"Can't Wait All Night" by Juice Newton

Song#:  2011
Date:  08/11/1984
Debut:  84
Peak:  66
Weeks:  6
Genre:  Pop, Rock



Pop Bits:  Newton's sixth album, Can't Wait All Night, had a rough time out of the gate when its first single, "A Little Love," faltered before hitting the Pop Top 40 (#44). Hoping to turn things around, this second single with good songwriting pedigree (see below) was issued. The more rock-oriented tune fared even worse and fell off the chart after a short few weeks. It would be Newton's last single to reach the Pop chart.

ReduxReview:  When Newton's last album of crossover material tanked, I'm not sure why she and her label would up the ante even more with the next one. This track is really rockin' and just seems out of Newton's comfort zone. She does okay with it, but she doesn't have a voice for rock and she kind of gets lost in all the guitars and production. It was the completely wrong move and that proved out when the album did even worse than the one before. That said, I do like this song. It's got a crunchy rock production that features a solid hook. Had it been done by the songwriter (see below), it might have done a lot better. Instead, Newton got the song and tried it on for size. It didn't fit.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) This song was co-written by an artist who was just beginning to become a solo star. Bryan Adams co-wrote this tune with his writing partner Jim Vallance. Although a demo of the song most likely exists somewhere, Adams never recorded and released the song himself. Newton would be the first artist to record it.  2) Although this song and album closed out Newton's time in the Pop spotlight, her brightest days were yet to come at Country. After Can't Wait All Night failed in its crossover appeal, Newton decided to revamp her image and return to a more traditional country sound. Her next album, Old Flame, would be marketed to a country audience and the new approach worked very well. The LP would generate six Top 10 Country hits including three #1's. The album's lead single "You Make Me Want to Make You Mine" would reach #1 and earn Newton a Grammy nomination for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. The album was a big hit, but the success wouldn't last long. Her next album could only manage one Country Top 10. After one more album, she was dropped from RCA. Newton continued to perform, but her charting days were over.

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