"Waiting in Vain" is a song written by

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

musician

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

and recorded by Bob Marley & The Wailers, for his 1977 album '' Exodus''. Released as a single, it hit number twenty-seven in 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 ...

. The single was one of only a few of Marley's Island singles to feature a non-album B-Side, this being the song "Roots", an outtake from the ''

Rastaman Vibration ''Rastaman Vibration'' is the eighth studio album by the reggae band Bob Marley and the Wailers, released in April 1976. Critical reception Reviewing for ''Rolling Stone'' in 1976, Robert Palmer said that on the album Marley consummately perfo ...

'' sessions. This later appeared on the compilation '' Rebel Music'' and on '' Exodus (Deluxe Edition)''. The 1981 reissue of Waiting in Vain featured a megamix called ''Marley Mix Up Medley'' instead. A rare 19-minute long acoustic version is available on YouTube.

Certifications

Lee Ritenour version

In 1993, American Jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour recorded his version of the song featuring British reggae artist

Maxi Priest Max Alfred "Maxi" Elliott (born 10 June 1961), known by his stage name Maxi Priest, is a British reggae vocalist of Jamaican descent. He is best known for singing reggae music with an R&B influence, otherwise known as reggae fusion. He was one ...

. It was also included on his 21st album '' Wes Bound''. The single peaked at number 54 in the US R&B chart.

Annie Lennox version

"Waiting in Vain" was recorded by Annie Lennox for her album ''

Medusa In Greek mythology, Medusa (; Ancient Greek: Μέδουσα "guardian, protectress"), also called Gorgo, was one of the three monstrous Gorgons, generally described as winged human females with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Those ...

'' in 1995 – 18 years after Marley recorded it. It was released as the album's third single in 1995 and reached number thirty-one on the UK Singles Chart. Lennox's version was used in the 2001 film '' Serendipity'', the 2002 film ''

Changing Lanes ''Changing Lanes'' is a 2002 American drama thriller film directed by Roger Michell and starring Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson. The film follows a successful, young Wall Street lawyer (Affleck) who accidentally crashes his car into a vehicle ...

'', the 2003 film '' In The Cut'', and the final episode of ''Peter Kay's Car Share'' in 2018.

Track listing

Charts

References

{{Authority control Bob Marley songs Annie Lennox songs 1977 singles 1995 singles Songs written by Bob Marley 1977 songs Island Records singles Arista Records singles Song recordings produced by Stephen Lipson