1984 - JOHN WAITE SOLO - NO BRAKES

John Waite is a musician to the core which detains him again to simply chuck it all. On the other hand he enjoys the temporary retirement that grant his new management and EMI. „They treated me with much respect which was good for my self-confidence“, he remembers.

Dropping through in New York, John now enters Los Angeles. The last months´ exertions and annoyance is going to be rewarded finally - „Missing You“ hits like a bomb. The melancholic love song catapults John Waite over night to the top of all charts and it will be one of the biggest hits of the 80´s. On September 22, 1984 „Missing you“ scores number One at the USA single charts, followed by „Tears“ and „Restless Heart“, but: „It was obvious that we couldn´t beat that. We called the radio stations not to play it! In vain. It was too late and we were powerless on that point. Would they have decide for ‚Tears’ or ‚Restless Heart’ first, the whole thing would have taken a different direction. But hey! What do I complain for? I was Number One!“

Notable is the history of origins of that deeply moving chart breaker with the conflicting statement. It came into being just shortly before finishing the album „No Brakes“. „It took me merely ten minutes to write ‚Missing You’“, states John. „Me and Chas Sandford were sitting in his studio. He had some instrumentals on his tape machine and he took the headphones and I took the microphone and I started with
‚Every time I think of you. I always catch my breath…’“
So the old BABYS song „Every Time I Think of You“ has been honoured a second time. „I took this line just to get underway“, explains John. „I didn´t intend to continue on that.“

„99 % of what you hear came into being right in that moment in the studio behind the microphone“, says John. „It was one of these magic moments. When I had finished the song and stepped back from the mike I thought: 'God, that´s exactly how I feel.' It wrote itself. It really did. It wasn´t planned and it happened on the spot. It simply came out. I didn´t change a single word.“

According to John, „Missing You“ describes feelings that are universal. „You´ll find these feelings in each stratum of society. People can find themselves in the lyrics“, he analyzes. „Missing You is thought the other way round. It says
I ain´t missing you at all but it means exactly the opposite. Everybody knows it. You fool yourself. But you don´t wanna admit.“ The sincerity, John believes, might be a further reason for the huge success of that jewel. „I suppose it was my best shot because it is absolutely true. A sad matter actually being that honest. But I think that´s why it is so good. Because I know that it is honest. A friend of mine once said: 'When you speak from the heart people listen from the heart.'“ Wow. I´d like to know who this friend was...

„Saturday Night“ is thought as a confession of veneration to the London Marquee Club (left). „Memories“, John ponders. „The Marquee Club, Soho... it belongs to my early influences when I was in different bands. David Bowie once said he gets a strange feeling when he walks down the street where the Marquee is. That applies to me, too, when I´m there. It´s an odd feeling. Like an echo. Like a wink from the past... as it would blink at me. Hello past.“

Courtesy of www.musicmirror.de

„Restless Heart“ patiently slumbers to itself before John takes it out. „I suggested it to THE BABYS but they laughed at me“, he grins. „It´s a country song. It didn´t fit to THE BABYS. It was the wrong song at the wrong time. So when I was looking for musicians for the „No Brakes“ album I met Gary Myrick. Gary is from Texas and this time it was right. Like a hint from above.“ THE BABYS, however, played it once in a while at some concert.

The Album „No Brakes“ gains worldwide success and is sold a million times. (#10 on Billboard album charts). It even scores platinum in the USA. „Missing You“ is going to be released together with „Tears“, „Restless Heart“ and „Euroshima“ as a 12“ EP Special Version. That 4-track EP, title „For Japan Only“, is very rare and almost impossible to get.

So luckily John Waite doesn´t belong to those that lose their head in some megalomaniac euphoria. „It´s interesting to have a Number One hit though but it isn´t the measure of all things“, he states with remarkably self assurance. „I don´t jump out of the window with a bottle of champagne in my hands and do all these crazy things I maybe would have done some years ago. I don´t care about fame, I don´t wanna be a superstar. I am no rock-star. I´m a rock-singer and not better than anybody else. Just a singer.“

„Of course, it´s great when people like my ideas. Though, the problem is that I am on stage and the audience is looking up to me. But I´m not cruising around with a sports car. The only difference between me and the audience is the microphone and the best of success is being able to play live. You should always compete at your own standard. The most important thing is that you´re okay with what you´re doing.“

„Success is really a wonderful thing, but...“, the humble Brit-guy summarizes soberly. „... I think the good things in life are the simple things. The honest things. To specify that - when the lights go out at night and you´re all by yourself, well - that´s who you are. Not more and not less. I get pigeonholed as melancholic because I´m singing sad songs. But I´m really a happy guy!“