Waiting for a Want
Waiting for a Want | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
EP by | ||||
Released | June 29, 2004 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 14:43 | |||
Label | DreamWorks | |||
Producer | Marius de Vries | |||
Rufus Wainwright chronology | ||||
|
Waiting for a Want is the first
Songs from the EP were produced by
Songs
"The Art Teacher" has been compared to a short story "in which a lonely woman looks back on a delirious schoolgirl crush".[2] This version, recorded live at Le Metropolis in Montreal, is slightly different from the version that would appear on Want Two, and does not feature the overdubbed horn solo.[6][7] Wainwright has stated the song was inspired by a straight man that he met at the gym who told stories about his female students that had crushes on him.[8]
Wainwright stated the following of "
Interestingly enough this started off as a party song. What
gay world. It's definitely a protest song, and I want people to hear it so I wrote it so that musically, it would be rather simple and accessible.[8]
The ballad "This Love Affair" "finds Wainwright trying his hand at concocting a modern-day standard and pulling it off with just the right mood and texture".[2] Wainwright believes the song represents a perfect example of one of his own songs, being "emotional yet structured", "melancholy yet tough", and "very personal and universal at the same time".[8]
"Waiting for a Dream" has been characterized as a "lush, enveloping, surreal excursion through a troubled subconscious".
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Entertainment Weekly | (B+)[11] |
Paste | (unfavorable)[2] |
Reception of the EP was mixed. Making the case that EPs are "outlets for rejected or leftover material too out-there to fit onto an album", David Browne of Entertainment Weekly wrote that Waiting for a Want is just that, a "series of pop-opera reveries more rococo than Wainwright's norm".[11] Browne complimented "Waiting for a Dream" and "Gay Messiah".
Paste's Bud Scoppa claimed that the four-track collection lacked the "psychologically potent songs and gorgeous arrangements" that appeared on Want One, insisting that sociocultural commentary is not Wainwright's "sweet spot".[2] Expanding on this, Scoppa asserted that the politically driven songs "Gay Messiah" and "Waiting for a Dream" are earnest, but not worth listening to multiple times. Scoppa did, however, praise "The Art Teacher" and "This Love Affair".[2]
In his review for Salon.com, Thomas Bartlett called "Gay Messiah" boring and criticized the "clumsy, literal-minded" lyrics in "The Art Teacher".[12] Bartlett complimented "This Love Affair" and "Waiting for a Dream", comparing the latter's downtempo electronic pop style to the "better" songs on Wainwright's second album, Poses.[12]
Track listing
All songs written by Wainwright.
- "The Art Teacher" – 3:58
- "Gay Messiah" – 3:14
- "This Love Affair" – 3:15
- "Waiting for a Dream" – 4:16
Personnel
- Rufus Wainwright – vocals (1–4), piano (1,3–4), additional vocals (2), acoustic guitar (2), orchestral arrangements (3–4)
- Christopher Cardona – violin (3–4)
- Cenovia Cummins – violin (3–4)
- Marius de Vries – programming (2,4), orchestral arrangements (3–4), keyboards (4)
- Danielle Farina – viola (3–4)
- Alison Gordon – viola (3–4)
- Isobel Griffiths – horn contractor (4)
- Eric Hammelman – viola (3–4)
- Jeff Hill – bass (2,4)
- Matt Johnson – drums (2)
- Julia Kent – cello (3–4)
- Vivienne Kim – violin (3–4)
- Julianne Klopotic – violin (3–4)
- Alexandra Knoll – oboe (3)
- Kathryn Lockwood – viola (3–4)
- Maxim Moston – violin (3–4), concertmaster (3–4), orchestral arrangements (3–4)
- Jenni Muldaur – additional vocals (2)
- Fiona Murray – violin (3–4)
- Van Dyke Parks – orchestral arrangements (3–4)
- Carlo Pellettieri – cello (3–4)
- Troy Rinker Jr. – bass (3–4)
- Suzzy Roche – additional vocals (2)
- David Sapadin – clarinet (3)
- Jane Scarpantoni – cello (3–4)
- Daniel Shelly – bassoon (3)
- Antoine Silverman – violin (3–4)
- Alexis Smith – programming (2,4)
- Teddy Thompson – additional vocals (2)
- Martha Wainwright – additional vocals (2)
- Joan Wasser– violin (3–4)
- Anja Wood – cello (3–4)
References
- Allmusic. Retrieved February 1, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f Scoppa, Bud (October 1, 2004). "Rufus Wainwright – Waiting for a Want". Paste. Paste Media Group. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
- ^ Dansby, Andrew (June 24, 2004). "Wainwright Wants iTunes". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 10, 2008. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
- ^ a b Dunst, Kirsten (July 18, 2004). "Kirsten Dunst meets Rufus Wainwright". The Observer. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
- ^ a b "For The Record: Quick News On The Beastie Boys, Mandy Moore, Outkast, Paris Hilton, Linkin Park, The Strokes & More". MTV. June 28, 2004. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
- ^ a b Want Two (CD insert). Rufus Wainwright. Geffen Records. 2004.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Waiting for a Want (CD insert). Rufus Wainwright. DreamWorks Records. 2004.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b c "Biography". Geffen Records. December 23, 2004. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (July 11, 2004). "Music: Playlist; Christopher Carrabba, Pop Music's Peter Parker". The New York Times. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
- ^ Cinquemani, Sal (November 4, 2004). "Rufus Wainwright – Want Two". Slant Magazine. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
- ^ a b Browne, David (August 6, 2004). "Mini Revolution". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
- ^ a b Bartlett, Thomas (July 14, 2004). "Latter-day singers". Salon.com. Salon Media Group. Retrieved April 28, 2009.