"Right Here Waiting"
Single by Richard Marx
from the album Repeat Offender
B-side"Wait for the Sunrise"
ReleasedJune 29, 1989 (1989-06-29)
RecordedDecember 11, 1988
StudioMagic Record, Salt Lake City, Utah
GenreSoft rock[1][2]
Length
  • 4:06 (UK 45 Version)
  • 4:28 (Album/Single Version)
LabelEMI
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Richard Marx singles chronology
"Satisfied"
(1989) 		"Right Here Waiting"
(1989) 		"Angelia"
(1989)
Music video
"Right Here Waiting" on YouTube

"Right Here Waiting" is a song by American singer and songwriter Richard Marx. It was released on June 29, 1989, as the second single from his second album, Repeat Offender (1989). The song was a global hit, topping charts in many countries around the world, including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United States where it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.[3][4] The same year, it was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[5] It was the UK's most streamed love song on Spotify ahead of Valentine's Day in 2013 and has since been covered by many artists, including R&B singer Monica.[6]

Background and writing

Marx wrote "Right Here Waiting" on the road as a love letter to his wife, actress Cynthia Rhodes, who was in South Africa shooting a film.[7] It was originally created to be sung by Barbra Streisand but she later refused to sing it. Marx was an aspiring singer-songwriter when Streisand reached out and asked him to write her a hit but when he sent her "Right Here Waiting", Streisand turned down the chance to record it.[8]

In a 2021 interview, Marx commented: "I had just recently written "Right Here Waiting" and it was such a personal song to me at the time that I had no intention of recording it. I was like, 'I’ll give Barbra Streisand "Right Here Waiting"; I’m not gonna do anything with it’. I had to messenger the cassette tape of it to her. The next day she called me – I still have this voicemail – and it says, ‘Richard, I heard the song; it’s a beautiful song, but I’m gonna need you to rewrite the lyrics because I’m not gonna be right here waiting for anyone. She actually did me a solid, because had she not rejected it I probably would never have recorded it and every once in a while I put my arm around her and I say, ‘Thank you so much for rejecting my song!'”[9]

Critical reception

David Nichols of Smash Hits stated that "really, "Right Here Waiting" is a beautiful ballad with an amazingly catchy tune and – like many other Richard Marx songs – it's destined to become a classic".[10]

Chart performance

"Right Here Waiting" was the second single from Marx's Repeat Offender, after "Satisfied". It entered the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart at number 44 in the week of July 8, 1989, and became Marx's third consecutive number-one single on August 12, 1989.[4] The record spent three consecutive weeks at number one.[11] The song was Marx's first of several to go to number one on the Adult Contemporary chart. Certified platinum on October 16, 1989, "Right Here Waiting" became Marx's best-selling single. The song also reached number one on the Radio & Records CHR/Pop Airplay chart on August 4, 1989, remaining on the top of the chart for three weeks.[12] In the United Kingdom, the song was released in August 1989 and peaked at number two,[13] behind the Italian house song "Ride on Time" by Black Box.

Music video

The music video for "Right Here Waiting" was filmed in various locations throughout Los Angeles.

The video for this song was directed by Jim Yukich, and produced by Paul Flattery. It appears to be filmed on the road during Marx's 1989 Repeat Offender Tour, but was all shot in Los Angeles. It features various black-and-white tour footage interspersed with color scenes of Marx playing the song to an empty auditorium with a grand piano at a (staged) soundcheck. Due to Marx's hectic touring schedule, very little time was available to produce a video for this single, so other tour footage was compiled to make an official video for the track.

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "Right Here Waiting"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[44] Platinum 70,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[45] Gold 50,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[46] Gold 45,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[47] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[5] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Monica version

"Right Here Waiting"
Single by Monica featuring 112
from the album The Boy Is Mine
ReleasedDecember 14, 1999 (1999-12-14)
GenreR&B[2]
Length4:29
LabelArista
Songwriter(s)Richard Marx
Producer(s)David Foster
Monica singles chronology
"Gone Be Fine"
(1999) 		"Right Here Waiting"
(1999) 		"I've Got to Have It"
(2000)
112 singles chronology
"Love You Like I Did"
(1999) 		"Right Here Waiting"
(1999) 		"Your Letter"
(2000)

"Right Here Waiting" was covered by American singer Monica along with R&B group 112. It was released only in the United States in December 1999 as the seventh and final single from her second studio album, The Boy Is Mine (1998). Produced by Canadian musician David Foster, "Right Here Waiting" peaked at number 32 on the Billboard's US Adult R&B Songs chart.[48]

Background

Monica and 112's version of "Right Here Waiting" was produced by David Foster.[49] A personal favorite of Monica,[50] the singer asked Foster to recreate it for her second studio album, The Boy Is Mine (1998).[50] According to Monica, Foster was surprised to hear that a young girl of her age was listening to Richard Marx music.[50] Her vocal performance on "Right Here Waiting" was inspired by a conversation that she had with Foster's wife Linda Thompson during the recording of the song.[50]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Boy Is Mine.[49]

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Right Here Waiting"
Chart (2000) Peak
position
US Adult R&B Songs (Billboard)[48] 32

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Right Here Waiting"
Region Date Format Label(s) Ref.
United States December 14, 1999 Urban contemporary radio Arista Records [51]

See also

References

  1. ^ Jon O'Brien (November 1, 2010). "Stories to Tell - Richard Marx". AllMusic. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  2. ^ a b Breihan, Tom (August 6, 2021). "The Number Ones: Richard Marx's "Right Here Waiting". Stereogum. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  3. ^ "Richard Marx Wrote 'Right Here Waiting' For Barbra Streisand And She Turned It Down". noice11.com. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  4. ^ a b Billboard Allmusic.com (Retrieved September 8, 2008)
  5. ^ a b "American single certifications – Richard Marx – Right Here Waiting". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  6. ^ "The most streamed love songs revealed ahead of Valentine's Day". Music News.com. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  7. ^ "Right Here Waiting by Richard Marx - Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Richard Marx grateful Barbra Streisand rejected his song". Yahoo.com. July 7, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  9. ^ "Richard Marx grateful Barbra Streisand rejected his song". Cover Media. Yahoo!. 7 July 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  10. ^ Nichols, David (4 October 1989). "Singles reviewed by David Nichols" (PDF). Smash Hits. Vol. 5, no. 19. p. 35. ISSN 0260-3004. Retrieved 14 November 2023 – via World Radio History.
  11. ^ Aniftos, Rania (12 August 2019). "Richard Marx Sings 'Right Here Waiting' to Celebrate 30 Years Since it Topped Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Right here waiting". Gghunt.utasites.cloud. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Right Here Waiting", UK Singles Chart Official Charts Company.com (Retrieved September 8, 2008)
  14. ^ "Richard Marx – Right Here Waiting". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  15. ^ "Richard Marx – Right Here Waiting" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  16. ^ "Richard Marx – Right Here Waiting" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  17. ^ [Nanda Lwin (1999). Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Music Data Canada. ISBN 1-896594-13-1.
  18. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 6438." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  19. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6438." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  20. ^ "Richard Marx – Right Here Waiting" (in French). Les classement single.
  21. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Right Here Waiting". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  22. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 44, 1989" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  23. ^ "Richard Marx – Right Here Waiting" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  24. ^ "Richard Marx – Right Here Waiting". Top 40 Singles.
  25. ^ "Richard Marx – Right Here Waiting". VG-lista.
  26. ^ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  27. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  28. ^ "Richard Marx – Right Here Waiting". Singles Top 100.
  29. ^ "Richard Marx – Right Here Waiting". Swiss Singles Chart.
  30. ^ "Richard Marx: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  31. ^ "Richard Marx Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  32. ^ "Richard Marx Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  33. ^ "Richard Marx". Gghunt.utasites.cloud. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  34. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Richard Marx – Right Here Waiting" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  35. ^ 1989 Australian Singles Chart aria.com Archived June 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved September 8, 2008)
  36. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1989". Ultratop.be. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  37. ^ "Top Singles - Volume 51, No. 8, December 23, 1989". RPM. December 23, 1999. Archived from the original on September 7, 2017. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  38. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 1989" (PDF). Music & Media. 6 (51): 6. December 23, 1989. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved January 17, 2020 – via American Radio History.
  39. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1989". Top40.nl. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  40. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1989". Dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  41. ^ "The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  42. ^ Copsey, Rob (7 May 2021). "Official Top 40 best-selling songs of 1989". Official Charts. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  43. ^ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 1989". Billboard. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  44. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles for 1989". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  45. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Richard Marx – Right Here Waiting". Music Canada. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  46. ^ "Danish single certifications – Richard Marx – Right Here Waiting". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  47. ^ "British single certifications – Richard Marx – Right Here Waiting". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  48. ^ a b "Monica Chart History (Adult R&B Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  49. ^ a b The Boy Is Mine (Media notes). Monica. Arista Records. 1998.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  50. ^ a b c d @monicadenise (August 8, 2023). "25 Years…The Boy Is Mine…The Album. What was your favorite song?" – via Instagram.
  51. ^ "Addvance Notice" (PDF). Radio & Records. December 10, 1999. p. 65. Retrieved October 16, 2023 – via World Radio History.
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