TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS - THE WAITING

Released: April 20, 1981

Charted:  US: #19 

"The Waiting" served as the lead single from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' album "Hard Promises," released in 1981. It achieved moderate success, peaking at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Additionally, it reached the top spot on the magazine's new Rock Tracks chart, where it remained for six consecutive weeks during the summer of 1981.

Tom Petty revealed that the song took a while to write, drawing inspiration from a line he heard from either Roger McGuinn or Janis Joplin. The chorus came quickly, but crafting the rest of the song proved challenging. It encapsulates the uncertainty of waiting for dreams to come true, yet Petty viewed it as an optimistic anthem.

Tom Petty's performance of "The Waiting" during a tour with The Replacements in 1989 sparked introspection within the band. Frontman Paul Westerberg observed the crowd's enthusiastic response to the song's "yeah-yeah-yeah" part and concluded that he and his bandmates didn't possess the qualities required for mainstream success in popular music.

Record World lauded Tom Petty's vocal delivery on "The Waiting," noting that the guitars conveyed a sense of passion and energy, creating a vibrant atmosphere that could uplift even the most cynical listener. The song marked a pinnacle in what Rolling Stone senior writer David Fricke described as the Heartbreakers' "golden twang" era.