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.
Touch
John Waite Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Through good and bad
And things we won't forget
Forgotten promises and broken vows
But we always made it through somehow
But the key to you is broken in the lock
And a simple band of gold is all we've got
That tear us both apart
But if you keep listening
You'll hear inside my heart of hearts
Darling, the simple things are hard to say
And darling the words get in the way
The poet sees the world through rhymes
But only says so much
See darling, the words are in my touch
The meaning's in my touch
And maybe there's something I should say
To make everything that's wrong Ok
A simple phrase, a sonnet from a play
But a man can only say so much these days
And we're drifting to the deep end of the lake
Trying to make good on our past mistakes
And I know you're tired
But heaven's here and now
I've got no explanation
Words are worthless to me now
Darling... etc
In John Waite's song Touch, the lyrics depict the relationship between two individuals who have been together for a long time. The verses mention the ups and downs of their relationship and the difficulties they have been through. Despite being unable to keep some of their promises and vows, they have managed to stay together. However, the key to their relationship is now broken, and the only thing that remains is a simple band of gold.
The singer then talks about the inability to express his feelings through words. He states that some emotions are too difficult to articulate, and it causes a strain in their relationship. He mentions that even though he cannot convey his thoughts through words, his touch can reveal the true meaning behind his actions. He believes that sometimes, actions speak louder than words, and the real essence of his love for her lies in his touch.
Towards the end of the song, the singer acknowledges that their relationship is not perfect, and there are things that they need to work on. Despite their differences, he reassures his partner that heaven is here and now, and he has no explanation for it. The song highlights the challenges of communication and individual expression within a relationship and emphasizes the importance of nonverbal cues in conveying emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
We've seen a lifetime since we met
We've been together for so long that we've experienced a lot of things together.
Through good and bad
We've been through both happy and sad times.
And things we won't forget
We've had some memorable experiences.
Forgotten promises and broken vows
We've made mistakes and failed to keep our commitments to each other.
But we always made it through somehow
Despite the difficulties, we were always able to work things out.
But the key to you is broken in the lock
I can't seem to connect with you like I used to.
And a simple band of gold is all we've got
All we have left is our wedding band.
It's in the things that I can't say
There are some things that I can't express in words.
That tear us both apart
These unspoken thoughts are causing tension between us.
But if you keep listening
If you pay close attention to my actions and gestures,
You'll hear inside my heart of hearts
You'll be able to understand what's in my heart.
Darling, the simple things are hard to say
I find it difficult to express my feelings in a straightforward manner.
And darling the words get in the way
Sometimes words don't feel adequate to express what I'm feeling.
The poet sees the world through rhymes
Poets view the world through creative expressions.
But only says so much
But even with those expressions, there is still a limit to how much one can say or express.
See darling, the words are in my touch
My actions and touch convey more meaning and feeling than words ever could.
And maybe there's something I should say
There may be something that I need to express verbally.
To make everything that's wrong Ok
To fix the things that are broken between us.
A simple phrase, a sonnet from a play
I may need to find the right words or inspiration to express how I truly feel.
But a man can only say so much these days
In today's society, there are limits to how men can express their emotions.
And we're drifting to the deep end of the lake
Our relationship is in trouble and we're moving towards a point of no return.
Trying to make good on our past mistakes
We're attempting to fix the things that we did wrong in the past.
And I know you're tired
I understand that you're exhausted by all of this.
But heaven's here and now
We have each other, and that is a form of heaven right here and now.
I've got no explanation
I don't have the answers for how to fix what's going on between us.
Words are worthless to me now
I don't feel like words are enough to fix what's broken between us.
Lyrics © JOHN T. KLEMMER D/B/A REMOHJ MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: JOHN WAITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind