This Richard Marx Song Almost Didn’t Happen

One of the staple songs you swayed to at your high school dance – almost didn’t happen!

Singer Richard Marx just revealed a surprising fact about his hit 1989 song, “Right Here Waiting.” It’s one of those songs that instantly takes you back to simpler, sweeter times… you were just a kid in junior high or high school, hoping to get a few minutes alone with your crush on the dance floor!

Marx posted on TikTok to mark the 36th anniversary of “Right Here Waiting” going No. 1 on the Billboard chart. He shared that he almost didn’t record the song, because he thought it was too slow and too soft for the music he was making at the time. He even tried to hand it off to the one and only Barbra Streisand, and her reply is hilarious! Take a look…

@richardmarx Happy 36th anniversary of “Right Here Waiting” becoming a number one single. Special thanks to @Barbra Streisand ❤️❤️ #rejection #numberone #rightherewaitingforyou ♬ Right Here Waiting (2021 – Remaster) – Richard Marx

So, that rejection ended up being a very good thing for Richard Marx. Not only was “Right Here Waiting” his first to go No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, it’s also his best-selling single to date.

Marx would go on to score 13 more No. 1 songs, some as a performer and others as a songwriter/producer. They include “Hold On to the Nights,” “Satisfied,” and “This I Promise You” by ‘NSYNC. One more interesting fact: Marx holds the distinction of having written songs that have hit No. 1 on various Billboard charts in each of the last four decades!

So, thank you, Barbra Streisand, for your rejection, otherwise, our school dances just wouldn’t have been the same!