Just Wait
As February comes to a close, after three cold and wintery months behind us, a lot of #knockfans are wondering, “When the s!@# is Spring going to be here?!” And, although Knockaround HQ is located in Southern California, we’re right there with you—San Diego has been unexpectedly chilly this year. We’re trying to be patient, but we’re all a little anxious. As Tom Petty beautifully articulated in 1981, “The waiting is the hardest part.”
But, fear not, warm-weather lovers! The short days and sub-40 temperatures can’t last forever. Punxsutawney Phil, the famous Pennsylvanian groundhog, did not see his shadow this year. According to legend, that means an early Spring is headed our way! Until then, you’ll just have to wait. And while you do, check out this Knockmix inspired by—[sigh]—waiting.
Boy Meets Girl with "Waiting for a Star to Fall"
Waiting isn’t fun, but this track from 1988 is the epitome of fun. Although it was written and recorded by Boy Meets Girl, the song was originally offered to Whitney Houston…she turned it down. Big mistake, Whitney, because this "Waiting for a Star to Fall" is perhaps the ultimate guilty pleasure. Hit play and try not to bob your head along.
Lenny Kravitz with "I’ll Be Waiting"
The intro of this song, coupled with the black and white effect, makes the sorrow intense—nay, palpable—in this music video. If it feels like a bummer, it is. Lenny’s message is clear: ditch the zero and get with the hero. Side note: has anyone else seen that 3 minute long Tumi ad on Facebook that features Lenny and his daughter, Zoe? It’s actually pretty interesting.
The Pointer Sisters with "Waiting on You"
Oh, snap! It’s time to get funky with it! This jam, from the 1977 album “Having a Party”, rounds out one of the greatest disco albums of the late 70’s. And while you might think of The Pointer Sisters as a disco and pop group, did you know they actually won a Grammy in 1975 for Best Country Vocal Performance for their song “Fairytale”? True story.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with "The Waiting"
Remember Knockaround’s podcast, The Knockcast? Well, after a two-year hiatus, we’re bringing it back. We’ll be putting out a new Knockcast about once a month, with the goal for 2019 of having interesting content and great guests. Tom Petty was a staple of the “first generation” Knockcasts (still available to listen to on Knockaround.com). Frankly, it seems like one of his songs is relevant to every story we ended up telling. This song, The Waiting, is relevant not to the Knockcast...but it is relevant to this month's Knockmix.
Jennifer Lopez with "Waiting for Tonight"
J-Lo kills it on this chart-topping dance classic from the late 90’s. The video, which was shot at the Los Angeles Arboretum, kind of reminds us of when we set the alarm each night at Knockaround HQ: lots of green laser beams, swaying palm trees, and a general attitude of “don’t mess with us.” And while Jennifer Lopez might not have been thinking of security systems while she was recording this track, we can tell by her penultimate dance moves that she’s ready for the warm weather of Spring in Miami.
Richard Marx with "Right Here Waiting"
The official music video for this 1989 #1 Billboard hit has a whopping 222 million views on Youtube. We take this as proof that this is a timeless track and needed to be included on this month’s Knockmix. By the way, check out that hot landing at 1:44 in the music video. We felt the whiplash from here.
Adele with "I’ll Be Waiting"
In this one, Adele fooled around on a man who loved her. The grass is always greener, right? Adele is sitting on that green grass wishing she was on more familiar grass. Now that she’s grown a little, she wants to get back with her man. Will he be willing to accept her back? Well, she’ll be waiting till he does. Look at the brightside, Adele: the feeling turned into a great song!
Toto with "Waiting For Your Love"
“Hands, don’t let her go. Eyes, give every drop. Arms, just let her go. Smile, don’t leave me now.” Toto covered a lot of body parts…except for the head, shoulders, knees, and toes. We would argue this is one of the most underrated Toto songs ever released. Everyone knows the song “Africa” (recently covered by Weezer) is Toto’s biggest hit—but this track has us wondering: what if Toto frontman, Joseph Williams, had gone with some more familiar human attributes in his first verse?
The Aces with "Waiting for You”
Don’t be fooled by the name of the band: our Founder and CEO, Ace, didn’t have anything to do with this song. Pay attention to this all-female indie-pop group from Provo, Utah, because they are going places. Like so many others on this month’s Knockmix, they’re waiting. Whether it’s on someone, something, some girl, some guy—it’s clear that, like Tom Petty said, waiting is the hardest part.
The Avett Brothers with "Another is Waiting"
The Avett Brothers, a folk rock band out of North Carolina, combine bluegrass, country, punk, and pop into their songs. “Another is Waiting” is no exception. Their message in this song is clear: everyone is waiting for something. For us, it’s the long warm days of Spring and Summer.
BONUS: The Marvelettes with "Please Mr. Postman”
In our peak season, Knockaround mails out upwards of 1000 individual boxes each day via—yep, you guessed it—the United States Postal Service. We’ve had the exact same feeling that The Marvelettes describe. Only, when we yell “Wait!” to the postal worker it’s not about asking for a letter from a far-away lover. In our case, it’s about getting that final order on the truck to make one more #knockfan happy the next day. We do what we can.
