"Right Here Waiting" is a song by American singer and songwriterRichard Marx. It was released on June 29, 1989, as the second single from his second album, Repeat Offender. The song was a global hit, topping charts throughout the world, including the U.S. where it reached #1 on the BillboardHot 100. It was certified Platinum by the RIAA. The song has been covered by many artists, including Monica for her album The Boy Is Mine.
Original version
Background and writing
"Right Here Waiting" was the second single from Repeat Offender, after "Satisfied". Marx wrote the song on the road as a love letter to his wife, the actress Cynthia Rhodes, who was in South Africa shooting on a film. The track was arranged by Marx with Jeffery Vanston to feature none of the heavy drums and synthesizers popular at the time, with Marx's vocal accompanied only by classical guitar and keyboards. It is one of Marx's most frequently covered compositions.
Chart performances
"Right Here Waiting" entered the BillboardHot 100 singles chart at #44 in the week of July 8, 1989, and became Marx's third consecutive #1 single on August 12, 1989. Certified Gold on August 21, the record spent three consecutive weeks at #1, replaced by Paula Abdul's "Cold Hearted" in the week of September 2, 1989. The song was Marx's first of several to go to number one on the Hot Adult Contemporary Chart. Certified Platinum on October 16, 1989, "Right Here Waiting" is Marx's best selling single. It is also his most enduring, charting in the top 15 of Billboard's Hot Adult Contemporary Recurrents chart for four years running, from 2000 to 2003, more than ten years after its release. The song also reached #1 on the Radio & Records CHR/Pop Airplay chart on August 4, 1989 staying on the top of the chart for three weeks and remained on the chart for thirteen weeks. In the United Kingdom, the song was released in August 1989 and peaked at #2, behind the Italian house song "Ride on Time" by Black Box, which was in first place for six uninterrupted weeks.
Music video
The video for this song was directed by Jim Yukich, and filmed on the road during Marx's 1989 Repeat Offender Tour. It features various black-and-white tour footage interspersed with color scenes of Marx playing the song to a dead auditorium on an empty stage with a grand piano. Contrary to popular belief, due to Marx's hectic touring schedule, very little time was available to produce a video for this single, so various tour footage was compiled to make an official video for the track.
"Right Here Waiting" was covered by American R&B singer Monica. 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, and features the R&B group 112. No music video was made for the song.
