Right Here Waiting by Richard Marx

Album: Repeat Offender (1989)

Charted: 2 1

License This Song

lyrics

artistfacts

Songfacts®:

Marx wrote this song on the road as a love letter to his wife, actress Cynthia Rhodes. In a 2010 interview, Marx told the Indian newspaper The Indian Express the story behind the song: "I wrote the song for my wife Cynthia who was in South Africa shooting for a film. We were not married then and I wanted to meet her because I had not seen her for a few months. But my visa application was rejected and when I came back I wrote this song which was more of a letter from me to her.

It was the fastest song I wrote, in barely 20 minutes. And this was the time when there was no Skype and Social networking so I had to ship the track to her. The song was very personal and was not intended to go public. But my friends pursued me to record it."

Marx and Rhodes were married from 1989-2014.
One could say that Richard Marx was born to rock - and to sell: His father wrote TV jingles for chocolate bars and peanut butter, and Richard made his professional debut singing on some of his dad's commercials. When he was 18, Marx left his hometown of Chicago and headed to LA, where another commercial-minded musician, Lionel Richie, took the young singer-songwriter under this wing. After a 5-year apprenticeship in which he sang harmonies on several of Richie's hits had some of his compositions recorded by artists such as Kenny Rogers and Chicago, Marx finally landed his own recording contract. And he was poised for stardom: Marx's self-titled 1987 debut album yielded four top-10 hits, including the #1 song "Hold On To The Nights." Repeat Offender was the follow-up album, and spawned five more hits. >>
Suggestion credit:
Rob - Rothesay, NB, Canada, for above 2
Spotify UK revealed just ahead of Valentine's Day, 2013 that this is their most popular love song, narrowly ahead of Foreigner's "I Want To Know What Love Is." The list was based on streaming figures from their 'love song' play lists.
Marx originally pitched the song to Barbra Streisand. But she had a few issues with his lyrics. "She called and said, 'I love this music, this melody is gorgeous, but if I'm going to record it, I'm going to need you to rewrite the lyrics because I'm not going to be right here waiting for anybody,'" Marx recalled to CBS in a 2013 interview.
This was used in a comical fashion on Chuck in the season 2 episode "Chuck Versus The Seduction." On Morgan's faulty advice, Devon plans a bizarre romantic evening for Ellie based on her favorite things from middle school, including the Repeat Offender album.
"Right Here Waiting" was used in these TV shows:

Family Guy ("Young Parent Trap" - 2021)
The Good Place ("Everything Is Bonzer!" - 2018)
Life In Pieces ("Poison Fire Teats Universe" - 2017)
Raising Hope ("The Cultish Personality" - 2011)

And these movies:

Dina (2017)
Good Deeds (2012)
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

Comments: 10

(goldielox80srocks) from Sring Branch,tx.78070Wow! I was under the impression that" Right here waiting" was written for a girl you might know by the name of " Christie Brinkley ". I also forgot about how great a performer Mr. Lionel Ritchie was. Great Songfacts about this awesome song.
Jp from Temple Hills, MarylandIt's a beautiful Love Song!
Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn July 2nd 1989, "Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #44; and on August 6th, 1989 it peaked at #1 (for 3 weeks) and spent 7 weeks on the Top 10...
And on July 28th, 1989 it also reached #1 (for 6 weeks) on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Tracks chart...
It peaked at #1 in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and Japan...
Earlier in 1989 on June 18th his "Satisfied" also peaked at #1 for 1 week...
And on November 26th his third Top 100 record of 1989 reached #4 for one week.
Jim from Dover, Deour oceans apart are actually land and I send this song to you to bring you close. I'll ALWAYS be here waiting for you. Know this, I'll be the one standing High On A Hill looking for you so you can Touch Me When We're Dancing. I want To Hear You Say You Love Me because Suddenly, My Special Angel took me Into The Night and I know that you'll Hold On My Heart. ILY
Ivana from Baltimore, MdI just have to add that this song conjures some beautiful images. When I listen to it, I imagine that my lover had sung this to me right before we departed from each other and I'm atop of a deck of a ship looking out into the ocean remembering it!!!! The music at the beginning of the song conjures up an image of the ocean for me and I'm thinking that was Richard Marx's intention to conjure up an image of the ocean in music at the beginning of the song to correlate with the first line of the lyrics:"Oceans apart...day after day..." It's truly amazing!!!!! That first line is just saying that his lover going places,perhaps traveling,for each day, while she's away from him. I found out that his girlfriend at the time was actually a model so she was really going places!!! Hence, how the song seems to conjure up an image of traveling by ship.I can't ever get tired of listening to this song!!!! The 80's and 90's truly had some beautiful songs that came out at that time and I was born then and I love it!!!
Ivana from Baltimore, MdI looked up this song and I just had to comment on it. It's just too pretty!!!!!!!!! I love it and I didn't even know it was made in 1989!!!!!!!!!It's so wonderful and it really is one of the best love songs of all time. It's so peaceful and relaxing to listen to:) Richard Marx sings it so great!!!!!!!!!In fact, words can't even describe this beautiful, love song!!!!!!!!!
Barbara from Amherst, MaI just simply love this song.
Nicola from London, EnglandThis song is romantic and relaxing to listen to. And this is one off the best love songs all time, and this is a very tear-jerking, touching song.
Vince from San Francisco, CaOne of the most beautiful and heartwrenching songs ever
Jimmy from Twinsburg, Ohthis sing is beautiful, it makes me think, the deep thinking that a guy does when we have found a girl we would like to ask out, but there is something going on causing you to not ask her out

see more comments

More Songfacts:

American PieDon McLean

Don McLean's "American Pie" starts in mono and gradually goes to stereo. It isn't full stereo until the end of the song, which is over 8 minutes long.

Hangin' ToughNew Kids On The Block

"Hangin' Tough" came at the peak of New Kids On The Block mania (1988). Their writer/producer Maurice Starr wrote it about the struggles the band faced early on. It was a #1 hit in both America and the UK.

Scooby SnacksFun Lovin' Criminals

The Scooby Snacks in the Fun Lovin' Criminals song aren't dog treats, they're Valium pills.

The Girl Is MineMichael Jackson

The first single from the Thriller album was "The Girl Is Mine," chosen over "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" because it was a duet with Paul McCartney and thus guaranteed airplay.

CenterfieldJohn Fogerty

"Centerfield" was the first song enshrined in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.

Love Never Felt So GoodMichael Jackson

Michael Jackson became the first artist in history to score Top 10 hits in five consecutive decades on the Hot 100 when "Love Never Felt So Good" landed at #9 on the chart dated May 31, 2014.