Songoftheday 1/18/21 - So open up your morning light and say a little prayer for I, you know that if we are to stay alive then see the peace in every eye...
"I Don't Want To Wait" - Paula Cole
from the album This Fire (1996)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #11 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 46
Today's song of the day comes from singer/songwriter Paula Cole, who had been the darling of the Grammys in 1998 (much like last year's Billie Eilish), where she was nominated for seven awards that year, although only winning only the Best New Artist. Her lead single, "Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?", which was in the running for three of those Grammys, reached the top-40 on the American pop chart in the spring of 1997. The second single from the record was mid-tempo ballad "I Don't Want To Wait". Written and produced by Cole, the song is a beautiful little self-help mantra about not being afraid to pursue the joys and love in life before it's too late. Even though the first verse references World War II (a nod to her grandparents), the theme of seizing the day rang true for everyone, and is especially poignant in these past months. This is all in front of a Lilith Fair-friendly production of cooing background vocals of hers that form the biggest hook of the song, as well as the strummy guitars and piano flourishes that give the song even a bit of space, especially as the music stops before the final chorus. The song grew even bigger after it was used as the theme song to the hit television show Dawson's Creek starting in the beginning of 1998...
"I Don't Wait To Wait" just missed the American pop top ten by a notch in January of 1998, just as Dawson's Creek was airing. But the single stayed on the Hot 100 for over a year, setting a record for a song that didn't make the top ten. The song topped Billboard magazine's Adult Top-40 radio chart for six weeks, while spending two weeks at #3 on their Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") format list. Internationally, the single went all the way to #5 in Canada, and reached the top-40 in Australia at #27, her best showing there (she just missed the British Top-40 at #43). This would be Paula's last "official" top-40 pop hit, but she will be here again.
(9/10)
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and a more intimate take on Charlie Rose....
and lastly, with just a piano and a bass in 2018...
Up tomorrow: Three soul stars form a supergroup for an anatomical hit.
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