"I Can't Wait" is a song by American group

Nu Shooz Nu Shooz is an American R&B group fronted by husband-and-wife team of John Smith and Valerie Day, based in Portland, Oregon. Nu Shooz released four albums in the U.S. during the 1980s. '' Poolside'', their third album, brought the group's soun ...

, included on the band's second album, ''Tha's Right'' (1985).Nu Shooz- ''Tha's Right'' @ the band's website
Retrieved March 12, 2011. The song was remixed by Dutch DJ and producer

Peter Slaghuis Peter Slaghuis (; 21 August 1961 – 5 September 1991) was a Dutch DJ, record producer and remixer, whose work was mostly released under the name Hithouse (a literal translation of his last name — ''slag'', a hit, a beat; and ''huis'', house). ...

: this remixed version is the one that appears on the group's 1986 album, '' Poolside''. In the United States, the remixed version of the song reached number one on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' Dance/Disco Club Play chart and number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In the United Kingdom and

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

, the song reached number two, while in Canada, it peaked at number one. The single returned to the ''Billboard'' charts in 2015, where it peaked at number 17 on the

Dance/Electronic Digital Songs The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...

chart.

Background

Instrumentalist John Smith would try to write songs in batches of 10 and have two a week ready for rehearsals in Portland, Oregon. He bought a new Teac-3440 4-track recorder in 1983, and "I Can't Wait" was one of the first songs he recorded on it. He scribbled out the lyrics in fifteen minutes as the band was loading up gear to go to rehearse it, and his wife, singer Valerie Day, approved.

Critical reception

John Leland's writeup in a ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' magazine column wrote about the single, saying: "You can listen to this record as many times as you want and still not have any strong impressions that human beings actually made it. In other words, it's the perfect disco record."

Music video

The music video was directed by

Jim Blashfield Jim Blashfield (born September 4, 1944, Seattle, Washington) is an American filmmaker and media artist, best known for his short films such as ''Suspicious Circumstances'' and ''The Mid-Torso of Inez'', and his music videos for musicians Talking He ...

. It contains animations and has a hint of the very surreal. The plot has Valerie Day singing the song sitting at a desk, repairing a coffeepot, while tools and other oddities pass into the

frame A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...

and out again. Her dog sits nearby, wearing sunglasses.

Personnel

According to the liner notes for the ''Tha's Right'' album: *Valerie Day- lead vocals, congas, percussion *John Smith- guitars *Mark Bosnian- keyboards, vocals *Danny Schauffler- tenor saxophone *Lewis Livermore- trumpet *Gary Fountaine- bass guitar *Peter K. Williams- drums *Shannon Day, Lori Lamphear-Rosenfeld- backing vocals *Nate Phillips- Moog bass

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Cover version and samples

* The song was covered in 2002 by the

UK garage UK garage, abbreviated as UKG, is a genre of electronic dance music which originated in England in the early to mid-1990s. The genre was most clearly inspired by garage house and jungle production methods, but also incorporates elements from ...

girl group Ladies First. It was a UK top 20 hit, reaching number 19. * The song was sampled by American singer

Vanessa Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress, model, producer and dancer. She gained recognition as the first Black woman to win the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. She would later Vanes ...

for her 1997 song "

Happiness Happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, ...

". * The song was sampled by American rapper

Mann Mann may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Mann'' (film), a 1999 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama * Mann (chess), a variant chess piece * ''Mann'' (magazine), a Norwegian magazine * Mann (rapper), Dijon Shariff Thames (born 19 ...

for his 2010 song " Buzzin".

References

{{Authority control 1985 songs 1986 debut singles 2002 singles Nu Shooz songs Ladies First (group) songs Atlantic Records singles Music videos directed by Jim Blashfield RPM Top Singles number-one singles