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I Don't Want to Wait
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = I Don't Want to Wait
| cover = Paula Cole I Don't Want to Wait US CD cover.jpg
| alt =
| caption = U.S. CD single
| type = single
| artist = Paula Cole
| album = This Fire
| B-side =
* "Hitler's Brothers"
* "Bethlehem"
| released =
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
| length =
* 5:19 (album version)
* 4:07 (radio edit)
| label =
* Warner Bros.
* Imago
| writer = Paula Cole
| producer = Paula Cole
| prev_title = Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?
| prev_year = 1997
| next_title = Me
| next_year = 1998
| misc =
}}
"'I Don't Want to Wait'" is a song written, recorded, and produced by American singer-songwriter Paula Cole. Cole wrote the song in mid-1996 and released it as second single from her second studio album, 'This Fire' (1996), on October 14, 1997. The single release was successful, reaching 11 in the United States and No. 5 in Canada. VH1 ranked "I Don't Want to Wait" as one of the 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s at No. 81. The song later served as the opening theme for American teen drama television series 'Dawson's Creek'.
Composition
Cole wrote "I Don't Want to Wait" at her spinet piano in her apartment in New York City during mid-1996. Described by Cole as "a very personal song" she wrote the song when she realized that her grandfather was near the end of his life. The song is about him and his wife, and specifically the relationship between their life and Cole's who realized "I don't want to make some of these mistakes. I really hope I don't" Cole has described the central question of the chorus as "Do you say yes to life? Do you embrace the things that give you joy? Or do you cower back in fear or by culture's machinations keeping you small?"
"I Don't Want to Wait" is in common time with a moderate beat rate of 87 beats per minute, written in the key of G major. Cole originally composed the song in F-sharp major, but when the songbook for the album was prepared, the song was notated in G major. According to Cole, "most sales [...] are to beginners and intermediate musicians", so the publishers opted against the original key.
Music video
The music video for the song was directed by Mark Seliger and Fred Woodward. It was one of Cole's first videos, and was based on the concept of a woman who was immortal and had lovers in different time periods, all of whom died. The cut of the video was originally in chronological order, but for unknown reasons, a cut that was out of order was more frequently aired which led to the directors taking their name off the video, replacing it with the common moniker Alan Smithee.
Track listings
'US 7-inch single'
:A. "I Don't Want to Wait" (edit) 4:07
:B. "Hitler's Brothers" (album version) 3:35
'UK and Australian CD single'
# "I Don't Want to Wait" (edit)
# "Bethlehem"
# "Hitler's Brothers"
'UK cassette single and German CD single'
# "I Don't Want to Wait" (edit)
# "Bethlehem"
Chart performance
On the US 'Billboard' Hot 100, "I Don't Want to Wait" spent the most consecutive weeks in the top 50 without cracking the top 10, peaking at No. 11. The single ranked at No. 10 on the Hot 100 year-end chart for 1998. In Canada, it is Cole's highest-charting single, peaking at No. 5 on the 'RPM' Top Singles chart, and it also reached No. 27 in Australia and No. 43 in the United Kingdom.
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Release history
In popular culture
Screenwriter Kevin Willamson became a fan of Cole's and used "I Don't Want to Wait" as a theme song to his teen drama series 'Dawson's Creek' after being unable to secure the licensing for Alanis Morissette's "Hand in My Pocket". At the time the idea of using an already existing song was somewhat novel for TV as they usually used specifically created songs. The song became sufficiently identified with 'Dawson's Creek' that it was used in parodies of the show, as featured in the film 'Scary Movie'Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/DUDWWtzJh9E Ghostarchive] and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20170831034406/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUDWWtzJh9E Wayback Machine]: and the "Peterotica" episode of 'Family Guy'.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4cPNsXfZEE Family Guy - Quahog Creek]
References
Category:1996 songs
Category:1997 singles
Category:Dawson's Creek
Category:Imago Records singles
Category:Paula Cole songs
Category:Television drama theme songs
Category:Warner Records singles
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