''Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?'' is the debut album of new wave band

the Waitresses The Waitresses were an American new wave band from Akron, Ohio, best known for their singles " I Know What Boys Like" and " Christmas Wrapping." The band released two albums, '' Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?'' and '' Bruiseology'', and one EP, '' ...

, released in 1982 by

Polydor Records Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

, licensed from

ZE Records ZE Records was a New York–based record label, started in 1978 by Michael Zilkha and Michel Esteban, and closed in 1984. It was reestablished by Esteban in 2003; its website was last updated in 2019. History Michael Zilkha (b. 1954) is a Br ...

. The album peaked at No. 41 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart and included the earlier single "

I Know What Boys Like "I Know What Boys Like" is a song by the Waitresses, written by guitarist Chris Butler (musician), Chris Butler in 1978, while he was still a member of the rock band Tin Huey. It was recorded by Butler and released as a single in 1980, but beyon ...

Reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

critic Ben Tausig, writing retrospectively, said that the album "was a unique and fairly important moment in early-'80s new wave", and noted that "lead singer

Patty Donahue Patricia Jean Donahue (March 29, 1956 – December 9, 1996) was the lead singer of the American new wave group The Waitresses, most active in the 1980s. She is best known for the band's singles "I Know What Boys Like" and " Christmas Wrapping". ...

's singing ranged from a playful sexiness on the well-known hit "I Know What Boys Like" to a half-talk, half-yell with shades of

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

groups like

Gang of Four The Gang of Four () was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes due to th ...

and

the Raincoats The Raincoats are a British post-punk band formed in 1977. They were founded by Ana da Silva (vocals, guitar) and Gina Birch (vocals, bass) while the two were students at Hornsey College of Art in London. Other prominent members have included ...

on 'Pussy Strut' and 'Go On.' The guitar and bass were bizarre and funk-influenced in much the same way as other well-known Akron, OH, groups like

Devo Devo is an American new wave band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs ( Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. The band had a No. 14 ...

and

the Pretenders The Pretenders are a British rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Farndon (ba ...

". ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

''s Madison Bloom called it "an arch yet sincere sendup of humdrum modern life" and each track "a miniature diorama of daily life, rendered in the highly saturated palette of pop art". Bloom commented that without several lines, its lyrics "might read like a dystopian critique of yuppie aspiration. But

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments, with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantr ...

knew that real life is a tad more complex—you do what you can to get by, and relish small moments of contentment".

Track listing

All songs written by Chris Butler. This is the track list for the original US version. #"No Guilt" – 3:46 #"Wise Up" – 3:20 #"Quit" – 5:10 #"It's My Car" – 3:20 #"Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?" – 3:40 #"

" – 3:11 #"Heat Night" – 3:43 #"Redland" – 2:55 #"Pussy Strut" – 4:12 #"Go On" – 2:49 #"Jimmy Tomorrow" – 5:37

Personnel

– vocals *

Mars Williams Marc Charles "Mars" Williams (May 29, 1955 – November 20, 2023) was an American jazz and rock saxophonist. He was a member of the American new wave band The Waitresses from 1980 to 1983, and a member of the British post-punk band The Psyched ...

– reeds *

Tracy Wormworth Tracy Ann Wormworth (born December 15, 1958) is an American bass guitarist who has played with the B-52s since 1990. She was a member of the Waitresses and has been a session player for numerous acts. Career Wormworth's career began when she j ...

– bass *David Hofstra – bass *

Billy Ficca William Joseph Ficca (born February 15, 1950, in Delaware) is an American drummer who was a founding member of the rock groups Television (band), Television and The Waitresses. Career Of Italian origins, Ficca was a childhood friend of Tom ...

– drums *Dan Klayman – keyboards * Chris Butler – guitar *Ariel Warner – backing vocals with: *

Ralph Carney Ralph Carney (January 23, 1956 – December 17, 2017) was an American multi-instrumentalist, singer and composer. While his primary instruments were various saxophones and clarinets, Carney also collected and played many instruments, often un ...

– saxophone on "No Guilt" and "I Know What Boys Like" *Don Christensen – drums on "No Guilt" *Rick Dailey – piano on "I Know What Boys Like" *Stuart Austin – drums on "I Know What Boys Like" *Andrew Fuhrmann – art direction

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1982 debut albums The Waitresses albums Polydor Records albums Albums produced by Chris Butler (musician) Albums produced by Kurt Munkacsi