I'll Wait
"I'll Wait" | ||||
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Single by Van Halen | ||||
from the album 1984 | ||||
B-side |
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Released | April 1984 | |||
Recorded |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 4:40 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Ted Templeman | |||
Van Halen singles chronology | ||||
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"I'll Wait" is a song by the American rock band Van Halen, taken from their sixth studio album, 1984 (1984). The song was written by band members Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony and David Lee Roth, along with Michael McDonald[1] and produced by Ted Templeman.[2]
It was the second single released from the record and reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. Like "Jump," this song features keyboards almost entirely, including a synthesizer bass line, and also features heavy use of Alex Van Halen's Rototom drum kit. David Lee Roth and producer Ted Templeman wanted to remove the song from the album, while Eddie Van Halen and engineer Donn Landee pushed for its inclusion.[3]
Despite the song being a hit, no video was ever filmed for it.
Writing and composition
The song was written as a collaboration between Van Halen and Doobie Brothers singer Michael McDonald, who was brought in by Templeman when Van Halen had trouble completing the song.[4] The song is in the key of D minor, having a moderate common time tempo of 114 beats per minute.[5]
The song's subject was inspired by a woman wearing men's underwear in a Calvin Klein print media advertisement.[3] Roth pinned up the ad beside his Sony Trinitron television and addressed the lyrics to the model.[6]
The single's original cover featured the band posing in the same location where the cover for the "Hot for Teacher" single had been shot.[citation needed]
Reception
Chuck Klosterman of Vulture.com ranked it the 43rd-best Van Halen song, noting its "mammoth drums, mammoth synth, not much verve or panache."[7]
Track listing
US 7" single
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "I'll Wait" (radio edit) | 4:10 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Girl Gone Bad" | 4:33 |
UK 7" single/US 12" single
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "I'll Wait" (radio edit) | 4:10 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Drop Dead Legs" | 4:13 |
Personnel
- David Lee Roth – lead vocals
- Eddie Van Halen – guitar, keyboards
- Alex Van Halen – drums
- Michael Anthony – keyboard bass, backing vocals
Charts
Chart (1984) | Peak position |
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US Billboard Hot 100 | 13 |
References
- ^ Giles, Jeff (March 1, 1984). "1984". Ultimate Classic Rock.
- ^ Considine, J.D. (March 1, 1984). "1984". Rolling Stone.
- ^ a b Graff, Gary (January 9, 2014). "Van Halen's '1984' At 30: Classic Track-By-Track Review". Billboard.
- ^ "100 Best Albums of the Eighties, 81 Van Halen, '1984'". Rolling Stone.
- ^ Van Halen Guitar Anthology. Van Nuys, California: Alfred. 2006. pp. 143–7. ISBN 9780897246729. OCLC 605214049.
- ^ "1984". Classicvanhalen.com.
- ^ Klosterman, Chuck (October 6, 2020). "All 131 Van Halen Songs, Ranked From Worst to Best A look back at the band's formidable legacy". Vulture.com. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
Further reading
Templeman, Ted; Renoff, Greg (2020). Ted Templeman: A Platinum Producer's Life In Music. Toronto: ECW Press. pp. 350–1, 359–61. ISBN 9781770414839. OCLC 1121143123.
External links
- 1984 singles
- Van Halen songs
- Songs written by Michael McDonald (musician)
- Songs written by Michael Anthony (musician)
- Songs written by David Lee Roth
- Songs written by Alex Van Halen
- Songs written by Eddie Van Halen
- Song recordings produced by Ted Templeman
- 1984 songs
- Warner Records singles
- Synth rock songs
- 1980s rock song stubs