"Can't Help but Wait" is the second single from the

Trey Songz Tremaine Aldon Neverson (born November 28, 1984), known professionally as Trey Songz, is an American R&B singer and rapper. His debut album, '' I Gotta Make It'', was released in 2005 through Atlantic Records. His follow-up album, ''Trey Day'', ...

album ''

Trey Day ''Trey Day'' is the second studio album by American R&B recording artist Trey Songz. It was released on October 1, 2007, by Atlantic Records. The album debuted at number 11 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, with 73,000 copies sold in the first week ...

''. The song is written by

Johntá Austin Johntá Austin ( ; born June 28, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, vocalist and rapper, signed to Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings. He is known for collaborating with producers Bryan-Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri an ...

Mikkel S. Eriksen Mikkel is a Danish and Norwegian masculine given name. It may refer to: * Mikkel Ødelien (1893–1984), Norwegian soil researcher * Mikkel Aaland (born 1952), award-winning American photographer * Mikkel Andersen (disambiguation) *Mikkel Bødker ...

, and

Tor Erik Hermansen Tor, TOR or ToR may refer to: Places * Tor, Pallars, a village in Spain * Tor, former name of Sloviansk, Ukraine, a city * Mount Tor, Tasmania, Australia, an extinct volcano * Tor Bay, Devon, England * Tor River, Western New Guinea, Indonesia Sc ...

. On the issue date of October 6, 2007, the single debuted on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 99. American actor

Jackie Long Jackie Long (born October 23, 1981) is an American television and film actor, writer, musician, director and producer. He is also a voice actor for '' Grand Theft Auto V''. Filmography Film Television Video games External links * * {{ ...

('' ATL'') appears in the video as the abusive boyfriend. "Can't Help but Wait" peaked within the top 20 of the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, at number 14 the week ending December 22, 2007. The video was filmed in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. The song was nominated for

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance was awarded between 1968 and 2011. The award has had several minor name changes: *In 1968 it was awarded as Best R&B Solo Vocal Performance, Male *From 1969 to 1994 it was awarded as Best R&B V ...

at the 2009 Grammy Awards.

Background and composition

The duo of producers

Stargate ''Stargate'' (often stylized in all caps) is a military science fiction media franchise based on the Stargate (film), film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin. The franchise is based on the idea of an alien E ...

originally created the song's instrumental for a song titled "If", made for Beyonce's 2006 album ''

B'Day ''B'Day'' is the second studio album by American singer Beyoncé. It was released to coincide with her 25th birthday on September 4, 2006, by Columbia Records, Music World Entertainment, and Sony Urban Music. Originally set to be released in 2004 ...

'', with lyrics written by

Ne-Yo Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He gained fame for his songwriting abilities when he penned Mario's 2004 hit " Let Me Love You ...

. Uploads of Ne-Yo's "If" demo can be found on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

. "Can't Help But Wait" was fully written by

. The song was sent for United States

rhythmic contemporary Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip hop and upbeat R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary never uses ...

airplay on August 7, 2007 by Songbook and

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

. Elsewhere, "Can't Help But Wait" was released as a one-track digital download by

WEA International Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...

on August 28, 2007. Additionally, Atlantic Records released a

CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...

on March 17, 2008 in the United Kingdom. According to the sheet music published by

Sony/ATV Music Publishing Sony Music Publishing (formerly Sony/ATV Music Publishing) is the largest music publisher in the world, with over five million songs owned or administered as of end March 2021. US-based, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is itself owned ...

, "Can't Help But Wait" is an R&B song set in

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

with a moderate R&B

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 95 beats per minute. It is written in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

G minor G minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative major is B-flat major and its parallel major is G major. According to Paolo Pietropaolo, it is the cont ...

, and follows the

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...

of Emaj₇–Cm₉–Gm₉–Gm, and Songz' voice in the song spans from F₄ to G₅. "Can't Help But Wait" is about Songz wanting a woman who is mistreated by her boyfriend; he attempts to persuade the woman to leave her partner. Throughout the song, Songz gives examples of how women can be treated courteously. A remix of "Can't Help But Wait" features

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

Critical reception

"Can't Help But Wait" was selected as one of ''Trey Day'' best tracks in

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's review of the album. A reviewer for ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' lauded the songwriting and production of the number, and praised the maturity that Songz showed on the tune. Writing for

About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...

Mark Edward Nero commended Songz' vocal effort on "Can't Help But Wait", and the song's "nice balance of sensitivity and swagger". It was ranked at number twenty-three on

MTV News MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...

' list of the 27 Essential R&B Songs of 2007. "Can't Help But Wait" was nominated in the

category at the 2009 Grammy Awards, but lost to

's " Miss Independent".

Chart performance

"Can't Help But Wait" entered the US

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

at number seventy-two on the chart of August 25, 2007. On December 15, 2007 it reached its peak position of number two, where it remained the following week. During both weeks "Can't Help But Wait" was at number two,

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...

' " No One" topped the chart. "Can't Help But Wait" remained on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for thirty-two weeks. The song debuted at number ninety-nine on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on the issue dated October 6, 2007. "Can't Help But Wait" rose to number fourteen on the Hot 100 on December 22, 2007. achieved during its second week at number two on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The song fell off the Hot 100 in March 2008, having spent twenty-four weeks on the chart. "Can't Help But Wait" appeared on the

Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009. It ranked songs based on airplay on Mainstream Top 40 radio stations, singles s ...

and

Rhythmic Top 40 The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and previously named Rhythmic Songs, Rhythmic Top 40 and CHR/Rhythmic) is an airplay chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on ...

, and reached numbers seventy-four and six, respectively. "Can't Help But Wait" made its debut on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

at number 163 on March 29, 2008; it peaked at number 115.

Track listing

;CD single #"Can't Help But Wait" #"Can't Help But Wait"

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Radio and release history

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Can't Help But Wait 2008 singles 2007 singles Song recordings produced by Stargate (record producers) Trey Songz songs Songs written by Johntá Austin Songs written by Tor Erik Hermansen Songs written by Mikkel Storleer Eriksen 2007 songs