"Restless Heart" by John Waite

Song#:  2192
Date:  01/26/1985
Debut:  88
Peak:  59
Weeks:  8
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  Waite's second single from his No Brakes LP, "Tears," couldn't come close to the #1 first single "Missing You." It stalled just inside the Top 40 at #37. However, the label thought there might be more life left to the album and decided to issue this third single. The song stalled short at Rock getting to #28 and its prospects at Pop were dimmer. With those results, that wrapped up the singles for the album and Waite now had the task of following up the album and its iconic #1 single.

ReduxReview:  This heartland-ish rocker is certainly different from "Missing You" and "Tears." And that could be part of the problem. No Brakes was kind of a mish-mash of styles and none of them, except "Missing You," were very Pop friendly. Consequently, "Missing You" was the only song to hit big and the one people remember. This track is certainly not bad, but it's jangly, country-twinged sound wasn't necessarily something that was going to attract a big audience.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  As the 80s began, Waite was still with his former band The Babys. But a small event seemed to be the catalyst that would break up the band. While performing an encore during a tour stop supporting their 1980 album On the Edge, Waite was pulled off the stage by an over excited fan. The accident resulted in an injury to Waite's knee and that ended the tour. With Waite out of commission for a bit, the band assessed the situation and their career prospects. Feeling that perhaps they could never be as successful on record as they were on stage, it was decided the band would call it quits. Each member moved on to their own projects with Waite having success as a solo artist and Jonathan Cain joining up with Journey - a band that The Babys had toured with quite a bit. There was a good chance The Babys still might have broken up before recording another album, but with Waite sidlined and time to think, the split probably came sooner than expected.

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