Wait (Seven Mary Three song)
Encyclopedia
"Wait" is a song by Seven Mary Three
and the lead single
from their fifth studio album
, The Economy of Sound
, released on June 5, 2001. It also served as the English
lead single to the Crazy/Beautiful
film soundtrack released three weeks later (La Ley
's "Every Time/Siempre
" was its Spanish
lead single). "Wait" has since become one of the band's most popular songs, having reached #7 on Billboard
's Mainstream Rock Tracks. It also entered radio as the #1 Most Added record of the format in its first two weeks.
hits. Its chorus features wailing vocals in an upbeat melody reminiscent of the 1970 hit "Signs." Characteristic of many Seven Mary Three singles, its mid-tempo
verses also feature prominent guitar harmonic
s and a softness that builds into the aggressive and vibrant chorus. Lyrically, "Wait" deals with the realization of time wasted, taking life's luxuries for granted, and the narrator's subsequent wisdom gained through his or her experiences.
Along with much of the Crazy/Beautiful soundtrack, "Wait" was criticized by Amazon.com
editorial
ist Rickey Wright as a potential "Goo Goo Dolls
knockoff or a Bon Jovi
homage." However, John Duffy of AllMusic described the song as "catchy" and noted it among the "focused hook
s" of The Economy of Sound.
s were produced for "Wait." The initial version was directed by Crazy/Beautiful director John Stockwell
under Planet, Inc. Shot in Los Angeles
in May 2001, it features the film's principals Kirsten Dunst
and Jay Hernandez
and debuted on June 18, 2001. The second version of "Wait" is simply a concert performance of the song which retains the live audio.
Seven Mary Three
Seven Mary Three, occasionally abbreviated to 7 Mary 3 or 7M3, is an American hard rock band. They have released seven studio albums and one live album, and are best known for their hit singles "Cumbersome", "Water's Edge", "Lucky", and "Wait"....
and the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
from their fifth studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
, The Economy of Sound
The Economy of Sound
The Economy of Sound is the fifth studio album by American post-grunge band Seven Mary Three. It was released on , 2001 on Mammoth Records...
, released on June 5, 2001. It also served as the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
lead single to the Crazy/Beautiful
Crazy/Beautiful
Crazy/Beautiful is a 2001 American drama/romance film starring Kirsten Dunst and Jay Hernandez. It is largely set at Palisades Charter High School and the surrounding area, including Downtown Los Angeles, Pacific Palisades, Malibu , and East Los Angeles .-Plot:Nicole — the spoiled, rich,...
film soundtrack released three weeks later (La Ley
La Ley (band)
La Ley was a Grammy Award and two-time Latin Grammy Award-winning Chilean pop rock band formed by Andrés Bobe and Rodrigo Aboitiz with Mauricio Claveria, Beto Cuevas and Luciano Rojas. After a failed first album, Desiertos , they released Doble Opuesto , which appears as the official first album...
's "Every Time/Siempre
Every Time (La Ley Song)
"Every Time/Siempre" is a song by the Chilean band La Ley. It also served as the Spanish lead single to the Crazy/Beautiful film soundtrack . La Ley's song is available in three different versions: Spanish, English, and Spanglish...
" was its Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
lead single). "Wait" has since become one of the band's most popular songs, having reached #7 on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
's Mainstream Rock Tracks. It also entered radio as the #1 Most Added record of the format in its first two weeks.
Overview
Stylistically, "Wait" is a slight detour from Seven Mary Three's early post-grungePost-grunge
Post-grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged in the mid-1990s as a derivative of grunge, using the sounds and aesthetic of grunge, but with a more commercially acceptable tone...
hits. Its chorus features wailing vocals in an upbeat melody reminiscent of the 1970 hit "Signs." Characteristic of many Seven Mary Three singles, its mid-tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
verses also feature prominent guitar harmonic
Harmonic
A harmonic of a wave is a component frequency of the signal that is an integer multiple of the fundamental frequency, i.e. if the fundamental frequency is f, the harmonics have frequencies 2f, 3f, 4f, . . . etc. The harmonics have the property that they are all periodic at the fundamental...
s and a softness that builds into the aggressive and vibrant chorus. Lyrically, "Wait" deals with the realization of time wasted, taking life's luxuries for granted, and the narrator's subsequent wisdom gained through his or her experiences.
Along with much of the Crazy/Beautiful soundtrack, "Wait" was criticized by Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
editorial
Editorial
An opinion piece is an article, published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about the subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals.-Editorials:...
ist Rickey Wright as a potential "Goo Goo Dolls
Goo Goo Dolls
The Goo Goo Dolls are a Grammy-nominated American rock band formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York, by vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik and vocalist and bass guitarist Robby Takac. Since the end of 1994, Mike Malinin has been the band's drummer, a position previously held by George Tutuska...
knockoff or a Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
homage." However, John Duffy of AllMusic described the song as "catchy" and noted it among the "focused hook
Hook (music)
A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...
s" of The Economy of Sound.
Music videos
Two videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s were produced for "Wait." The initial version was directed by Crazy/Beautiful director John Stockwell
John Stockwell (actor)
John Stockwell is an American actor, director, producer, writer and former model.Stockwell was born John Stockwell Samuels IV in Galveston, Texas, the son of an attorney. His first feature film as an actor came in 1981's So Fine...
under Planet, Inc. Shot in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in May 2001, it features the film's principals Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Caroline Dunst is an American actress, singer and model. She made her film debut in Oedipus Wrecks, a short film directed by Woody Allen for the anthology New York Stories...
and Jay Hernandez
Jay Hernandez
Javier Manuel "Jay" Hernandez, Jr. is an American actor.-Early life and career:Hernandez was born in Montebello, California, the son of Isis , a secretary and accountant, and Javier Hernandez, Sr., a mechanic. He has a younger sister, Amelia, and two older brothers, Michael and Gabriel. Hernandez...
and debuted on June 18, 2001. The second version of "Wait" is simply a concert performance of the song which retains the live audio.
Chart positions
| Chart | Peak position |
Year |
|---|---|---|
| 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... |
21 | 2001 |
| Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock Tracks Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue... |
7 | 2001 |
External links
- "Wait" Music Video (Live Version) @ VideoCure.com