In late 1970 Jim Messina, formerly of Poco and Buffalo Springfield, was working as an independent contract record producer for Columbia Records. It was then that he met a little-known studio artist who had written a few songs of his own, Kenny Loggins. Loggins was working as contract songwriter for The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
Messina decided to produce Loggins' debut album. By the time all was said and done, Messina had contributed so much to the album, both instrumentally and vocally, that the effort was more of a Kenny Loggins album with Jim Messina sitting in. Thus an accidental duo was born. Their harmonies meshed so well that what was begun as a one-off album became an entity unto itself. So rather than simply producing Kenny Loggins as a solo act, in 1971 they both decided to form a duo, Loggins and Messina.
Over the course of the next four to five years they produced five original material albums, one album of covers of other artists' material and two live albums. One compilation album, a "best of", would be released after the duo had separated.
As is natural in most mentor type relationships, Loggins outgrew the duo over time. Within a few years he would feel the need to spread his wings and fly by his own right, and by 1976 the pair separated and pursued successful solo careers, with Loggins soon achieving the super-star status that he sought.
They reunited in 2005 for a compilation album of their greatest hits, which proved so successful that they decided to tour as a group again. The "Sittin' In Again" tour was launched in mid-2005 and played out the remainder of the year, proving that they hadn't lost the magic that made them famous in the first place.
Their backing band changed from album to album. Many albums featured backing members who were well know in their own right, such as Stephen Stills who contributed to their self-titled second album. Bryan Adams played guitar on the album Full Sail. John Townsend and Ed Sanford, later of the Sanford Townsend Band (Smoke from a Distant Fire) contributed vocals and songwriting to the Native Sons album.
Wasting Our Time
Loggins & Messina Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
shying from me like some kind of stranger
And trying to smile is kind of killing me
I swear, dear, you don't even seem
aware of the danger
And keeping my head is easier said than done
Oh-oh-oh!
I try, but you just never listen to me
I guess there's just no sense in wasting our time
Well then, do I give in
Or begin trying to change it?
Loving you once had come so naturally
On and on, are you running or are you trying to decide,
devil or ranger? (?)
And keeping it up was never this much on me
Oh-oh-oh!
I try, but you just never listen to me
You're so damn impossible
You said, now there's no sense in wasting our time
You are my wife and I love you
And I ain't gonna change you for somebody else
You are the life (?) and I love you
And I'll never, ever, love by myself
Wanna turn around and listen to me?
Don't be so impossible
Chocolate (?), don't you be afraid of wasting our time
Wasting our time, wasting our
Oh-oh-oh!
Wanna turn around and listen to me?
It's not so impossible
Whoa, I'm not afraid of wasting our time.
The Loggins & Messina song "Wasting Our Time" is a reflection on a troubled relationship. The singer in the song is trying to communicate with his partner, but she is distant and unresponsive. He feels as though he is in danger of losing the relationship, but his partner seems unaware of the gravity of the situation, which just makes him feel worse. He tries to keep his head and find a solution, but he feels that his partner doesn't listen to him and is impossible to work with. Despite all this, he tries to affirm his love for her and reassure her that he wants to work on the relationship, but it seems like there might be too much damage done.
The lyrics are full of emotional tension, reflecting the struggles of relationships. The repetition of "Oh-oh-oh!" emphasizes the frustration and desperation of the singer, and the contrast between his attempts at communication and his partner's silence highlights the difficulty of finding common ground. The repeated refrain of "There's no sense in wasting our time" underscores the idea that the relationship may be beyond repair.
Line by Line Meaning
Stone quiet, you're lying here
You are not speaking and are lying down
shying from me like some kind of stranger
You are avoiding me like we have never met before
And trying to smile is kind of killing me
I'm having a hard time pretending like everything is okay
I swear, dear, you don't even seem aware of the danger
I don't think you realize how much trouble we are in
And keeping my head is easier said than done
It is difficult for me to remain calm
I try, but you just never listen to me
I attempt to communicate, but you don't hear me
You're so damn impossible, oh
You are incredibly difficult to work with
I guess there's just no sense in wasting our time
It seems pointless to continue trying to make things work out
Well then, do I give in or begin trying to change it?
I am questioning if I should just accept things or try to make a change
Loving you once had come so naturally
It used to be so easy for me to love you
On and on, are you running or are you trying to decide, devil or ranger? (?),
I am not sure if you are running away or trying to make a tough decision
And keeping it up was never this much on me
It was never solely my responsibility to keep our relationship going
You said, now there's no sense in wasting our time
You have come to the same conclusion as me about our relationship
You are my wife and I love you
I am committed to you and have strong feelings for you
And I ain't gonna change you for somebody else
I am not interested in changing you to be with someone else
You are the life (?) and I love you
You bring light into my life and I care for you deeply
And I'll never, ever, love by myself
I do not want to be alone and I want to share my love with you
Wanna turn around and listen to me?
Are you willing to hear me out?
Don't be so impossible
Please don't make things so difficult
Chocolate (?), don't you be afraid of wasting our time
Let's not be scared to take the risk of potentially wasting our time
Oh-oh-oh!
Vocalization
It's not so impossible
It's not as difficult as it may seem
Whoa, I'm not afraid of wasting our time.
I am not scared to potentially waste our time
Contributed by Aria R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Anthony Miglore
You are the life (?) and I love you
And I'll never, ever, love by myself i think should be
You are my life and I love you
And I'll never, ever, walk by myself
Anthony Miglore
Chocolate (?), don't you be afraid of wasting our time s/b Try tryin', don't you be afraid of wasting our time
Anthony Miglore
Wanna turn around and listen to me? s/b Woman turn around and listen to me
Anthony Miglore
devil or ranger? (?) s/b devil or angel
Anthony Miglore
Or begin trying to change it? s/b Or begin trying to change ya'