John Waite had the hit of his career in 1984 with the song “Missing You.” In a year in which the competition featured songs like “Purple Rain,” “Jump,” and “Born In The U.S.A.” the mere fact that John Waite was still able to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 is stunning. The song has become a part of 1980s music culture almost more than any other song. John Waite never came close to repeating the success he had with “Missing You,” from a commercial standpoint. However, John Waite has continued to release great rock records and well-written enjoyable rock songs for the past 35 years. This list takes a look at some of the best John Waite songs released on his solo albums. This list does not include any John Waite songs written with The Babys or Bad English.
# 10 – Act Of Love
We open up our Top 10 John Waite songs list with the great track “Act Of Love.” The song was released on the Rover’s Return album in 1987. Love that great staccato piano groove that lays the foundation for a simply great rock and roll pop song. John Waite was the master at balancing the two genres.
# 9 – Masterpiece of Loneliness
For the past twenty years John Waite has released some really great albums. Figurines on a Landscape was one of our favorites. The album was released in 2001. The beauty and depth of the song “Masterpiece Of Loneliness,” is mesmerizing. This is one that should not be missed.
# 8 -When You Were Mine
“When You Were Mine,” was the title track from the When You Were Mine album released in 1997. It is not the same as the 1980s Prince song of the same name. Love the cover art of his great album. This was John Waite’s album inspired by the American open road and the incredible culture that he became enthralled in during the mid-1990s. A brilliant artistic statement of an album.
# 7 – Downtown
The great moving ballad “Downtown,” was released on the wonderful Temple Bar album. Temple Bar was one of John Waite’s strongest albums. The record was released in 1995. Temple Bar was the album John Waite made after he left Bad English. It was an album in which he was given total artists freedom to make the record he wanted to make. This is one of the most played John Waite CDs in my collection. The album has been out of print for a long time and is very difficult to find at a decent price, if you have it, hold onto it.
# 6 – How Did I Get By Without You
Another great track from the Temple Bar album was the song “How Did I Get By Without You.” The song was the only single released from the album. The song broke the Billboard Top 100 but stalled at number 89. However, in the end, charts don’t matter, great music is great music.
# 5 – Every Step Of The Way
The single “Every Step of the Way,” was released on the Mask of Smiles album in 1986. The Mask of Smiles album was the follow-up record to his breakout album No Brakes which contained the world-dominating song “Missing You.”
# 4 – Change
The great track “Change,” was John Waite’s first solo hit single. The song was released on his first solo album entitled Ignition. The album was released in 1982. The popularity of the song “Change,” was fueled by the massive airplay the video received on MTV when it was first released.
# 3 – If Anybody Had A Heart
The 1980s were known for great coming-of-age movies and big-time soundtrack songs. John Waite’s “If Anybody Had A Heart,” was featured on the soundtrack to the movie About Last Night. This was a beautiful ballad that had that great John Waite mid-temp groove that was simply to die for.
 # 2 -These Times Are Hard For Lovers
The dynamic track “These Times Are Hard For Lovers,” was released on the album Rover’s Return in 1987. The song was a top 10 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Mainstream Rock charts. The song’s great chorus makes this one of our favorite John Waite songs of all time.
# 1 – Missing You
It’s definitely no surprise that “Missing You,” is our choice for the number one spot on this top 10 John Waite songs list. The song was one of those once-in-a-lifetime hits that any musical artist would kill for. Everyone just fell in love with the song’s simple groove and heartfelt honesty. We all shared John Waite’s pain at one time, or actually, probably many times. “Missing You,” was released in 1984. The song became one of the biggest hits not just of 1984, but of the entire decade. “Missing You,” went straight to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1984. It was also a top 10 Hit on the Billboard R&B Charts. The song was in constant rotation on MTV. One could not turn on the radio without hearing “Missing You,” playing on almost every station that played music. The song “Missing You,” was written by John Waite, Mark Leonard, and Charles Sandford.
Don’t forget to check out our biography and best songs list on The Babys
Updated November 11, 2023
Top 10 John Waite Songs article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2023
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List is dead on! Big John Waite fan for years!
horrible list…. my gawd man, he was The Babys, what about Isn’t It Time, Head First, Every Time I Think Of You……..your list is really leaving out some great songs……
I think you may be best served by working on your reading comprehension level than your insults as the last sentence in the intro clearly states that this list represents only songs from his solo career and excludes songs from his time with the Babys and Bad English. We did separate lists for those groups. I guess it’s just more important for you to hurl insults than it is to actually read the article your attacking.