“Waiting for Tonight” by Jennifer Lopez
“Waiting for Tonight” is a love song in which the primary purpose of the verses are to serve as a means by which J-Lo can relay sweet nothings to her significant other, that being the addressee.
In other words, the primary purpose of the bulk of the wording features the vocalist celebrating the fact that she has this individual in her life to love.
And as far as the title/chorus goes, obviously she is making these statements in the daytime, when they are separated, perhaps due to their respective jobs or whatever.
Therefore she is “waiting for tonight”, i.e. the evening hours, when they are afforded the opportunity to actually be together. Or viewed differently, being in love and all, the vocalist’s favorite part of the day is the time she is able to spend with the addressee.
“Waiting for Tonight” Facts
Artist(s): Jennifer Lopez
Album/EP: “On the 6”
Was “Waiting for Tonight” a single release?
Yes. It was a single released from the album, “On the 6”. November 16 of 1999 was the date upon which J-Lo and her team officially dropped this as a single.
Writing Credits
Jennifer Lopez didn’t write “Waiting for Tonight”. It was written by the following songwriters:
- Maria Christensen
- Michael Garvin
- Phil Temple
The song was later on produced by Ric Wake and Richie Jones.
What musical genre(s) is “Waiting for Tonight”?
- Dance-pop
- Latin house
Awards/Honors/Accolades
At the 42nd Grammy awards in 2000, the song got nominated for the award, “Best Dance Recording”. However, “Believe” by Cher beat it and the following songs to the award:
- “Don’t Let This Moment End” by Gloria Estefan
- “Praise You” by Fatboy Slim
- “I Will Go with You (Con te partirò)” by Donna Summer
At the time of its release, various publications including the Chicago Tribune considered this song to be the best of the singer’s career.
Chart Performance
- US – 8
- UK – 5
- Spain – 2
- New Zealand – 5
- Netherlands – 5
- Italy – 6
- Iceland – 9
- Hungary – 2
- Greece – 5
- France – 10
- Finland – 8
- Denmark – 7
- Canada – 1
- Belgium – 4
- Australia – 4
Was “Waiting for Tonight” originally recorded by Jennifer Lopez?
No. This song was originally recorded by a group known as 3rd Party in 1997. You can hear 3rd Party’s original version below:
Jennifer Lopez’s “On the 6” Project
J-Lo’s cover of Waiting for Tonight came out as part of her debut studio album, On the 6. The American record label, the Work Group, released the album on June 1, 1999. Multiple producers helped Lopez strategically produce the album. Some of these producers included her ex-boyfriend Sean Combs (Puff Daddy), Dan Shea, Cory Rooney, and Rodney Jerkins.
The album is recognized among the best albums by a debut musician because of its incredible commercial successes. In 2000, Jennifer Lopez was nominated in multiple categories of five different award platforms and ceremonies, one of the highest award nominations for a debut artist in history.
In addition, the album has witnessed immense international success. For example, it ranked at the top positions of most albums charts of Europe and peaked at number 8 on Billboard’s 200 charts.
The album also has a reputation for spending a total of 53 weeks on Billboard’s 200 charts. This is considered one of the longest stays on the said chart by a debut musician.
In addition to the above, it is reported to have sold over 10 million copies since its release in 1999.
Below are other notable singles that emerged from “On the 6”:
- “If You Had My Love”
- “Let’s Get Loud”
