Love Won't Let Me Wait

{{Infobox song

| name = Love Won't Let Me Wait

| image = Love won't let me wait by major harris US vinyl side A.png

| alt =

| caption = Side A of US single

| type = single

| artist = Major Harris

| album = My Way

| B-side = After Loving You

| released = March {{Start date|1975}}

| format =

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Philadelphia soul{{cite book|title= Precious and Few - Pop Music in the Early '70s|first1=Don|last1=Breithaupt|first2= Jeff|last2= Breithaupt|date= October 15, 1996|chapter= The Sound of Philadelphia: Philly Soul|page= 58|publisher=St. Martin's Griffin|isbn=031214704X|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RMPCAwAAQBAJ}}

| length = 5:31 (album version)
3:45 (edit)

| label = Atlantic

| writer = {{plainlist}}

Vinnie Barrett
Bobby Eli{{cite web|title=Major Harris – Love Won't Let Me Wait|url=https://www.discogs.com/Major-Harris-Love-Wont-Let-Me-Wait/release/3945086|website=Discogs.com|accessdate=June 1, 2021}}

| producer =

| prev_title =

| prev_year =

| next_title = Jealousy

| next_year = 1976

| misc = {{External music video|header=Audio|{{YouTube|-xItIxyykXk|"Love Won't Let Me Wait"}}}}

}}

"Love Won't Let Me Wait" is a hit 1975 single by Major Harris, a former member of R&B/soul group The Delfonics. Written by Vinnie Barrett and Bobby Eli, the single is considered to be a staple of classic soul playlists, and was Harris' only entry into the top five on both the soul and pop charts. This Ballad is noted for the sound of a woman sobbing, heard during the instrumental sections of the song. The single hit number five on the pop chart, and also hit number one on the soul chart for one week.{{cite book |title= Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=246}} Billboard ranked it as the No. 24 song for 1975.

It was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. on 25 June 1975.{{cite book

| first= Joseph

| last= Murrells

| year= 1978

| title= The Book of Golden Discs

| edition= 2nd

| publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd

| location= London

| page= [https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/114 114]

| isbn= 0-214-20512-6

| url-access= registration

| url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/114

}}

Cover versions

Many artists have covered the song. Among the more notable renditions is one by jazz vocalist Nancy Wilson who performed the song in a 1994 episode of the Fox police drama television series New York Undercover.{{cite episode

|title=To Protect and Serve

|series=New York Undercover

|series-link=New York Undercover

|credits=Charles Holland (writer); Frederick K. Keller (director)

|network=Fox

|airdate=1994-09-29

|season=1

|number=4}} This version also appeared on her 1994 Columbia album, Love, Nancy. Luther Vandross also covered the song for his 1988 album Any Love and his first compilation album 1989's The Best of Luther Vandross... The Best of Love

Chart performance

= Major Harris =

Weekly chart (1975) ! Peak position
class="wikitable sortable"
Australia (Kent Music Report) {{cite book\|last=Kent\|first=David\|author-link=David Kent (historian)\|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992\|edition=illustrated\|publisher=Australian Chart Book\|location=St Ives, N.S.W.\|year=1993\|isbn=0-646-11917-6\|page=133}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|85
{{single chart\|Canadatopsingles\|18\|chartid=3999a\|access-date=23 December 2024}}
{{single chart\|Canadaadultcontemporary\|46\|chartid=3995\|access-date=23 December 2024}}
UK Singles Chart{{cite book \| first= David \| last= Roberts \| year= 2006 \| title= British Hit Singles & Albums \| edition= 19th \| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited \| location= London \| isbn= 1-904994-10-5 \| page= 244}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|37
US Billboard Hot 100{{cite web\|url=https://www.musicvf.com/song.php?title=Love+Won%27t+Let+Me+Wait+by+Major+Harris&id=27163\|title=Love Won't Let Me Wait (song by Major Harris)\|website=MusicVF.com\|access-date=23 December 2024}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|5
US Billboard R&B Singles \| style="text-align:center;"\|1
US Billboard Easy Listening \| style="text-align:center;"\|33
US Cash Box Top 100{{cite web\|url=http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/19750628.html\|title=Cash Box Top 100 6/28/75\|website=Cashboxmagazine.com\|date=20 December 2014\|access-date=24 October 2017}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|3

class="wikitable sortable"

Year-end chart (1975)

! Rank

Canada {{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.5173a&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=enic7sdhqrbeuu9iiip880d0j4|title=Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada|website=Collectionscanada.gc.ca}}

| style="text-align:center;"|145

US Billboard Hot 100{{cite web|url=http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1975.htm |title=Top 100 Hits of 1975/Top 100 Songs of 1975 |website=Musicoutfitters.com |access-date=2016-10-10}}

| style="text-align:center;"|25

US Cash Box{{cite web|url=http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/1975YESP.html|title=Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1975|website=Cashboxmagazine.com|date=21 October 2014|access-date=24 October 2017}}

| style="text-align:center;"|55

= Jackie Moore =

class="wikitable"
Chart (1980) ! Peak position
US Billboard R&B Singles \| style="text-align:center;"\|78

class="wikitable"

Chart (1980)

! Peak
position

US Billboard R&B Singles

| style="text-align:center;"|78

= Deniece Williams and Johnny Mathis =

class="wikitable sortable"

Chart (1984)

! Peak
position

Canada RPM Adult Contemporary{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.6739.pdf|title=Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada |website=Collectionscanada.gc.ca |date=1984-05-12 |access-date=2019-04-25}}

| style="text-align:center;"|4

US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100Joel Whitburn's Bubbling Under the Billboard Hot 100 1959-2004

| style="text-align:center;"|106

US Billboard Adult Contemporary

| style="text-align:center;"|14

US Billboard R&B Singles

| style="text-align:center;"|32