Van Halen - "I'll Wait"

[areyoureadytojump]

A video was not filmed by the band.

Here is a fan-made video:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7Vsn5BFynY

Went to #13 on the Hot 100.

From the 10xp 1984...

Probably my favorite Van Halen song...

[unicorns]

I love this song. One of my favorites from them.

[jimmy74747]

This is the song that pretty much changed the band from guitar-driven to keyboard-driven. This song sounded nothing like anything they had done, and would have better fit on the early Sammy Hagar Van Halen albums.

That being said, I'm not too crazy about this.

[areyoureadytojump]

ultimateclassicrock.com/michael-mcdonald-van-halen-ill-wait/

Michael McDonald on Writing ‘I’ll Wait’ With David Lee Roth: ‘An Interesting Experience’
By Jeff Giles March 2, 2014 10:26 AM

Between his string of hits with the Doobie Brothers and his solo career, five-time Grammy winner Michael McDonald seemed to be everywhere in the early-’80s, but the songs that featured his distinctive voice only told part of the story — he was also a busy songwriter whose list of credits included a surprising collaboration with Van Halen.

McDonald found himself called into service during the sessions for Van Halen’s ‘1984‘ album, when the group got stuck on the track that ended up serving as the record’s second single, ‘I’ll Wait.’ Producer Ted Templeman worked extensively with McDonald during his tenure with the Doobie Brothers, and the duo continued their working relationship after the band splintered, with Templeman producing McDonald’s 1982 solo debut ‘If That’s What It Takes’ and serving as a co-producer on the follow-up, 1985’s ‘No Lookin’ Back.’ When he heard Van Halen needed help finishing ‘I’ll Wait,’ he knew who to call.

“Ted Templeman called me up and said, ‘Hey, these guys have a track and they need some lyrics, so I mentioned you could do it and they said fine, so why don’t you come down?'” recalled McDonald during a recent conversation with Ultimate Classic Rock. “He sent me the track, and I got some ideas going so I’d have something when I got to the studio.”
Although he swears the experience “wasn’t exciting,” it’s still fun to imagine McDonald meeting up with David Lee Roth for the writing session that ultimately got ‘I’ll Wait’ into shape. “I met David Lee Roth at Ted’s office. That was, uh, an interesting experience,” chuckled McDonald. “He kinda liked what I had going, so we sat there in the office with the demo playing on a cassette recorder, singing lines and melodies.”

As Van Halen fans know, the songwriting credits for the ‘1984’ album were in a state of flux for years, with McDonald’s name appearing on some versions of the album while remaining absent from others. When the album was remastered years later, McDonald was again listed as a co-writer for ‘I’ll Wait,’ and the disappearing act didn’t escape his attention. “I guess they thought I was Santa Claus, because I had to go chasing them a little bit on that one,” he laughed. “It’s probably one of the most-played things I’ve ever written, just because it’s Van Halen. That album sold three or four million copies right away, which was a really big deal at the time.”

[Unhinged]

^Cool read. Great song!

[disman00911]

The synths/keyboards used in this song reminds me of 1980s Phil Collins-era Genesis for some reason.  I don't have too many favorites of 80s hair metal/hard rock but this is one of my favorites from Van Halen.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CIE041T954

[areyoureadytojump]

2 weeks late because the search feature has not been working.

40 years ago this week, "I'll Wait" debuted at #44 on the April 14, 1984 Billboard Hot 100. It was the highest debut that week.

Live in 1984:



en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27ll_Wait

#2 Rock
#8 R&R: gghunt.utasites.cloud/charts/vanhalen.html
#85 UK