"Sitting, Waiting, Wishing" is a song written and sung by Jack Johnson

Jack Johnson (musician)

Jack Johnson was born May 18, 1975 is an American folk rock singer-songwriter, surfer and musician known for his work in the soft rock and acoustic genres. In 2001, he achieved commercial success after the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. He has since released four more albums, a...

. It is the sixth song on the album In Between Dreams

In Between Dreams

-Personnel:*Jack Johnson - vocals, acoustic guitar*Zach Gill - piano, accordion, melodica*Adam Topol - drums*Merlo Podlewski - bass*Mario Caldato, Jr...

which was released in February 2005. It was released as a single in March 2005.

This song hints towards a story of a man who loves a woman very much, but his approaches are denied again and again. The man talks about how they are meant to be together and that even though he loves her, she keeps throwing his love back; shown in the line "building me up, you keep shooting me down".
Some of the final lyrics state that he is getting tired of loving her while getting nothing in return, and that she is just playing him for a fool.

The music video features reverse narration, similar to Coldplay

Coldplay

Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...

's video for "The Scientist

The Scientist (song)

"The Scientist" is the second single from British alternative rock band Coldplay's second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head. The song was written collaboratively by all the band members for the album. It is built around a piano ballad, with its lyrics telling the story about a man's desire to love...

". The song was inspired by one of his friends' pursuit of a woman.

The single, "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing" only became a chart hit in the United Kingdom after the re-release climbed into the Top 75

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

 following Jack Johnson's exposure on the 2006 BRIT Awards

2006 Brit Awards

The 2006 BRIT Awards were the 26th edition of the biggest annual pop music awards in the United Kingdom. They are run by the British Phonographic Industry and took place on 15 February 2006 in Earls Court Exhibition Centre im London. It attracted 4.70 million viewers, one of the lowest viewed...

 on ITV1

ITV1

ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...

. The single climbed to hit status a week before the release of "Better Together

Better Together

Better Together is a song written and performed by Jack Johnson. As well as being the first track on Johnson's album In Between Dreams, which was released in February 2005. "Better Together" was released as a single in January 2006. It charted at #24 in the United Kingdom...

". Both the original release and indeed the re-issue had failed to chart until this point. However, the single was nominated for a Grammy Award

Grammy Award

A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...

 in the category of Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Additionally, it was nominated for Best Male Video at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan ceremony in 2006. On March 4 in 2011 the song was covered by Brian Fallon of The Gaslight Anthem for the cover segment on the alternative Australian radio station Triple J called Like A Version

Background

Johnson explains the inspiration behind the song by saying: "A friend of mine was trying to get this girl named Michelle," said Johnson, "and I tried to write a song that would help him have a laugh at himself because he was spending so much time trying to get her and it obviously wasn't leading anywhere. That was one just to cheer up a friend."

CD single

1. "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing" - 3:09
2. "Free" (with Donavon Frankenreiter
   Donavon Frankenreiter
   Donavon Frankenreiter is an American musician and surfer. He is a long-time friend of Jack Johnson and his debut self-titled album was released in 2004 on Johnson's Brushfire Records through Universal Music and made the Australian ARIA Top-40 charts in April 2004.-Surfing career:He took up surfing...
   
   ) - 2:35

German single

1. "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing" - 03:09
2. "Free" (with Donavon Frankenreiter
   Donavon Frankenreiter
   Donavon Frankenreiter is an American musician and surfer. He is a long-time friend of Jack Johnson and his debut self-titled album was released in 2004 on Johnson's Brushfire Records through Universal Music and made the Australian ARIA Top-40 charts in April 2004.-Surfing career:He took up surfing...
   
   ) - 2:35
3. "Give It To You" (with G.Love) - 03:22
4. "Taylor" (Video)

Charts

Chart	Peak position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...	24
Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann...	51
German Media Control Charts Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...	82
Netherlands Mega Single Top 100 Mega Single Top 100 The Single Top 100 is a Dutch chart, based on official physical single sales and legal downloads and composed by MegaCharts. It is one of the three official charts, the other two being the Dutch Top 40 and the Mega Top 50. The difference is that these charts also include airplay data.The list is...	67
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...	25
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...	65 1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...	66
U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...	25

¹ = re-issue