The Story of White Lion’s “Wait” (1987)

The Album

One word (well, actually two) – Mike Tramp! He is one of the best and most memorable voices of hard rock, at least to me he is. Danish-born singer fronts White Lion – a charismatic and immensely talented rock band that made quite the splash in the late ‘80s. Take Mike Tramp and put him alongside guitarist Vito Bratta and you will get the heart and soul of White Lion! Their coming-out party took place in 1987 with a heart-stirring sophomore album, titled “Pride”. 1987 is such a special year in my book and this album is one of the reasons why. That simplistic white design of the cover artwork is unforgettable. What’s inside is even better, though.

Full of exciting hard rock staples, like “When the Children Cry”, “Tell Me”, “Hungry” and of course the song I will be talking about, “Wait”, along with other notable achievements like keeping a position on the Billboard Top 200 chart for a full year, “Pride” may as well be referred to as one of the crown jewels of the genre.  Mike Tramp and Vito Bratta were at their songwriting heydays and they should definitely take “Pride” in what they did…

The Song

• Written by vocalist Mike Tramp and guitarist Vito Bratta, “Wait” became the first single of “Pride”. The initial impact wasn’t as big as expected – the song didn’t even chart. It wasn’t until 1988 when MTV secured a regular rotation for the music video that the track finally got what it deserved – a top 10 chart position in the States, along with international recognition as a bonus. Moreover, “Pride” settled at the way cozier #11 chart position. It took “Wait” about 7 months to get noticed from the general public but when it did, all hell broke loose!
• The mid-tempo rocker conquered the hearts of millions of people all over the world with its sincere lyrics and gentle yet soul-grabbing riffs. Let’s give a round of applause for Mike who turned “Wait” into one monumental sonic experience.

The MV

• The iconic music video features Christie Muhaw of the dance/electronic pop trio The Flirts. Unfortunately, less than a year after the music video turned this song into a sensation, Christie died at the age of 24.
  In addition to the scenes, featuring Christie and Mike, holding hands, walking around different places and her, running near a beach and posing for close-up shots, the MV follows a well-established formula, according to which a band performance in an empty room is absolutely mandatory.

The Lyrics

“Wait, wait
I never had a chance to love you…”

• Sometimes in life, people leave out of the blue. All of a sudden, you are left alone, in a white room, with nothing but your love and adoration for that person, burning inside of you. You feel unfulfilled and desperate to get him/her back so that they can truly feel the strength of your love. This is what Mike Tramp is singing about. “So if you go away, I know that I will follow” …because when love is that big you can’t just “let that feelin’ walk out through the door”; you can’t just say goodbye! You have to fight at all costs! The lyrics are quite simple, yet meaningful. I wish more people would protect that pure feeling with all they have, instead of watching it slip away…
• The death of Christie Muhaw made the lyrics of the song quite poignant.

“Wait” Lyrics

References:

“Wait” Lyrics, retrieved from http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/whitelion/wait.html
“Wait Official Wikipedia Page” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wait_(White_Lion_song)
P.S. I don’t own any audio or visual material used in this publication. All the rights and credits go to the owners and/publishers.
The publication expresses my personal opinion and in no way is trying to make a generalized statement. Please be kind and considerate when you read and/or comment.
Cheers~