers' souls leave together on this special day, or that their spirits are united in some way. They fly away or find light, suggesting they transcend the human world and reach a spiritual realm on St. Patrick's Day.
Lyrics © REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: John Mayer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
glen burtnik
Fantastic.
Andy Macey Guitar
Co-written with Glen Burtnik from Asbury Park, NJ (Beatlemania, Styx, The Orchestra, The Weeklings, Summer of Love Concert )
James Derrickson
Not to mention a great solo career...check out "Follow You" from Heroes and Zeros. Plus he's friends with Plink Giglio, the best sound engineer in New Jersey.