"I'll Be Waiting" is a

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

song written by Lenny Kravitz and

Craig Ross Craig David Ross is an American guitarist best known for performing and recording with Lenny Kravitz. Early life Craig Ross was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He has two daughters named Mia and Devon with his first wife Anna. Si ...

for Kravitz's eighth studio album, ''

It Is Time for a Love Revolution ''It Is Time for a Love Revolution'' is the eighth studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on February 5, 2008. The album produced four singles released in 2007 and 2008. This is Kravitz's final album for Virgin Records. ...

'' (2008). It was released as the album's

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

on December 6, 2007 (although "Bring It On" had been previously released as a radio-only single to U.S. rock stations). The iTunes download release date for the song was November 6, 2007. The song is a

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romance (love), romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn m ...

, where Kravitz sings of waiting for someone, heartbroken over a failed relationship, to realize he is the one who really loves her.

Chart performance

"I'll Be Waiting" has been highly successful across Europe; it topped the charts in the Czech Republic and reached the top five in Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland and the top ten in Germany, Austria, and Slovakia, peaking at number 13 on a composite European Hot 100 Singles. In Germany, it was his first top-ten single and his best-selling single, reaching number six. It saw mild success in North America, where it peaked at number 73 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 45 on the Canadian Hot 100. The single has not charted in Oceania.

Music video

The original video for "I'll Be Waiting" was shot in

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

with Marc Webb directing but that video was later shelved and a new version, which Kravitz co-directed with

Philip Andelman Philip Andelman is an American music video director and photographer. Andelman has directed music videos for many notable artists, see below. He has received nominations for his works from the MVPA, VMAs, and CMT awards including MVPA Director ...

, was filmed in Kravitz's New York City recording studio. The video which premiered on VH1's Top 20 Countdown at number three is shot entirely in black and white. It features Kravitz in the studio recording the song. He is shown playing the

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

, the drums, the

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

, and the bass, and simply singing the song throughout the video. He is also shown towards the end directing the orchestra on the track.

In popular culture

Kravitz performed the song at the American Music Awards of 2007 and on the 2008 ''

Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve ''Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve'' (''NYRE'') is an annual New Year's Eve television special broadcast by ABC. The special broadcasts primarily from New York City's Times Square and prominently features coverage of its annual ball drop ev ...

''. This song is also featured in the ending credits of the film '' L: Change the World''.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2000s ballads 2007 singles 2007 songs Lenny Kravitz songs Music videos directed by Philip Andelman Number-one singles in the Czech Republic Rock ballads Song recordings produced by Lenny Kravitz Songs written by Craig Ross Songs written by Lenny Kravitz Virgin Records singles