You’re driving late at night. The radio is low, and suddenly that piano intro starts—the one that feels like a warm blanket and a heartbreak all at once. You know the words. You start singing about "oceans apart" and being "right here waiting for you." And if you’re like millions of other people, you probably think you’re listening to Bryan Adams.
But you aren't.
It's one of the weirdest glitches in our collective pop-culture memory. People swear they remember the raspy, gravelly voice of the Canadian "Summer of '69" legend belting out that specific chorus. They search for Bryan Adams Waiting For You on Spotify and YouTube, convinced it’s on a movie soundtrack or a deep-cut B-side from the Waking Up the Neighbours era.
It isn't.
The Mandela Effect of the 80s Power Ballad
The song everyone is thinking of is, of course, "Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx. Released in 1989, it became a global juggernaut. It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It stayed there for three weeks.
📖 Related: The King Is a Fink: Why This Weird Little Comic Phrase Still Matters
So why do we all think it’s Bryan Adams?
Honestly, it’s a perfect storm of branding and vocal texture. Back in the late 80s and early 90s, the "Soft Rock King" throne was crowded. You had Adams, Marx, Michael Bolton, and maybe a bit of Rod Stewart all competing for the same radio real estate. Adams had a massive hit with "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" in 1991, which, let’s be real, hits almost the exact same emotional frequency as the Marx ballad.
Both songs are mid-tempo. Both are deeply romantic. Both feature that signature "sensitive guy with a slightly weathered voice" vibe.
Over decades of classic rock radio play, our brains basically filed them in the same folder. We took the lyrics of one and slapped the face of the other on it. It’s a classic Mandela Effect. If you ask a random person on the street who sang the "I'll be right here waiting for you" song, there is a 50/50 chance they’ll say Bryan Adams without blinking.
Bryan Adams Waiting For You: Does a real version exist?
Since so many people search for this, you’d think Bryan would have leaned into it by now, right? Maybe a cheeky cover at a concert in Vancouver?
Actually, no.
Bryan Adams has a massive discography—we're talking over 15 studio albums and dozens of soundtrack contributions. He’s written for everyone from Celine Dion to KISS. But he has never officially recorded or released a song titled "Waiting for You" or covered the Richard Marx hit.
There are some confusing outliers on the internet, though. If you dig into sites like ReverbNation or old Napster-era file-sharing remnants (if you’re old enough to remember those), you’ll find files mislabeled as Bryan Adams Waiting For You. These are almost always the original Richard Marx track or a very convincing tribute singer.
Why the confusion persists
- The Voice: Marx and Adams both utilize a "raspy" delivery. In the lower registers, they sound remarkably similar to the casual listener.
- The Soundtrack Factor: Adams is the undisputed king of movie ballads. From Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves to The Three Musketeers, he owns that "longing" sound. People assume "Right Here Waiting" must be from one of those 90s blockbusters.
- The Era: 1989 to 1991 was the peak of this specific sound. Repeat Offender (Marx) and Waking Up the Neighbours (Adams) were the soundtracks to every high school prom and wedding of the era.
What Richard Marx says about the song
It’s actually kinda funny how "Right Here Waiting" almost didn’t happen for Marx, either. He didn't even want to record it. He wrote it as a love letter to his then-girlfriend (later wife), Cynthia Rhodes, who was in South Africa filming a movie.
📖 Related: Pedro Pascal Met Gala 2024: Why the Internet's Favorite Leading Man Skipped the Carpet
He originally tried to give the song to Barbra Streisand.
Can you imagine? Streisand heard the demo and basically told him, "I love the tune, but I’m not 'waiting' for anybody." She wanted him to rewrite the lyrics to be more empowered. Marx refused, recorded it himself, and the rest is history.
What Bryan Adams songs should you listen to instead?
If you came here looking for that specific Adams itch to scratch, he has plenty of "waiting" and "longing" songs that actually belong to him. You've probably heard them, but they’re worth a revisit if you’re in that mood.
- "Heaven" (1984): This is the gold standard. It has that same pining energy.
- "Please Forgive Me" (1993): If you want the peak raspy-vocal-ballad experience, this is the one.
- "I'll Always Be Right There" (1995): Note the title. It’s incredibly close to "Right Here Waiting," which only adds to the confusion.
- "Straight from the Heart": An early 80s gem that shows off his songwriting chops before the massive production of the 90s took over.
The takeaway for music fans
Language is a funny thing. We use Bryan Adams Waiting For You as a search term because our memories are fallible, but the "vibe" is 100% accurate. Even if the artist is wrong, the feeling you’re looking for is that specific brand of late-century nostalgia.
Next time you’re at trivia and this comes up, you can be the "actually" person. Richard Marx wrote the check, but Bryan Adams lives in the house we built for it in our heads.
📖 Related: The Best Black Mirror Episodes List That Will Actually Mess With Your Head
If you want to clear up your playlist, head over to your streaming service of choice and look for Richard Marx's Repeat Offender album. It’s a time capsule of 1989 production—big drums, clean piano, and a whole lot of longing. Then, go play Bryan’s Reckless. You’ll hear the difference immediately, but you’ll also see exactly why we got them confused in the first place.
Actionable Insight: Check your digital music library or "Liked Songs." If you have a track labeled "Waiting For You" by Bryan Adams, listen closely to the bridge. If there isn't a gravelly, rock-n-roll shout toward the end, you've likely got a mislabeled Richard Marx file. Fix the metadata so your Last.fm or Spotify Wrapped doesn't out you as a victim of the Mandela Effect.